Vatican looks at ways Catholic faith can counter New Age movement

Published: 2004-06-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- People craving deeper meaning or greater fulfillment in their lives should look to what the Catholic faith has to offer rather than turn to the spiritual promises of the New Age movement, a Vatican official said. "We live in an age in which people go to the spiritual supermarket. We have to remember that within the Catholic Church there is such a variety of mystical traditions, such a variety of religious charisms," said Richard Rouse, an official of the Pontifical Council for Culture. "You think of all the religious orders, each one is slightly different, but they're all pointing to the same thing, which is your life in communion with God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit," he told Catholic News Service June 16. Rouse was part of a Vatican working group that organized an international gathering June 14-16 to offer practical tips and help promote a 2003 Vatican provisional report on the New Age movement, "Jesus: The Bearer of the Water of Life."

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