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News Archive Atheism
Fading, But So Too Is Religious Fervor VATICAN CITY, MARCH 11, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Research carried out by the Pontifical Council for Culture reveals that atheism is receding while religious indifference and "alternative religions" are growing. The pontifical council conducted a worldwide survey on unbelief and religious indifference to prepare for its plenary assembly, which runs today through Saturday in the Vatican. "From the militant and organized atheism of other times there has been a move to a situation of practical indifference, of the loss of importance of the question of God, and of abandonment of religious practice, especially in the Western world," the presentation of the council's report pointed out. Yet, this trend is not a question of "abandonment of belief in God," the report said. The study, which will be the working document of the plenary meeting, was prepared using a "Survey on Unbelief" to which correspondents of the council worldwide have responded. The up-to-date "map" of unbelief drawn by the study arrives at six conclusions, presented Monday to a group of journalists, including one from ZENIT, by Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the pontifical council. The conclusions: -- "Unbelief is not increasing in the world. It is a phenomenon connected especially to the Western world. It is not connected to the Asian, Latin American or African world, and even less so to the Muslim." -- "Militant atheism is receding and it exerts no public influence, with the exception of regimes in which an atheist political system is still in force. One observes, however, the awakening of a certain militant laicism, especially in Europe." -- "Religious indifference or practical atheism is growing. Agnostics and non-practicing believers tend to be mixed in an environment where people live, in fact, as if God did not exist." -- "Atheism and unbelief, typically masculine phenomena … usually found in persons with a medium-high cultural level in the past, today have spread also to women who work outside the home: unbelief increases among the latter and reaches levels that are almost the same as those of men." -- "The number of persons who go to Church regularly is decreasing everywhere. This does not mean an increase in unbelief, but rather the transformation of religious practice and of the way of believing: to believe without belonging." -- "Also growing is a more spiritual rather than religious search, which does not always coincide with a return to traditional religious practices." Cardinal Poupard explained that the study "does not seek to continue analyzing the problem of the loss of the faith, but of giving concrete answers. We are not sociologists; we are pastors." In this plenary assembly, the cardinal said, the members of the Council for Culture -- 21 cardinals and 12 archbishops and bishops -- seek "to help to respond to a very simple question: What must we do?" "The real enemy of faith is not aggressive atheism. Today, for the majority of persons, God is considered totally insignificant," he said, quoting a study made in England, in The Tablet, on Jan. 10. "There is no place or need for him in the needs and desires of their daily life." The council's plenary assembly seeks "to indicate new ways to respond to the unsatisfied expectations of man who continues to be, despite everything, a religious man," the cardinal said. "There is a whole series of means that must be proposed to evangelize the culture of unbelief and of indifference," he added. Specifically, Cardinal Poupard proposed "a renewed presence of the Church in the public debate" and "a new language that touches reason and the heart." He also proposed "that Christian initiation be assumed by the family and the community of believers, prolonged by educational institutions, and supported by a catechesis watered by a solid liturgy of beauty," to share "love by following the example of Christ, redeemer of the world." Cardinals and bishops who were recently appointed as members of the dicastery will participate for the first time in the plenary assembly. Among the speakers are: -- Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor of Westminster, who will speak on "Personal Dialogue with Nonbelievers"; -- Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who will address the topic "The Christian Churches Facing the Challenge of Unbelief"; -- Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, who will speak on "Educational Institutes: Schools and Universities"; -- Cardinal Ivan Dias of Bombay, India, on "The Way of Love." On Saturday, the closing session will take place with a Mass in the Basilica of St. Mary in Trastevere, presided over by Cardinal Juan Sandoval ?iguez of Guadalajara, Mexico.
