Swiss bishops' official criticizes defeatism among Catholics

Published: 2005-09-30

OXFORD, England (CNS) -- The secretary-general of the Swiss bishops' conference criticized defeatism among local Catholics and said the church had a generational problem. "We should react to the resignation and fatalism shown by many pastoral workers ... defeatism isn't Christian," said Father Agnell Rickenmann, bishops' conference secretary-general. "Our church is marked by a kind of alarmism. We need to go back to essentials: the joy of living our faith, trusting in God and showing solidarity with the universal church," he said. In a French-language interview with Switzerland's Apic news agency, Father Rickenmann said some Catholics had "set themselves up as experts, believing they possess full truth," and had called for the abolition of celibacy and the ordination of women as "part of a global package of demands," rather than engaging in "calm discussion." The priest said, "It's true we're seeing a generational problem in the church."

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