Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - To fulfil the mission entrusted to it by the Holy Father to be at the heart of profound changes at the beginning of this new millennium, the Pontifical Council for Culture felt the need to look again at two serious phenomena: non belief and religious indifference in the world, its actual importance, modalities and impact on believers and the frontier between religion and non belief consisting of so called “new religious movements” or “alternative religions”.
Despite all appearances, a longing for God is ever present in the human heart alongside the aspiration to happiness. The 300 responses to a survey carried out by the Council on non belief and religious indifference reveal widespread weakening in Western culture of “faith” (we could say) both in the world of atheism and in the Church. On the contrary Africa, Asia and Latin America are still animated by popular religious piety at the heart of their respective cultures. China is still under the power of atheism like Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba.
At the dawn of the new millennium, said Cardinal Poupard President Pontifical Council for Culture, there is a clear decline in membership of major Churches and in followers of major systems, while there is renewed interest for religion in itself, with a swarm of new forms of pagan religiosity.
Organised, militant atheism of the past has given way to a situation of practical indifference, in which the question of God is no longer relevant and religious practice is abandoned, particularly in the Western world. This “new face of non belief” puts before the Church a pastoral challenge, how to proclaim the Gospel to non believers, a major theme for the imminent Plenary of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
An overall view of the situation of non belief in the world shows that Asia and Africa are still the most religious continents. Non believers in Africa are mostly of European origin, in many parts animist practices continue and Christians often practice a sort of syncretism (Christians by day and Animists by night). With regard to North America, 46.7% of baptised Catholics live in Canada where most people claim to be Christians and only 0.13% say they are atheists or agnostics. In the United States atheism and non belief are not increasing but there is widespread dropping out of specific religious confessions.
In Latin America there is growing concern for the proliferation of sects which propagate belief without rules. However Mexico is second in the world for the number of Catholics and Brazil is the country with the highest number of Catholics, who are 73.8% of its total population, while 15% has joined new Pentecostal churches or religious movements and 10% claims to be non believer or with no religion. In Argentina, 4% of the population is declared atheist and 12% declared agnostic.
In Asia the problem is not the absence of religion but a superimposition and complex coexistence of many different religions. In Japan 65% - 70% of the people declare themselves non believers although they respect religion and like taking part in religious activities. The Philippines is the only country in eastern Asia with a Christian majority population. The concern here, more than non belief, is a boom in sects and very active cults mostly started by lapsed Catholics. Korea is the country with the highest number of conversions to Christianity. In other countries, Indonesia for example, Constitutions oblige citizens to declare a religion so atheists are not registered in official censures.
In Europe, Christianity is widespread but the situation is diversified and calls for special attention in every different social/cultural area. People in the Mediterranean vary between regular practising believers, irregular practising, indifferent and atheists. In Italy 14% of the population declares itself indifferent and 4% of these claim to be atheists; in Spain the percentage of atheists is low but it is concerning to note that among young people it is high. The three countries with the largest number of people who say they have “no religion” are in Western Europe: Netherlands (54%), France (43%). Belgium (37%). With regard to central Europe, 25% of Germans say they do not belong to any religion and in Austria there is an attitude of diffidence, for fear of being labelled members of a certain church or religion.
In Oceania, according to a 2001 census Australia has 68% declared Christians, New Zealand has 66.1%.(AP) (10/3/2004 Agenzia Fides; Righe:59; Parole:787)