HIROSHIMA, Japan, APRIL 8, 2003 (Zenit.org).- The first Latin-Japanese ecclesiastical dictionary has been published, a volume that includes about 5,000 words. Father Juan Vicente Catret of Valencia, Spain, a missionary in Japan since 1962, published the work. The dictionary includes "all terms referring to Gregorian and sacred music." It is already on sale in specialized bookstores in Japan, Avan agency reported. According to Father Catret, the shorter version makes the dictionary "practical and especially useful for people beginning studies in ecclesiological subjects at Japanese universities." The six schools of theology in Japan are administered by various religious congregations and also by members of the Neocatechumenal Way. Father Juan Vicente Catret has been a professor of philosophy, anthropology, Latin and Scripture at the University of Hiroshima since 1980. He has written about 40 books in Japanese on spirituality, lives of saints, and moral philosophy, among other subjects. Although only 0.5% of the Japanese are baptized, 14% "have a Christian mentality and base their thinking on Christian values," said Father Catret. Moreover, the percentage of Christians is increasing, "given the great number of emigrated Japanese descendents to Latin American countries, primarily Brazil and Peru, who now return to their homeland and are Catholics," he said. Priest
Speculates Why He Was Expelled from Russia ROME, SEPT. 30, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Here is Polish Father Jaroslaw Wisniewski's testimony on the reasons for his expulsion from the Russian Federation on Sept. 10, after his arrival at Khbarovsk airport, on the Pacific coast of Siberia. At the time, he was on his way to his parishes in Petropavlovsk and Sakhalin, in eastern Siberia. * * * An official statement of the Orthodox Church, issued at the end of June 2002, criticized the Catholic Church for excessive activity and for attracting ethnic Russians. The Russian language distinguishes between Russian citizens and lifetime ethnic Russians, an especially important distinction for the Orthodox Church, which considers the latter their exclusive pastoral responsibility. Metropolitan Kirill, author of the document, said that Russia does not need foreign missionaries, because it was already baptized 1,000 years ago and is Orthodox in the majority. According to the bishop, we Catholics are proselytizing among Russians. The document includes names of Catholic priests and religious, and lists congregations that include in their official name the word missionaries: Divine Word missionaries, Claretian missionaries, Holy Family missionaries. ... My name was also on that list. Bishop Cyril mentioned my disagreeable interview in a television program in Kamchatka, in which I expressed a historical truth, hoping to cause an impact on the local population, who do not know how close Catholics and Orthodox were. Given our competence in Russia, the Moscow Orthodox prefer to be silent about it, and always refer to us Catholics as heretics. ... Hence, my speaking about this taboo is the second possible cause of my expulsion. Then there is the history of Karafuto. Sakhalin, the parish in Russia close to Hokkaido, where I resided for the past three years, has a beautiful Catholic tradition linked to Japanese roots. I searched for details and discovered that, in Japanese times -- 1905-1945 -- around 34 priests worked there. It is very easy to get information in the Diocese of Sapporo. Up to December 2000, Bishop Peter Jinushi was the apostolic prefect of Sakhalin, and as the community was destroyed in 1948 -- it was finally renewed in 1992 by Korean missionaries of Taegu -- the Russian authorities were never concerned about it. The problem began only when the canonical responsibility for Sapporo was transferred to Irkusketia, and this diocese wrote on all its documents "Eastern Siberia" and "Karafuto." For this reason, someone said in Moscow that an excuse was being given to return Sakhalin to Japan. From our Catholic point of view, the Vatican has totally respected Russian sovereignty over Sakhalin: Bishop Mazur of Irkutsk was appointed head of Sakhalin instead of the Japanese bishop. The recently appointed bishop simply respected the tradition and continued to call Sakhalin Karafuto, without any political significance. For these reasons, between January and April 10, 2002, I was called by the Ministry of Justice to the court and to the Immigration Police to explain the situation. We obeyed the Russian directives but, unfortunately, this did not satisfy them, and Bishop Mazur was expelled on April 19 and now, on Sept. 10, perhaps I was expelled for the same reason. The amusing thing about all this is that it is only about probable reasons. The immigration police give the sole explanation that every country has the sovereign right to prohibit entrance to foreigners. The Holy See has protested, but