Cardinal Eijk on Mission, Secularization and the World Synod

"Anyone who creates confusion alienates people from the Church... I would like to say to the bishops of other countries: do not make this mistake, do not make our mistake. In parishes where the faith is well proclaimed & the liturgy is celebrated with dignity, churches are full." -Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk

I wonder who he is talking about?

In this interview with Cardinal Eijk (papabille??) notes that despite a 2022 survey of the Dutch which showed that, for the first time, more than 50 percent of the population identified themselves as atheists or agnostics, he sees green shoots and remains hopeful. The Netherlands was once considered the avant-garde of the Catholic Church, but that direction has only brought apostasy and decline.

Cardinal Ejik makes a clear diagnosis: this is the dictatorship of relativism. He explains:

"Secularisation started with the growth of prosperity. It enabled people to live individually, detached from the community. Individuals put themselves at the centre and become their own pope, so to speak: they choose their own religious interpretation and their own ethical values. As a result, they lose their connection to the church. Prosperity leads to individualisation and individualisation leads to secularisation. That is the order. In the Netherlands, this happened quickly, especially in the 1960s, when prosperity increased at an unprecedented pace. Suddenly, for example, everyone had a washing machine and a refrigerator."

Cardinal Ejik notes that his church lost a staggering 40% of its numbers over the Corona virus period. Despite this he sees a growth in young people presenting themselves for RCIA and is investing in missionary programmes like Alpha.

He also sees positive signs in vocations to the priesthood and diaconate. In the archdiocese, he has introduced a year of discernment called "Come and See" for men who are seeking their vocation. This autumn 12 people signed up for it.

The Cardinal says that the German push for reform is a mistake. It only serves to create confusion and alienate people from the church. This will not bring anyone back or convince anyone of the truth of the Gospel. Ejik states a simple formula for success. He says:

"In parishes where the faith is well proclaimed and the liturgy is celebrated with dignity, the churches are full. It is about putting Christ at the centre. When people have discovered Christ and have a better understanding of the Scriptures, they will also have a better understanding of the teachings of the Church."

Wow! It really is simple isn't it? No need for endless meetings about meetings, or constantly bringing up issues which have been settled. Put Christ and the Gospel at the centre and become the clarion call for goodness, truth & beauty that the world so badly needs!

So what has been the result of the mass apostasy from God & the church we have witnessed in the Netherlands? 

Ejik tells us that the result has been a growth in the power of the state & the diminishing of the value & importance of the human person. Secularization has led to a society where the human person is no longer placed at the centre of society, with the state increasingly taking control over fundamental rights. 

Nurtured by Christianity, Western civilisation transitioned from a rigid, hierarchical society to one that increasingly emphasised the intrinsic worth of every human being, the protection of individual rights, and the importance of personal and social responsibility. Through the influence of the Gospel, the idea of people as mere laborers bound to the land, with limited rights and freedoms & destined to spend their lives serving the economic interests of the lord, while their personal value & social mobility were highly restricted, was destroyed & replaced by growing recognition of the dignity of each individual.

"The social experiment of establishing an ethical order without God will end in bankruptcy in the long run."

Ejik sees the influence of secularisation in his country as a distinct change in this direction of thought, characterised by a growing perception that humans are not made in the image of God, granting them inalienable rights. Instead, the state now assumes that role and people are in danger of becoming servants of that state, perhaps it could be termed "a greater good"? 

This shift is evident in the legalisation of abortion, the rising cases of euthanasia, and changes in marriage & family structures. Additionally, there's growing pressure from international organisations to alter social norms, such as early sex education & gender identity laws. These changes contribute to increasing individualism, loneliness, & mental health struggles, particularly among young people & the elderly, driven by a lack of shared values. 

Ultimately, this experiment of building an ethical order without God is unsustainable & harmful to both humanity & society. The Christian paradigm, which places God & the dignity of the human person at the core, offers a more stable & humane foundation for society.