September 25, 2011. (Romereports.com) Before leaving his native Germany, the Pope met with members of Catholic associations in a concert hall in Freiburg. As a gift, the associations gave him this brief concert, so he could rest before flying back to Rome. During his speech, the Pope reflected on what the Church can do to attract more people.
“For some decades now we have been experiencing a decline in religious practice and we have been seeing substantial numbers of the baptized drifting away from church life. This prompts the question: should the Church not change?", he said.
The pope said, there is room for change. But he highlighted that the change must improve the mission Jesus entrusted him with.
Benedict XVI
“Through the demands and constraints of the world, however, the witness is constantly obscured, the relationships are alienated and the message is based on relativism.”
To truly be herself, the Church must rid itself of so called “worldliness,” said the Pope. Meaning it should eliminate the superficial noise around it. The pope went on to say the Church should free itself from political and material burdens, that distract it from its true mission.
Benedict XVI
“Giving the Church its true identity and stripping away from it anything that only seems to belong to faith, but in truth is mere convention or habit.”
The Pope recognized that in any case, Christian faith, will always be questioned, since it will always be a “daring” belief to think that God was crucified to give resurrection to others.
Before leaving the concert hall, the Pope thanked all Catholics committed to improving every day society. He said only a deep relationship with God, makes it possible for one to fully reach out to others.
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