there has been no reaction. At present, I am one of five priests expelled from Russia without being given an official explanation. The difference is that the priests who preceded me had a temporary one-year visa, while I had been in Russia for 10 years and in 2000 obtained a valid visa for five years, until 2005, with the possibility of obtaining Russian nationality in 2003. Lawyers have told me that this document may be annulled only by the court. This is why I think my case is very special, and I ask defenders of human rights to think about how this case can be resolved. I could mention other possible motives. The following is a personal opinion. Catholics, having many generous friends in foreign countries, have recently built many beautiful churches in Russia. As the Orthodox Patriarchate does not have so many friends, it builds fewer churches. I was able to build a lovely church in the center of Sakhalin. This was, perhaps, the main practical though not juridical reason to expel me. In the times of the czarist empire, when Orthodoxy was the state religion, Catholics were forbidden to build churches with spires that were higher than the local Orthodox churches'. It is amusing, because that was the situation. It seems that the Orthodox authority wants to restore this norm. Oldest Christian Tomb In Japan Found
TOKYO, 8-Mar-2002 (CWNews.com) - Archeologists have found what they believe to be the oldest Christian grave in Japan, a granite site marker dating to 1581. The marker was buried centuries ago, which the scientists believe was done to avoid persecution for practicing the outlawed faith. The grave is believed to be that of Tsushima Tawara, a local feudal lord whose family apparently hid the stone. The Catholic faith was introduced to Japan in 1549 by St. Francis Xavier, but the ruling warlords felt threatened by the thousands of converts and banned the faith in 1613, making the practice of Christianity punishable by death. The stone is emblazoned with a cross and Tawara's Christian name "Reiman" inscribed in Chinese characters meaning "many honors," according to Masao Kume, an official in the western state of Osaka, where the stone was found. It also bore a Greek letter and date. Scholars believe the gravestone was buried after the shogun's edict banned Christianity, Kume said. The marker was dug up last month at a parking lot construction site some 240 miles west of Tokyo. Despite the ban on Christianity, thousands continued to practice the faith underground, even without priests. When Westerners returned to Japan in the late 19th century, about 250 years later, there were still an estimated 50,000 Christians. Freedom of religion was declared in the country in 1873.
Japan Edges Closer to Embryonic Stem Cell Research TOKYO, AUG. 2, 2001 (Zenit.org).- A Japanese Cabinet panel has approved guidelines for stem cell research, a move likely to allow experimentation on human embryos as early as this year. The Cabinet's bioethics panel rubber-stamped a set of conditions on stem cell research that is expected to be formally approved soon by the Science and Technology Agency, the Associated Press reported. The guidelines stipulate that embryonic cells used in research would be taken only from those made for fertility treatment that would otherwise be discarded, said Takahiro Hayashi, an official of the Cabinet's Council for Science and Technology Policy. Research on cloning humans or creating sperm and ova would be strictly banned. Safeguards would be set up to protect private information and selling stem cells would be prohibited, Hayashi said. Stem cells are the building blocks for all human tissue. ZE01080223
ARCHBISHOP OF NAGASAKI: RESTORING HOPE IN JAPAN Vatican City (Fides) – Christians have hope to share with the rest of the Japanese people, many of whom who find themselves in a "blind tunnel". Archbishop of Nagasaki Shimamoto Kaname, who is president of the Bishops’ Conference, said this in a conversation with Fides in Rome, where he is making the ad limina visit with his fellow Bishops. He said that to fight the ills of modern Japanese society "economic stagnation due to the collapse of the "bubble economy", weakening of family bonds, violence in schools and shocking crimes by children and increasing number of youth-suicides, are creating a sense of frustration among the people" the Church in Japan is committed to restoring the spiritual dimension of life. Referring to the Bishops Conference’s recent letter for 2001 "Reverence for Life", based on the Church’s moral and social teaching, Archbishop Shimamoto Kaname underlines that the letter "addressed to all the Japanese people, illustrates God’s plan for human life, individual and as a society. Furthermore, during our annual general plenary meeting in June, the Bishops’ Conference will discuss operative guidelines, to concretize the message". The activity of the Catholic Church in Japan, the