Roman Catholicism an opportunity
written by pietro ciavarella
The vast majority of Italians identify as Roman Catholics. A very small percentage of these Catholics are highly committed to their faith. But most of them rarely go to mass; some never do. Thus, many Italians are Catholics by tradition but not by belief.
If a Catholic goes to mass in Italy, they are likely to be either elderly or young. A decent number of Catholic couples want their children to receive the first four sacraments: baptism, penance, eucharist and confirmation. To prepare for their First Communion children need to go to catechism classes and attend Sunday mass. Thus, during those years young children are present at mass. Very few continue on afterwards.
Italy has a small sliver of people who identify as religious but not Catholic. And a decent chunk of Italians identify as agnostics or atheists. Some of these are also anti-Catholic.
Regardless of how Italians might identify in reference to Catholicism, most are in varying degrees moralistic therapeutic deists (MTD). Sociologist Christian Smith used this phrase in 2005 to describe American teenagers, but it also describes many “Westerners” regardless of their age. MTD can be summarized as follows:
A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when He is needed to resolve a problem.
Good people go to heaven when they die.
Most Italians are MTD as well as moral and epistemological relativists. There are no absolute standards for truth or morality.
In this context Catholicism presents both an obstacle and an opportunity for the gospel.
Nominal or traditional Catholics are pretty satisfied with their religion. They are not very concerned whether or not it’s true. It is part of their family’s and country’s tradition, and that’s enough for them. They like it when the Pope says things they agree with and ignore him when he says things they don’t like. Church scandals, such as the abuse of boys by some priests, don’t affect them to the point that they want to look elsewhere for a default religion.
In sum, the hold of tradition on nominal or traditional Catholics presents an obstacle to the gospel in that it produces a state of satisfied indifference.
Catholicism presents an opportunity for the gospel among practicing Catholics. Practicing Catholics hold to the foundational beliefs of Christianity, such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ and the inspiration of the Bible. Some of them don’t agree that the Bible is fully inspired and none of them believes that it constitutes the sole authority for religious faith and practice. But their beliefs do provide a religious meeting place for a fruitful dialogue. With practicing Catholics the obstacles to the gospel are the big two of the Protestant Reformation: what is authoritative and how is one saved.
These two questions are related as much today as they were in the 16th century. Once our practicing Catholic friends come to understand that the Bible is the sole authority for belief, they can evaluate Catholic dogma and tradition to see how they line up with God’s Word. They can also be guided to see the clarity of the way of salvation through repentance and faith in Christ, as presented in the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sometimes Evangelical Italians are encouraged when they meet someone who is openly anti-Catholic. Often, however, such people are also strongly anti-Bible. In Italy being anti-Catholic is oftentimes synonymous with being anti-Christian.
Whatever point a person might be positioned on the spectrum presented above, relationships are key in sharing the gospel in Italy. Dialogue and not confrontation is the best approach to leading our friends to the Prince of Peace. And seeking the good of our communities renders visible God’s care for his good, though fallen, creation. Here in our area of Florence, for example, we are currently putting before the Lord a concrete possibility for seeking the temporal good of our community.
My wife Silvia is part of a Catholic women’s Bible Study, where she is known to be an evangelical. During the lockdown she and I read the Bible weekly on zoom with a fervent Catholic couple. Several of our Catholic friends have participated in Gospel-centered conferences and evenings we have held at our home and elsewhere.
Any and every initiative of ours must be bathed in prayer, as only the Spirit of God can give strength to us and spiritual life to those we seek to reach.
Is God calling you to consider being part of the work that, by God’s grace, our church is doing in seeking the good of our community in both deed and the Word of Christ?