Yesterday, Bishop Donald Wuerl, head of the Pittsburgh diocese, was named by Pope Benedict XVI to be the new Archbishop of Washington D.C. The position is an incredible honor and many are speculating that he will one day be named a Cardinal.His new role in D.C. will carry significant responsibilities with it. He is already being bombarded with questions regarding immigration, and whether communion should be administered to Senators who are pro-abortion.
This is huge news for our region. Over 800,000 people in Pittsburgh are Catholic.
But the Catholic church is also in crisis. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on a given Sunday only 36 percent of parishioners attend mass. The number of active attenders has fallen significantly. Just a few years ago the number of practicing Catholics in Pittsburgh numbered more than a million.
Bishop Wuerl's top assistant, Auxiliary Bishop Paul J. Bradley, sees the falloff in Mass attendance, and the influence of "The Da Vinci Code," as hints of a church-wide problem in faith.
"Not unlike other parts of the church in the United States and other parts of the world, there's a growing number of nominal Catholics, fewer practicing Catholics," he said. "It's a reflection of where we are that a particular movie could affect a person's faith perspective."
And there is a shortage of priests as well. Only one man was ordained this year.
So how does this affect our city? There is no doubt that Bishop Wuerl, with his charismatic personality and sharp intellect, influenced more than the religious climate of this region. The political and social climates have also been shaped by his leadership. The Catholic church is so strong locally that it is often referred to as "the church", and news from the diocese is reported regularly in the mainstream media.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the days ahead--both in Washington and here in Pittsburgh. It will likely be several months before a new bishop is selected for Pittsburgh. That nomination comes directly from Pope Benedict XVI.
You may be asking why I would write a post on this, especially since I am Protestant.
But those of you living in regions where Catholicism is the predominate religion can understand. Most of my neighbors and friends are Catholic. This affects them significantly, so it affects me, too. We live in a culture that is very much influenced by the Catholic church, and these changes will impact our entire city.
Please be praying for the city of Pittsburgh in the days ahead. Be praying for those people who are struggling with faith and wondering how God and religion fit into their lives. Bishop Wuerl allowed a lot of inter-denominational freedom and cooperation. Pray that the new bishop will do the same. And please continue to pray for our lost friends and neighbors--those who don't know what it means to have a personal relationship with God.
3 comments:
kiki, this is affecting every area of life -- i was in the beaver medical center yesterday getting x-rays on my neck -- as i was sitting in the waiting room - the older gentlmen beside me started asking me what i thought -- we had a nice conversation -- he shared he attends regularly but is not sure how this will affect his church -- interesting -- even in non-religous activities that subject is imporatant.
francie
Well, this wasn't the purpose of your post, but it points out how even though we live in the same nation we live in very different religious cultures. Down here I doubt that anyone who isn't Catholic has a clue who the bishop for this area is, or even where the diocese is headquartered (I would guess Louisville, but I have no idea). But our regions do have one big thing in common: a lot of people think that because they are members of a church (mostly Catholic up there, mostly Baptist down here) they are in good standing with God. I'm convinced that these people are much harder to reach with the gospel than the atheist or the blatant "sinner."
I pray that God would use this time of spiritual wondering up there to open people's hearts to the gospel.
In the situation you're in, it wouldn't be a bad idea to read The Gospel According to Rome by McCarthy, if you haven't already. Mr. McCarthy is a former Catholic and ably, but very kindly and sympathetically, details the problems with Catholicism. Not that arguing with your neighbors is the point of ministry, but his excellent analysis can be an aid in understanding why Catholics are the way they are.
Post a Comment