The Church must contrast with the current culture, which does not recognise the intrinsic value of human life, Cardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht told the Substack.com account The Pillar (May 30).
The Cardinal's advice for Leo XIV: "We should be clear in teaching, unambiguous. Clear and courageous in teaching the truth of the Catholic faith, including the Catholic doctrine on moral issues, which is the most contested issue."
In the Netherlands, Cardinal Eijk sees a less negative attitude towards the Church and the faith than a few years ago: "There is a change, positive change."
At the same time, Cardinal Eijk calls the Church "marginalized": "I’ve had to close down many churches, especially in villages, because of a lack of active faithful and financial means."
He doesn’t want to "worry about the number of faithful but about the quality of the faithful" [however, quantity is a condition for quality].
"When I first became a bishop, a lot of people criticised my sermons (laughs). Now I hear agreement more often, even when I preach about heaven and hell. So people are more open to being taught the faith."
Picture: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk, CC BY-NC-ND, #newsQuzswvoigp