Challenges Facing the Church in Europe Insights from the Teaching of John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis
Challenges Facing the Church in Europe Insights from the Teaching of John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to provide the main indications for a renewal of the Catholic Church in Europe in the face of contemporary challenges, both internal (e.g. community crisis, neglect of evangelisation, insufficient catechisation, secularisation, insufficient involvement of the laity) and external (e.g. general crisis of religiousness, individualization of life). The source material is the teaching of John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis, who can be described as the “popes of the new evangelisation.” Basically, this article analyses certain official documents of the Bishops of Rome and selected, due to their number, official homilies and speeches. The analysis of the texts leads to the following conclusions: there is a need for evangelization leading to a personal decision on faith, catechisation and multidimensional formation, a renewal of spirituality, a deepening of the ecclesial self-awareness of the faithful, and the Church’s involvement in world affairs (ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, human brotherhood, addressing social issues, articulating the truth about marriage and the family, help in solving migration problems and care for the environment).

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