Europe Undergoing Revolution of Religious Culture

(24 Aug 10 - RV) The 31st Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples is underway in Rimini this week.

This morning the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, addressed the meeting. In his address he reflected on the legacy of Venerable John Henry Newman in the context of Irish Catholicism today.

Archbishop Martin said that Ireland is undergoing a revolution of its religious culture, and that there are many parishes in Dublin where the presence at Sunday Mass is at 5 percent, and in some cases even below 2 percent.

Archbishop Martin said that Newman dreamed of a generation of Irish Catholics that could take their place in the public without being ashamed of their belief in the value of contributing their faith to society.

Monsignor Everard de Jong, auxiliary bishop of Roermont in Holland, is attending the Rimini meeting.

He spoke with Vatican Radio’s Luca Collodi about the Catholic Church in Holland: