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Renewal of the Church in Brazil
Topic Started: Friday, 27. January 2012, 19:10 (163 Views)
Rose of York
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In 2005, at the synod of bishops on the Eucharist at the Vatican, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the archbishop of São Paulo at the time, addressed the assembly in these words: "In Brazil, the Catholics decrease by an average of 1 percent a year. In 1991, Brazilian Catholics were about 83 percent, and now, according to new studies, they are only 67 percent. We ask ourselves in distress: how long will Brazil remain a Catholic country? Today for every Catholic priest there are two Protestant pastors, most of them of the Pentecostal Churches." The Brazilian episcopal conferences knows about the risks inherent in a pastoral approach that can easily drift into sentimentalism, that risks imitating the approach of the evangelicals, but it is aware that the experience of Father Marcelo Rossi is of crucial importance, because it is the first large-scale reaction to an erosion of Catholicism of historic proportions.


One priest, Father Marcelo Rossie has had remarkable success at reversing the decline.

Read all about it, click here.
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Derekap
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Just a thought. Could the decline not be also due to a seemingly favoured relationship of some clergy (of all ranks) with wealthy business and commercial people rather than among people in the very poor areas of cities and towns. Or are the poor more loyal than the wealthy?
Derekap
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Deleted User
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My understanding is that the move towards evangelical Christianity in Central and South America is predominantly from the poorer sections of the population.


John
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Rose of York
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The point is, that huge numbers of Catholics in Brazil have returned to the Catholic Church, a significant contribution to that having been made by Father Marcelo, the leading figure of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Brazil. He was able to bring three million people to the racetrack in São Paulo in 2008, in a gathering characterized by music and prayer that saw the participation of Ivete Sangalo, Claudia Leite, and other pop music stars of the country..

Apparently people of all social classes are coming back in droves.

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a multitude of all the social classes – including indigents and representatives of the urban subproletariate – flock to the call of a priest who speaks "only" of spiritual things, of the love of God, of the forgiveness of sins, of the joy that Christianity gives amid the hardships and injustices of life.


Within the Catholic Church in Brazil, Pentecostalism has spread with astonishing speed, in an orthodox form, under the name of Renewal in the Spirit. They have the support of Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, one of the most prominent leaders of the Brazilian Catholic Church.

Father Rossie speaks about God. He preaches about the Holy Spirit. He uses modern aids to his outreach - music, films, popular music.

Quote:
 

Father Marcelo is the leading figure of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Brazil, the one who was able to bring three million people to the racetrack in São Paulo in 2008, in a gathering characterized by music and prayer that saw the participation of Ivete Sangalo, Claudia Leite, and other pop music stars of the country. From 1998 until now, twelve of his albums have gone platinum, an award for recordings that sell over a million copies. His latest book, "Ágape," was far and away the best seller of 2011, reaching sales figures attained in the past only by Paolo Coelho.

This charismatic son, in the literal sense, of a middle class São Paulo couple, distanced himself from the Church in his adolescence, dedicating himself to sports and obtaining a degree in physical education. At the age of 21, shaken by a series of family tragedies and meditating on the vanity of life, he returned to the sacraments, heard the call to the priesthood, entered the seminary, and was ordained a priest in 1994. He immediately stood out for his homilies, for his ability to involve the faithful and hold the stage in his parish in the diocese of Santo Amaro. He came to the forefront on the occasion of a meeting he organized entitled "I am happy to be Catholic," in which 70,000 people participated. From that point it was a crescendo. In 1998, he debuted as a singer and recorded "Music to praise the Lord," which sold four million copies, immediately followed by the album "A gift for Jesus."

In 1999, the faithful who flocked to the gathering "Saudade yes, sadness no" were 600,000 in number. In 2000, he released '"Songs for a new millennium," and in 2001, "Peace," with songs by Roberto Carlos. In 2002, Bishop Antonio Figueiredo, the one who had encouraged and protected him in his unconventional apostolate, appointed him rector of the Terço Bizantino shrine. In 2003, in addition to releasing yet another CD, Father Marcelo shot his first film, "Mary, mother of God," which took Brazil's movie theaters by storm and came in seventh at the box office. The next year he made another film, "Brothers in faith," while his new internet portal was flooded with visitors. Then the stunning performance at the Interlagos racetrack in 2008, from which two DVDs were made that were also commercial triumphs.

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Gerard

Six years ago I was at a talk given by Charles Whitehead who was then the Chairman of the International Service Committee of Charismatic Renewal which is based in Rome. One of the things he mentioned was that in the Latinn American countries, Catholics were leaving the Church in droves and joining the Pentecostals. He said that the Bishops in Latin America had turned to Charismatic Renewal for advice and help and the National Service Committee were working with them.

So it is interesting to hear some of thie detail in this article. But I would expect it is about much more than one priest. Actually, I am certain it is about the Holy Spirit.

Gerry
Edited by Gerard, Sunday, 29. January 2012, 12:05.
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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Rose of York
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Gerard
Sunday, 29. January 2012, 12:03
So it is interesting to hear some of thie detail in this article. But I would expect it is about much more than one priest. Actually, I am certain it is about the Holy Spirit.
Gerry I agree, the renewal of the Church in Brazil is about the Holy Spirit, but surely the Spirit is using a priest who is responding to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the command of Jesus, to go forth and preach the Good News.



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Rose of York
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When I posted the initial post on this topic, I made an unwise choice of heading, referring to the decline of the Church in Brazil, what is going on is a new growth with many returning, so I changed the title.

Do any other members have thoughts about how the Church, worldwide, can be helped to grow? Given the opportunity I would make a start by encouraging more publicity about God, and less on individual people. Many diocesan websites face the reader with a photograph of the bishop, but no picture of a crucifix, the Resurrection or Christian symbols, and the absence of any explanation of what Catholicism is about.
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Deleted User
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What if we stopped seeing othe rChristian denominations as rivals and worked with them to ensure the Christian message was spread everywhere?

John
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Anne-Marie

John Sweeney
Wednesday, 1. February 2012, 00:20
What if we stopped seeing othe rChristian denominations as rivals and worked with them to ensure the Christian message was spread everywhere?
Given the variation in beliefs and dogmas... that message would be what, exactly?

(It's all very well wanting to unify with God's help... but with what message and beliefs? That issue (which is what is preventing re-unification) is what we would first need to agree!)
Anne-Marie
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Rose of York
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John Sweeney
Wednesday, 1. February 2012, 00:20
What if we stopped seeing othe rChristian denominations as rivals and worked with them to ensure the Christian message was spread everywhere?

John
Other denominations were founded by human beings. We respect them and co-operate with them through organisations such as Churches Together, but let us not forget, they do not have the seven sacraments and what is more they were not founded by God the Son.

I do not think Christ wanted there to be lots of denominations teaching what their human founder told them to teach, according to his wishes.

Jesus prayer that we all be One as he and the Father are One. So, how do we go about playing our part in that?

What is happening in Brazil is bearing fruit. Would it have the same success here?
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Deacon Robert
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I think, and Gerard may agree with me, If the Catholic church was more willing to tailor our worship to the needs of the people we would not be losing them to other christian congregations. Our hierarchy does not understand that the church is not populated by middle European and mediteraining people. It extends to all the peoples and customs of the world. There is no need to water down tradition or teaching. There is a need to understand.
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne

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Anne-Marie

Deacon Robert
Wednesday, 1. February 2012, 03:29
If the Catholic church was more willing to tailor our worship to the needs of the people we would not be losing them to other christian congregations. Our hierarchy does not understand that the church is not populated by middle European and mediteraining people. It extends to all the peoples and customs of the world. There is no need to water down tradition or teaching. There is a need to understand.
Strange how limited the Church's memory seems to be... because it is exactly what Deacon Robert has written that was long the modus operandi of missionaries taking the Faith to pastures new: It worked... and now we won't allow it.

Methinks Canon Browne's sermon, reproduced in another thread here, might apply just as much to our Church as to our society!
Anne-Marie
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Gerard

Deacon Robert
Wednesday, 1. February 2012, 03:29
I think, and Gerard may agree with me, If the Catholic church was more willing to tailor our worship to the needs of the people we would not be losing them to other christian congregations. Our hierarchy does not understand that the church is not populated by middle European and mediteraining people. It extends to all the peoples and customs of the world. There is no need to water down tradition or teaching. There is a need to understand.
I do agree Robert.

Styles and cultures of worship are very important and differences should be accomodated sympathetically. People do switch denominations on account of it.

However, in Brazil we were haemoraging members to the Pentecostals, and pentecostalism is not primarily about styles of worship. It is primarily about mystical aspects of Christianity. Most people ouwith pentecostal/charismatic movements fail to realise this.

So, Rose, if you want me to suggest an idea to promote growth I would suggest promoting the charismatic/mystical.

Gerry
Edited by Gerard, Wednesday, 1. February 2012, 20:27.
"The institutional and charismatic aspects are quasi coessential to the Church's constitution" (Pope John Paul II, 1998).
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