Africa is the region where the Catholic Church is experiencing the biggest growth, announced the Vatican recently.
Between the years 2000 and 2006, the number of Catholic faithfuls has risen from 12.4 percent to 14 percent, reported the official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano in its May 18 issue, according to Religion News Service. The Vatican newspaper was summarizing information found in the new edition of the church’s statistical yearbook, which features a survey of worldwide Catholicism during those seven years.
In addition to adherents, the Catholic Church in Africa boasts a dramatic increase in the number of its church personnel. According to the yearbook, there was nearly a 25 percent increase in priests and almost 16.7 percent increase in the number of nuns during that time period.
Yet elsewhere, the Catholic Church did not fare so well; it has either declined or remained roughly the same.
The Catholic Church remains roughly unchanged in the Americas and in Asia, and is declining in Europe.
In Europe, the number of Catholics fell from 26.8 percent to 25 percent, and the number of priests declined by nearly six percent.
One growing challenge to the Catholic Church is the rise of Pentecostalism around the world, which in the process of its exponential growth has converted some Catholics to its fold.
Last year, Cardinal Walter Kasper, who serves as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, called on the world’s Catholic cardinals to critically examine what the Catholic Church has failed to do in response to the rise of the Pentecostal movements.
Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI had criticized Pentecostal churches for using aggressive tactics to win souls earlier that year.
In Brazil alone, Roman Catholics used to account for about 90 percent of the population in the 1960s; by 2005, however, it was down to 67 percent, according to The Associated Press.
Meanwhile in Africa, Pentecostals today represent about 12 percent, or about 107 million, of the continent’s population according to the World Christian Database. Charismatic members of non-Pentecostal denominations make up another 5 percent of the population, or about 40 million. Just over three decades ago, the proportion of Pentecostals and Charismatics combined was less than 5 percent.
The Pentecostal boom is most prominent in such countries as South Africa and Zimbabwe, according to an in-depth 2006 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life report on the history of Pentecostalism in Africa.
In South Africa, the Pentecostal Apostolic Faith Mission is now as numerically strong as the Dutch Reformed Church – the traditional mainstay of the country's Protestantism, the Pew report stated. And in Zimbabwe, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God has almost as many adherents as the Catholic Church.
The largest Christian church in Ghana is the Church of Pentecost. The fastest growing denomination in Nairobi, Kenya, is the Assemblies of God. Also in Nigeria – Africa's most populous country – Pentecostals equal the combined numbers of its long dominant Catholic and Anglican churches.
"Pentecostalism's dramatic expansion has left almost no part of sub-Saharan Africa unaffected," stated the Pew Forum report.
The Vatican, in response, has expressed grave concerns about the rise of evangelicalism and Pentecostalism at the expense of Catholicism around the world, and admitted that the conversions are straining ecumenical relations, according to AP.
Comments
IHS-
I appreciate you for not slandering Catholicism... and in return I will withold from any bouts of hatred toward Orthodox Christian denominations while talking to you. Catholics believe in Christ, thus we are Christians. Believe it or not we were the first Christians :P yup been there done that. And you are correct... it IS very comforting to think that you have a mother up there working for you. And I think I have just realized why most orphan-children convert to Catholicism... the Church makes them feel stable... and almost like they have a Father... and Mary makes them feel calm and they have a mother. I imagine that too an orphan, even as an adult, being in a religion that was always dividing would simply make them feel unsure of where they are and remind them of their unstable past... just a thought. And yes... we do try to perform works... that's one of our... schticks, you might say. By the way, it is great that you are entering the ministry. Good for you.
Chris-
Iet's start from the beginning:
Ok... the unequal tenants... Just the title suggests that they were unequal... imagine it like this... their money (their reward) is heaven. Their work is their punishment, in order to attain their reward (heaven) they must go through their punishment (purgatory) Because some of them did more works BEFORE and did LESS bad things, they get their reward faster. Contrary, the workers who were available at the square BEFORE were obviously doing LESS works than the people that were absent (one could argue they were sleeping, but Jesus is trying to make a point :P) because the first men hired were just lounging around being Idle. These are the same men to grumble when they get paid the same as the people who labored less.
(next issue)
No this is not the Catholic position, I was simply saying that if you wanted to look at it the way you were it would really support us more-so than you.
Can you forgive someone if they did nothing wrong? Of course not. But the son was FORGIVEN... so he must have been in the wrong to do nothing. The son that stayed and LABORED was NOT forgiven because he had done NOTHING WRONG. So obviously laboring = good and being idle = bad.
Next post
Oh great, you have seen MEDIA and NEWS and DOCUMENTARIES. Very nice. They are subject to editing, you know. But what I was saying is this: Family appeals to Africans. They live around it. To break up your family is a disgrace. It is looked down upon if you are not unified. That is why the unity of the RCC appeals to them :P This does not speak for ALL africans... I am just guessing WHY it apeals to them. Because obviously we MUST be doing something right...
Before I went into Seminary, I actually did a mission trip to Nigeria and Kenya. I tried to convert many Catholics to become Bible Believing Christians to no avail. These Catholic Africans know their faith and it is not only unity that makes being Catholic attractive, it is the fact that Africans are very family oriented. Honoring their family members who passed away is standard, so honoring saints that have passed away is natural for them. They also love the maternal aspects of Mary as being Mother to them all and not just Jesus. For them it just doesn't make sense to become a non-Catholic Christian since in their mind Jesus founded their Church personally and promised to protect it till the end of times. For them to become a evangelical Christian would mean to them to deny Christ promise to the CHurch they believe Christ established. We did convert many muslims though and I couldn't believe how many muslims needed exorcisms.