Archbishop explains, focuses more on education and works of assistance and charity, and less on direct evangelization. An inquiry made some years ago, suggested that what impedes the spread of the Christian faith in Japan is a strong traditional belief in nature, (Shintoist influence) rather than in divinity. Observers say the Japanese, who easily change from one religion to another, find it hard to accept the need to have set beliefs. In a population of 126 million, 53.8% claim to be Shintoists, 40% Buddhists, 5% Confucians. There are 700,000 Protestant Christians and 440,000 Catholics. Catholic immigrants as well as missionaries are a great resource for the Catholic Church in Japan. "As well as Japanese Catholics – Archbishop Shimamoto Kaname says – we have more than 450,000 Catholic immigrants, who account for about one third of all regular incoming foreigners. Their presence is a great resource for evangelization and vitality. However they are also an added responsibility since proper pastoral care must be provided for them and we hope they will always find a welcome". He also voiced appreciation for the work of about 800 missionaries in a country where vocations are diminishing: today in Japan 557 diocesan priests and 1,258 Religious priests are operative, while the number of elderly or ill clergy grows. (6/4/2001)
Tokyo (Fides) – Japan will be destroyed not the threatening economic crisis but by a crisis in spirit. This is what emerges from a recent message issued by the Japanese Bishops, now in Rome for their five yearly ad limina visit, March 26-31. Materialism and self-centered values – the Bishops warn- are leading the human society to self-destruction. The ills afflicting society include youth suicides: more than 30,000 in 1999 and many more attempted, denote a state of "agony" in which youth find neither understanding nor help, the Bishops say. Japanese society today is one of "anxiety and sadness", the Archbishop of Nagasaki Shimamoto Kaname, who is president of the Bishops’ Conference, told Fides. 126 million Japanese, among them 440,000 Catholics, live in a country in which the myth of materialism, the pursuit of pleasure, productivity and technology has robbed Japan of its soul. Life itself has lost all value, abused and distant from God. "Reverence for Life" is the title of a carefully thought out "Message for the Twenty First Century", addressed to "all the people of Japan", and "to all with whom we share this new century", which tackles the problems of modern life listed under eight main points. The value of life. Highlighting the "sacredness" and "grandeur" of human life, "God’s one-time gift to each of us" the Bishops recall the "miserable history of humanity in the 20th century" with so much loss of life. Japan bears the scars of the high-tech murder with nuclear weapons. After the second world war Japan gave priority to economic development. By 1987 it was the richest country in the world with a gross domestic product per capita of $38,000 dollars. However many human values were sacrificed in the pursuit of economic development and family ties have weakened. The elderly and the handicapped. Remarkable economic development has increased the Japanese life-span to 80 years, the longest in the world (16% of the population is over 65). But the elderly are neglected and the disabled are isolated. "Discriminatory attitudes toward the disabled are still deeply rooted in modern Japanese society" the Bishops say, calling for measures to guarantee medical care to the needy, adequate old age pensions, economic assistance for families and a barrier-free society with respect for every individual. Family. The self-centered values of modern Japan weaken marriage and families. The Bishops note with sadness the increase in couples in crisis, with over 243,000 divorces in 1998 (in 1947 there were 79,551 divorces) having tragic effects on children: "The commercialization of sex, promiscuity among youth and marital infidelity are the result of an emphasis on immediate gratification and comfort." It is important to strengthen couples' bonds "Regard for one's life companion and children is more important than work and financial gain", the Bishops say. Sexuality: Today sex has become a commodity, sexuality is alienated, separated from procreation. "When girls ask Why is it wrong for me to sell my own body the adults of Japan cannot give a clear answer! Japanese society is sick", the Bishops lament, adding that this tendency increases use of abortion, which demands special counseling and attention. Youth: The Bishops remind parents and educators that it is more important to give children love than things, stressing the need to rediscover inter-personal communication today when "mobile phones, the Internet and the speedy development of new information and communication systems are in fact reducing communications between young people and their families". Euthanasia and the death penalty: "The only developed nations in which the death penalty endures are the United States (where it has been abolished in some states) and Japan – the Bishops say. A recent opinion poll shows that about 80% of Japanese accept the death penalty, perhaps influenced by a serious of particularly atrocious crimes. But "Life belongs to God" the Bishops affirm. The life sciences:
