The state of the Church

What happened to the Church in the West in the second half of the twentieth century?  What changes led to the drop in vocations, in Mass attendance, in so many indicators? Or, if you’re a VII hater, what changes allowed VII to be ‘wrong’, ‘hijacked’ or ‘improperly implemented’?

I want to explore this question over a number of posts – however many it takes. I’ll write a blog on an aspect of the topic, and invite you to discuss it. Maybe together, if the Holy Spirit blesses the project, we can come up with some insights.

For this to work, we’ll need a few ground rules.

1. Don’t jump ahead of the discussion. Please stick to the topic of the particular blog you’re commenting on, or previous posts in the thread. If you’re sure you know what the root causes of the problem are, just be patient. We’ll get to them.
2. Debate the topic.  There is more than one view – even among our bishops and cardinals. Someone who disagrees with you may be persuaded by argument. Argue as passionately as you like. That will be helpful. But play the ball, not the person. I reserve the right to delete posts containing insults or hate speech. I also reserve the right to delete posts that are off topic (particularly those by conspiracy theorists).
3. Read the posts. The category ‘State of the Church in the West’ will contain all posts on the topic. If you’re a new visitor, it would be helpful to take a look through the history before you comment. At the very least, you’ll find out who your allies are. J

Update: 24 March 2010 – I’ve just posted a summary of posts on the ideas from the enlightenment.

Also, please see: Commenting guidelines.