While I don't know a lot about Catholicism, I see their faith to be very strong. I see that Catholic missionaries are truly godly people and exude Christ-like qualities with their sacrifice and love for the poor and needy. I'm still not sure if they are really Christians since I am not a theologian, but their actions speak volumes.
thelordismylight,
"I wonder how the Africans enjoy being... TITHED! O.o"
What does this mean?
thelordismylight,
"No, you are wrong to assume this about africans. To many, Catholicism appeals to them because of the unity (go figure)"
1) Who said I am assuming, I may actually know African Christians, I may have seen documentaries and news reports on African Christians which support what I have said (generally).
2) Do you know many Africans and do they say, "We love unity, the way that the Catholic chuch has unity"? Or can you give some documentary or news source which asserts this? You cannot just assume that where ever the RCC is growing, those people must love unity.
thelordismylight,
"My... ha... the unequal tenants: This is not to demonstrate that it doesn't matter how much you do, it demonstrates that god puts forth his will no matter what we may think."
The servants in the story do not think much of anything (except that it is unfair that the ones who worked less were treated equally). God putting forth His will is a given, the story is about the relationship between God and the person.
"But even so... it would REALLY be demonstrating (since the tenants DID actually work) that as long as you DO something... it doesn't matter how much you do..."
Is this the Catholic position?
"The prodigal son: This shows that God FORGIVES. So obviously, since the man FORGIVES the prodigal son, the prodigal son WAS at fault, but was forgiven... this actually PROVES our stance."
Um, how? The prodigal son did one thing, he came back to his father, he did not work hard all his life, rather he wasted his fortune. (Not saying that we do not have to work here) I think every Christian believes that God forgives.
I wonder how the Africans enjoy being... TITHED! O.o
Chris-
No, you are wrong to assume this about africans. To many, Catholicism appeals to them because of the unity (go figure)
Chris-
My... ha... the unequal tenants: This is not to demonstrate that it doesn't matter how much you do, it demonstrates that god puts forth his will no matter what we may think. But even so... it would REALLY be demonstrating (since the tenants DID actually work) that as long as you DO something... it doesn't matter how much you do... The prodigal son: This shows that God FORGIVES. So obviously, since the man FORGIVES the prodigal son, the prodigal son WAS at fault, but was forgiven... this actually PROVES our stance.
Thomas,
"Does anybody know any statistics about how many of those that join pentecostal churches are still there 1 year later?"
No, but the situation in Africa is not like in America where people just join a church and then drop out when they don't feel like going any more. Also, Africans often have a much more energetic and "mystical" proclivity in Church, thus Pentecostalism is appealing. I seriously doubt that the number of drop-outs would be high.
truthandjustice,
"It doesn't even make sense to compare the 1 Catholic Church with thousands of individually run pentacostal churches, they don't agree amongst themselves."
Yes it does. We are comparing growth rates, why wouldn't it make sense? Are there really thousands of individually run pentecostal churches, or are there several with one or two being containing the vast majority? Also, Pentecostals do not believe that a Christian must adhere to their beliefs, thus even 10 autonomous Pentecostal Churches can recognize one another and be near fully accepting of one another.
JHS,
"WITH PENTECOSTALS IT ABOUT MONEY AND POWER, AS SOON AS THEY DON'T PONY UP, THEY WILL DROP THEM."
Give me a break, are you really saying that the Pentecostals are going to Africa to make money? Where their members often live on a few dollars a day? Are you serious, do you have any scholarly study which can support your position, have you ever been to a wide variety of African Pentecostal Churches, or are you just making a wild guess? I am not a Pentecostal, but let's not pin things on them that are obviously not true.
thelordismylight,
"it was practically ALL conversion... if it were not wouldn't the OTHER religions be facing the same growths?"
The other Christian groups are facing the same kind of growth, many are based on conversion, probably a lot of the RCC growth is too.
"Do you want to know WHY they convert to Catholicism? Because we HELP THEM!"
Oh... So it is not because you offer them salvation? Or do you mean that helping them means salvation? Are you also saying that Protestants do not help Africans? I don't know what to say to this remark...
"And also, for people who have worked hard all their lives, it seems a bit stupid that they should go to heaven for just saying "I believe" and then doing nothing. :P They are just being reasonable... If it seems to good to be true... it probably is O_O"
Okay okay a jab at Protestants... here is the problem, you are assuming that God is incapable of doing something by making this assertation. Also, did not Jesus give plenty of parables to illustrate this? The workers who came at different times during the day, but were paid the same REGARDLESS OF WORK DONE? The prodigal son who wasted his life but was celebrated over AS OPPOSED TO THE SON WHO STAYED AND WORKED HARD? Etc.
I'm back... woo i was gone a long time... sry bout that. Anyway... Chris: it was practically ALL conversion... if it were not wouldn't the OTHER religions be facing the same growths? Do you want to know WHY they convert to Catholicism? Because we HELP THEM! And also, for people who have worked hard all their lives, it seems a bit stupid that they should go to heaven for just saying "I believe" and then doing nothing. :P They are just being reasonable... If it seems to good to be true... it probably is O_O
It doesn't even make sense to compare the 1 Catholic Church with thousands of individually run pentacostal churches, they don't agree amongst themselves.
Does anybody know any statistics about how many of those that join pentecostal churches are still there 1 year later?