European Christians risk sliding into apostasy, pope tells academies

Published: 2003-11-07

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- European Christians risk "sliding into a kind of silent apostasy," living in a way that makes it appear they believe God does not exist, Pope John Paul II said. The loss of a living faith does not put only individuals in danger, but makes it more difficult to build a real community where human dignity is protected and where justice prevails, he said in a message to a Nov. 6 joint meeting of the pontifical academies. Pope John Paul also focused on the importance of Europe's Christian heritage for its future when he met Nov. 7 at the Vatican with politicians and members of Christian Democrat parties across Europe. Modern Europe, the pope said in his message to the pontifical academies, must rediscover the bond between history and the present and between the witness of those who gave their lives for their faith at the dawn of Christianity and those who suffer for their faith today.

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