Report: Christianity in its global context.

[Xavier]

Source It's a Protestant study, but some useful information for global missions. The Church used to take missionary work very seriously, but that has declined.

Thoughts? An interesting report describing the state of global Christianity over the last 50 years. Out of around 7.65 billion people, 2.55 billion identify as Christians, just about exactly a third. Islamism at 1.82 billion, Hinduism at 1.07 billion and agnosticism at 670 million are the next 3 in number of adherents. Two or three major issues in the last 50 years, (1) rise of secularization in western europe (2) rise of Christianity in eastern europe, and former communist states like Russia (3) the impending showdown between Christianity and Islamism, unless something dramatic changes. There are detailed breakdowns for each separate continent and prospects outlined for missionary initiatives.

Regarding (3), there were only some 577 million Muslims around 1970, and even though millions of Muslims have come to Christ and the Church in the last few decades, if Christian countries had taken more seriously the duty of evangelizing, Christendom would be much stronger now. Regardless, that's what will have to be done in the next few decades.

Another statistic, the top 10 ten countries with the most Christians, is also interesting. It's estimated to be the US (243 million), Brazil (190 million), China (147 mn), Mexico (120 mn), Russia (118 mn), Philippines (100 mn), Nigeria (96 mn), Congo (80 mn), India (67 mn) and Ethiopia (60 mn). Asia is the last continent that has not come to Christ in a big way. In Africa, it is ongoing. In Oceania, the vast majority was Christian in 1970, and it has slightly declined. That's the global status of Christianity today. Thoughts?

[Miriam_M]

I haven't read your link. (Can't; too busy)  However, we know that certainly the mainstream Catholic Church has abandoned her spiritual evangelization mission commanded by her leader.  By contrast, several traditional apostolates continue to minister to missionary lands (Africa, other locations), explicitly bringing them the sacraments in the traditional rites, as the first priority.  In addition, they help with earthly needs, but the primary focus is conversion and the spiritual life.

This is what happens when an institution declares openly that it no longer actually believes the deposit of faith handed down by its founder and the apostles who followed.  Specifically, that is, it no longer believes that Catholicism is the one true religion and means of salvation.

Modern religious communities continue various forms of work in traditionally mission territory, but it's all interchangeable with secular social justice and bears nothing recognizably Catholic about it.

[Xavier]

I found this interesting infographic on Quora that just about sums up the state of global Christianity in this 21st century.

I personally feel it is very important for all Catholics to participate in the universal Church's missionary endeavors at least by prayers and sacrifices. Millions of Catholics seriously doing will make a dramatic difference on a global scale.

May God grant millions of conversions to His Church and to Tradition and increase in grace and in holiness to us all in this upcoming new year 2019.

[Michael Wilson]

The following report will just make you sick to your stomach to read; there is a N.O. Priest that is working near the border of Nepal that is not allowed to make converts by his bishop; his bishop even prohibited him from baptizing a woman that wanted to convert from Buddhism, because all religions lead to God, and he didn't want to have any problems with the authorities:
http://www.infocatolica.com/blog/maradentro.php

Misionero de manos encadenadas
A las 12:35 PM, por Padre Federico

Acá, el obispo no me deja bautizar a nadie. Y hace poco se indignó conmigo ya que mi estilo pastoral fue calificado de "no-respetuoso con las demás religiones". Es que resulta que ahora la Verdad debe respetar el error. Esta parece ser la moda de la hora presente, moda estúpida hija de documentos tristemente ambiguos como Nostrae aetate o  Dignitatis humanae, documentos que parecen ignorar el divino mandato del "sí, sí; no, no".

No se crean que me voy por las ramas ya que el canciller episcopal, en la punta del Himalaya, me lo dijo claramente: "el concilio Vaticano II manda respetar las demás religiones". El obispo, también, me lo dijo clara y públicamente: "I respect my Buddhist religion" ("yo respeto mi religión budista"). Cuando me lo dijo, me quedé helado. Sí, así, tal cual como lo leyeron.

Es que en la "iglesia primaveral" cualquiera puede decir cualquier disparate, con tal de que el disparate sea políticamente correcto. O eclesialmente correcto. Mi misión acá cuelga de un hilo, pero ese hilo lo tiene Dios. Y a Dios, no le gana nadie. Como decía, acá no me dejan bautizar ya que el obispo teme que el gobierno indio nos haga problemas.

Mis manos están encadenadas.

Leer más... »

Google translation:

Chained hands missionary
At 12:35 PM, by Father Federico

Here, the bishop will not let me baptize anyone. And recently he was outraged with me because my pastoral style was described as "not respectful of other religions." It turns out that now the Truth must respect the error. This seems to be the fashion of the present time, stupid fashion daughter of documents sadly ambiguous as Nostrae aetate or Dignitatis humanae, documents that seem to ignore the divine mandate of "yes, yes; no no".

Do not think I'm going out of my way because the episcopal chancellor, at the tip of the Himalayas, told me clearly: "The Second Vatican Council commands respect for other religions." The bishop, too, told me clearly and publicly: "I respect my Buddhist religion" ("I respect my Buddhist religion") When he told me, I was frozen, yes, like that, as they read it.