A final chapter of the letter focuses the relation between science
and ethics. Condemning cloning of human beings, the Bishops urged
the Japanese to be more open to organ donation as an "act of
love". (6/4/2001) Takamatsu (Fides) – After ten years in rented rooms Takamatsu Redemptoris Mater seminary has a home (temporary) in a prefab building officially inaugurated on March 4, 2001. With its 30 seminarians of eleven different nationalities and 9 resident professors, the seminary is a source of vitality for the Catholic Church in Japan. Takamatsu diocese is on Shikoku island about 450 km south of Tokyo. "Japan needs new priests urgently " Fides was told by an Italian priest, Fr Antonello Iapicca, ordained five years ago after studies at the Redemptoris Mater seminary in Takmatsu. "The average age of Japanese clergy is 70 and there are not many ready to replace them: the three diocesan seminaries in Tokyo, Fukuoka and Redemptoris Mater ordain no more than 10-15 priests a year". Redemptoris Mater has trained 25 priests in ten years, five local Japanese men. "The seminary is international - Fr Iappica explains. In today’s globalised world the seminary’s international community is a sign of the universality of the Catholic Church and a sign of communion among peoples. Moreover Spanish and Filipino priests and priests from English-speaking countries provide pastoral care for Catholic immigrants in Japan, now more than 450,000". The seminary is temporarily in a prefab, but a building is underway. It will costs about 10 million dollars which the seminary hopes to collect through donations from Europe, America and Japan. Help also comes from an association for cultural and missionary cooperation between Italy and Japan, named after an Italian Fr Alessandro Valignano a Jesuit missionary to Japan in the late 1500s. "Italian culture and its Christian contents – the Italian priest said – will help break through the wall of indifference in Japanese society, in particular among the young generation". The new house will be built on grounds 30 km from Takamatsu city. It will be able to accommodate 90 students and will include a chapel, a library and meeting hall. The Redemptoris Mater seminary is connected with the Neo Catechumen Way which responded to a request from Bishop Joseph Fukahori, Bishop of Takamatsu since 1977, whom Fr Iapicca says is a "real business man of the spirit". "The aim of the seminary is to spread the faith throughout Japan and Asia". 30 years ago the Neo Catechumen Way promised Pope Paul VI it would send missionary families to Japan and there are already thirteen here, another six families will arrive in the coming months. (6/4/2001) Why
There Are So Few Catholics in Japan VATICAN CITY, MAR. 29, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Why does Japan, with a population of about 130 million, have only 447,000 Catholics? Bishop Berard Toshio Oshikawa of Okinawa was asked that question over Vatican Radio. He and other Japanese bishops are in Rome for their quinquennial "ad limina" visit to the Pope. "Christianity is accepted by the people," the bishop said. "About 70% of Japanese express great appreciation for it, but it is very difficult to convert people. The Church is still regarded in Japan as a Western product, because, when the war ended, the missionaries present were from European countries and America." "The missionaries have worked hard to create a local Church," he added, "but we are always speaking about a Church based on a theological foundation of European matrix and, therefore, culturally remote from Japan." Because of this, the bishops are promoting the inculturation of the Christian faith. However, in this process, especially as regards the liturgy, "there is still much confusion today," he said. "It is not totally clear how this task of inculturation must be implemented specifically. It is something very difficult and a problem that affects us all, as missionaries and Christians." ZE01032907 Please see
the Dossier on Japan
: Newsletter of the District of Asia, Nov. - Dec. 2000 Very interesting statistics regarding the Japanese Catholic population have come out from Japan Catholic international Cooperation Committee. According to this report, a surprising 48% of Catholics living in Japan are not Japanese. Here is the breakdown: All Catholics in Japan: 848,878 Of which, For example, in Nagasaki Archdiocese 99% of Catholics are Japanese; in Urawa Diocese (north of Tokyo) only 22% of Catholics are Japanese nationals. |
