Jean-Luc Pouthier and Odon Vallet, historians of religions, were the guests of the morning of Classic Radio. They discuss the need for reforms in the church Catholic, in the face of child crime scandals and the erasure of religious traditions.
Every year, 30% of children are baptized according to Jean-Luc Pouthier
One day before New Year’s Eve Christmas, Jean-Luc Pouthier affirms that it is difficult to estimate the number of people who still go to midnight mass. That said, “Christmas is not the most popular holiday in France”, compared to Palm Sunday or All Saints Day, according to him. Religious celebration is more prevalent “in cold countries” like Germany, says Odon Vallet, but for all that, French Christmas traditions are not “neglected”. Certain dioceses and parishes would easily fulfill their churches Christmas eve. He takes the example of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, a place that would welcome people of all origins according to him. France, which represents 0.8% of the world’s population, has 2.4% of baptized Catholics. But to take the pulse of religious practice in France, the historian puts forward another criterion: the number of baptisms each year. If about 4,000 adults are baptized each year, the percentage of baptized children is 30%, he congratulates. He says he is aware that most of the time, baptism takes place “to please the grandmother”. But the situation is much more reassuring than in Belgium, where he sees a “collapse of baptisms and religious marriages”.
Read also
For several years, the Catholic community has noticed a flight of the faithful to evangelical churches, considered “more festive and more welcoming”, explains Jean-Luc Pouthier. Above all, the baptismal procedures are still too rigid among Catholics, denounces the historian. “It takes 2 years of process for those baptized at Easter. But to be welcomed by an evangelical church, it takes a quarter of an hour! “. And in Latin America, the rate of Protestants would have increased from 0% 50 years ago to 30% today, driven by the success of the evangelists, continues Odon Vallet.
The Covid, more than the scandals, scared the faithful away, assures the historian
This fall, theChurch Catholic finds itself again confronted with scandals. 11 bishops were implicated in sexual abuse cases in November. In its 2021 report, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (Ciase) estimated the number of pedophile priests at 3%: today, people consider “that send their children to catechism can be a hazard”, recognizes Jean-Luc Pouthier. The number of misdemeanors and crimes has risen lately, he continues. But these scandals do not visibly impact the number of faithful of the Catholic Church, he nuances. the covid would have had much more effect on the loss of religious habits. As well, “a revival of spirituality among young people”in particular via the scouts, is observed at the moment, according to Odon Vallet.
Read also
Faced with these revelations, the need for reform is felt in the church, especially in Germany. Protestant bishops proposed to reflect on power in exercise, sexual morality and the place of women in the institution. This last point has been the subject of papal infallibility – the equivalent of the pope’s 49.3, says Renaud Blanc – since John Paul II. “Thereupon, it is not possible to envisage a reversal of the pope”, says Jean-Luc Pouthier. However, “some German bishops could go so far as to ordain women priests”, according to the historian. Odon Vallet is also worried about the low number of nuns: “It’s appalling to see the congregations disappearing, to such an extent that some can no longer even maintain the tombs”.
Clement Kasser
Find all the company news
Christmas: Few French people at midnight mass, but traditions are not neglected, assures Odon Vallet