Pope says Catholics must guard against secularism in church life

Published: 2008-03-10

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Priests, women religious and the Catholic faithful must guard against superficiality and egotism infiltrating church life, Pope Benedict XVI said. The hedonist and consumerist mentality dominant in today's secular culture fosters, both in the lay faithful and men and women religious, "a tendency toward superficiality and egotism that harms ecclesial life," he said. The pope made his comments March 8 during an audience with participants attending the Pontifical Council for Culture's plenary assembly. The pope said the theme of the meeting, "The Church and the Challenge of Secularization," was "a fundamental question for the future of humanity and the church." Secularization, he explained, makes no reference to the transcendent and "invades every aspect of daily life" which then leads to a mentality that "God is in fact missing, entirely or partly, from human existence and conscience."

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