In a foreword to The Nation that Forgot God, a collection of essays edited by Sir Edward Leigh, MP, and Alex Haydon, Cardinal George Pell wrote: “Cameron has been formed by, or at least adopted, that poisonous form of radical moral liberalism which has sapped the religious vitality of many Christian communities as it endorsed the weaknesses and mistakes [that are] damaging, and even destroying, the family.
“His confusion is typical of many Christians. It does not speak well of those Christian leaders who never lifted a finger to resist these siren voices. [But] taking into account his [Cameron’s] many positive references to Christianity and, indeed to Our Lord Himself, he seems to believe he is actually cooperating with God’s plan by introducing this law (legalisation of same-sex marriage).”
Almost 1.3bn Catholics
The Catholic population is on the increase. Statistics released by the Vatican press office show that between 2005 and 2014, the world’s Catholic population rose from 1.115 billion (17.3 per cent of the world’s population) to 1.272 billion (17.8 per cent).
There were dramatic increases in Africa, where the Catholic population soared by 41 per cent, and Asia, which registered a 20 per cent rise, approximately double the population growth rate on each continent. During the same time period, the Catholic population rose by 11.7 per cent in North and South America, two per cent in Europe, and 15.9 per cent in Oceania.
Between 2005 and 2014, the number of priests increased from 406,411 to 415,792, while the number of permanent deacons rose from 33,000 to 44,566. The number of priests rose significantly in Africa (by 32.6 per cent) and Asia (by 27.1 per cent), while declining in Europe (by eight per cent). An estimated 97.5 per cent of permanent deacons live in North America, South America or Europe.
The statistics come from the 2016 edition of the Annuario Pontificio and the 2014 edition of the Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae, both of which will soon be released.
Pell will not resign
“No, I won’t resign [as] that would be an admission of guilt,” Cardinal George Pell told Andrew Bolt of Sky News, in an exclusive interview after the cardinal’s four-day interview before an Australian royal commission on sexual abuse. He added that he would only resign if Pope Francis asked him to.
The Australian cardinal, who is now the head of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, bemoaned that he had become a “hate figure”. He admitted that it has been “very, very difficult, and very, very upsetting” to be subjected to hostile questioning about his handling of sex-abuse complaints, and to be target of a relentlessly negative media campaign in his native country. But he insisted that he never knowingly covered up evidence of abuse.
He remarked: “One of the interesting things is when you become a hate figure, people either imagine or... I don’t know... the worst stories about you.”
He however agreed that the problem of sexual abuse of minors by priests had been handled poorly by the hierarchy.
Pope on retreat
Last week the Pope was on his annual retreat with members of the Roman Curia. The retreat was held at the Divine Master House in the town of Ariccia, near Rome.
This year’s retreat was entrusted to Fr Ermes Ronchi of the Order of the Servants of Mary. The preacher proposed a series of reflections on the theme ‘The bare questions of the Gospel’, from a passage of John’s Gospel: “Jesus turned and saw them following him, and said to them: What are you looking for?” (Jn 1, 38).
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)