Is that in the "spring church" anyone can say any nonsense, provided that the nonsense is politically correct. Or ecclesially correct. My mission here hangs by a thread, but that thread has God. And to God, nobody wins. As I was saying, here they will not let me baptize because the bishop fears that the Indian government will cause us problems.

My hands are chained.

Read more... "

[Gardener]

Has that priest not read Acts 5:29?

He needs to do his duty, not listen to some reprobate faggot.

[Xavier]

I found the Church's statistics for Catholic Christianity alone, updated till 2016: http://www.fides.org/en/news/64944-VATICAN_CATHOLIC_CHURCH_STATISTICS_2018

It's tragic, isn't it, Michael? Religious indifferentism like that is one of the main cause for the decline both in vocations and in conversions. Imo, every serious Priest, in addition to guiding his flock to heaven, should try to evangelize at least 1000 non-Catholics every 10 years. If all current Priests did that (even with the reduced number of Priests), of course assisted by Monks, Nuns, and Laity each in their own way, we would have 420 million converts by 2029.

The number of Priests worldwide is just under 420,000; if it had kept pace with pre-Vatican II growth rates, it would be around 1.3 million by now. But even with the state of the Church as it is, much more evangelism is possible.

May God bless that good Priest. And it amazes me that, in spite of bad Bishops like that doing all they can to frustrate the cause of Catholic Evangelism, the Church still receives several million converts (about 15 million, according to official Vatican sources) every year. But, it could and should be much more. It could be 50 million or more, if the Bishops, like the Apostles they succeed, were doing their duty to Christ.

And we in Tradition, beside that, should be thinking of how we are going to help bring the world to Christ. Thanks be to God, many of our good and holy Priests do great mission work. Yet, Tradition is still too small, relatively speaking, to the needs of so many millions and billions of souls. Will this change in future?

And some trad laity I speak to are expecting "end of the world" or "chastisement" and so unfortunately think evangelism is not so important. Yes, the chastisement or whatever may come, but it's much better to focus on the end goal promised us, which is restoration; and if God is going to do supernatural things, He may well work them in our favor, if we are out there working for Him. In one of Our Lady's of Quito's prophesies, it is said God will use men to effect the restoration.

There should be more Traditional Mass Locations around the world. Every Traditional Mass obtains great and priceless graces for the world, many of which cannot be obtained any other way. Yet, there is not a detailed plan for world evangelism nor the complete unity necessary to carry it out, in Tradition. This website https://www.latinmassdir.org/ lists only the "approved" ones, apparently only from Indult/Motu groups. There are slightly over 1000 worldwide, per that site.

We need much wider implementation of the norms of Summorum Pontificum and Universae Ecclesiae, and have to work to ensure at least 100,000 parishes worlwide begin to regularly offer the TLM in the next 10 to 12 years, by 2030 odd. Working for restoration from the dioceses upward is indispensable.

And in the SSPX, we should be doing everything possible to have 10x more Priests than we do have, to minister to the needs of around 200 countries worldwide. At least in 15 years, by 2033 or so, we should have 10,000 Priests in the Society alone, beside any number, from dioceses or from other groups, that may work with us.

SSPX-Rome discussions will probably continue under Fr. Pagliarani. If something even better than Summorum Pontificum's norms can be obtained, that should be tried as well.

So, let's plan well for the future. It's estimated the world population will be around 10 billion in 2050, assuming no global disasters or chastisements or such. If so, then at the least, we should have evangelized half the world for Christ by them, which is about 5 billion in total. Contingency plans are another thing.

According to Saints and Our Lady - it's how Pope St. Gregory and St. Augustine of Canterbury evangelized England - one of the important spiritual means of national and world evangelism is plenty of religious vocations. "Woe to the world should it lack monasteries and convents!  Mortals do not comprehend their importance, for, if they understood, they would do all in their power to multiply them, because in them can be found the remedy for all physical and moral evils..."No one on the face of the earth is aware whence comes the salvation of souls, the conversion of great sinners, the cessation of great scourges, the production and fertility of the lands, the end of pestilences and wars, and the harmony between nations.  All this is due to the prayers that rise up from monasteries and convents." https://www.ourladyofgoodsuccess.com/blogs/news/a-special-request-from-the-mother-abbess-of-the-conceptionist-monastery-quito

The Church is the only institution that can save souls, convert sinners, and bring harmony and peace to the world. God and Mary have been directing us in this.

Bishops should regularly consecrate their country to the Sacred and Immaculate Heart, all united as one, together, praying for vocations and national conversion.

Monasteries, convents, and laity, with Bishops and Priests, should be contributing to the Church's increase by their daily prayers and sacrifices.

The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart, the conversion of nations, and a period of peace has been promised us; and if we do our part, it will surely come soon.

[Michael Wilson]

Xavier,
I agree with you, we need more good priests. The SSPX cannot "up the numbers" without risking ordaining unworthy candidates; only God can provide more solid vocations, and He told us we have to pray that "the Lord of the harvest send more laborers".