Yesterday Vatican News reported on a visit by Cardinal Parolin, Holy See Secretary of State, to Brussels RC Cathedral to celebrate its 800th anniversary. It was important for what he said about the way Christianity gradually evolves, as well as his tribute to the patrons of this particular Cathedral, Saints Michael and Gudula.
But its real importance was what he had to say about Europe, which he described as currently passing through “a period of profound fragility, marked by fears and fractures that are not only political and social, but also interior and cultural.”
As with Europe, self-doubt, he said, is a challenge for the Church – its greatest danger being not numerical decline, but irrelevance: “It is not numerical weakness that undermines Christian witness,” the Cardinal said, “but the loss of evangelical boldness.”
“The Church does not stand above history, nor does she simply merge with it,” he said. “She journeys through it as a presence that accompanies, discerns and serves.”
An interesting and engaging article, which you can read here.
Picture above of Brussels Cathedral for Cardinal Parolin’s visit, taken from Vatican News website.