Catholic Lovin’

As I pointed out before, The Catholic Church has stepped up the importance of battling the “New Age” and other small religious movements (including us pagans). Here is a recent quote from an interview with French Cardinal Paul Poupardon on the Zenit news service.

“Militant atheism is receding in the world. But there is a phenomenon of practical unbelief which is growing in cultural realms penetrated by secularism. It is a cultural form that I would describe as “neo-paganism,” in which religion is an idolatry of material goods, a vague religious feeling that is rather pantheistic, which is at ease with cosmological theories, such as those of New Age. Evidently, it is necessary to reflect on this phenomenon, which is typical of the secularized cultures of the West. “

and

“From the pastoral point of view, what is most worrying is that atheism and unbelief is growing among women. For millenniums, the faith was transmitted in the family by mothers, while now we are witnessing a break. Moreover, there is a new fact: the growth of those who are indifferent, that is, men and women who believe without belonging and belong without practicing. There is an increase in those who say they are religious but do not go to Church, and who believe in a whole series of practices, which border on the magical.”

The signs point to a worried Church trying to stem the loss of adherants to more liberal faiths (and one that is obviously noticing the growth of “neo-paganism”). I’m wondering what steps The Catholic Church is going to take? Pulling Priests and Bishops from inter-faith groups that include pagans? Deny Communion to those who harbor us? I suppose only time will tell.

Tags: Neopaganism