GLOBALIZATION AS A CHALLENGE FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN THE 21ST CENTURY
GLOBALIZATION AS A CHALLENGE FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to show how globalization contributes to changes in the culture ofthe United States, especially to social degradation, economic exclusion, lifestyle and participation inthe life of the Catholic Church. The article aims to show the challenges facing the Catholic Church infulfilling its mission in a society immersed in the processes of globalization. The problem of this studycan be summarized in the following questions: What impact does globalization have on the contem-porary social, cultural, and religious fabric in the United States, what challenges does it pose to theCatholic Church in the twenty-first century? How is the Church to fulfill its mission in Americansociety? These questions can be answered through a physical examination of the documents of theuniversal Church, a presentation of the teaching of the Church in the United States, and a review ofthe publications of American theologians and sociologists. After a brief introduction, the impact ofglobalization on the culture, social and religious structure of U.S. society will be analyzed. Then, thephenomenon of disintegration and social exclusion related to globalization will be analyzed. At theopposite pole of globalization there is another social phenomenon – consumerism as a lifestyle. Fi-nally, the article examines the proposals for pastoral activity of the Church in the U.S.A. in the faceof the challenges posed by globalization.

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