Catholic Church seeks to lure back prodigal children

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newsinfo.inquirer.net/226224/catholic-church-seeks-to-lure-back-prodigal-children

The Catholic Church will evangelize the Philippines anew to win back Filipinos who have broken away and joined other churches.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), on Monday said the undertaking would be part of a nine-year preparation by the Church for the celebration of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines.

Speaking at a news conference after the close of the CBCP’s biannual conference, Palma said the journey toward March 16, 2021—five centuries since the coming of Christianity to the Philippines—was an opportunity for the Church and its clergy to reflect on their shortcomings and how they could draw back people to the Catholic fold.

“It’s possible that we failed somewhere in the sense that people are transferring to another sector because they are not happy,” Palma said in a later talk with reporters.

Palma said the Church was willing to take up new ways and means to bring back people growing weak in their faith.

“We have been doing a lot of things already such as renewed enthusiasm in teachings, visits and other activities that could once more make people believe that the Church care for them,” Palma said.

The CBCP released a pastoral statement yesterday, saying the “new evangelization” meant considering “new methods and means for transmitting the Good News” more effectively.

The new evangelization would also include “bringing the Good News to the poor,” reaching out to the Catholic flock whose faith-life has been “largely eroded” and lost due to confusion, moral relativism, doubt, agnosticism and those who have joined other churches and religious sects.
 
It’s so sad to read the negative comments in the news reports.
 
“lure back”? What an unfortunate choice of words (although I am sure it was not offered as I took it), But, no, my church seeks to “welcome back”!🙂
 
“lure back”? What an unfortunate choice of words (although I am sure it was not offered as I took it), But, no, my church seeks to “welcome back”!🙂
Just got a childhood flashback to the wolf in Grandma’s bed. :eek:

Lure: < can they have used this headline word accidentally? Or does it reveal the attitude of the writer toward the Catholic Church.

Haven’t read the story yet, but it MUST be better than the headline.

You are right Neofight. WELCOME is the word that should be there.

Every so often there is a disconnect. While through confession the Church does this (reconciliation) all the time … I remember the seeming exclusiveness of Catholic education from time to time.

Pleading lack of room (Bethlehem anybody?) Catholic High Schools especially, but grade schools too, accepted just the best of its applicants. Risking “Devil take the hindmost” criticism - or “They’re dumping the worst students (or the poorest $) on the public schools” as a side-effect.

A good kid who was not a great student might not make the grade, whereas a great student who was not a good kid (but good at football, say) sometimes got the nod. :sad_yes:

Pre-prodigals who were “found out” got bounced from the school to protect the school’s rep sometimes.* (In fairness those that I remember were the worst offenders – whereas gum chewers, tardy and talkative/disruptive types got detention and correction).
*
But I sometimes wondered about 1) Excluding people who wanted in; and 2) Working with just the good kids - and expelling the most spiritually “at risk”.

It’s a tougher call than I’ve made it so far I know. Maybe the expulsion was part of the correction process for the punished one. Maybe the initially rejected candidate got into the school once the undeserving student lost his priveleges.

Well now I’ve come full circle (or am wandering around in them?) … cause it just occurred to me that …
"Fishers of Men" might just use > "Lures!" :doh2:
 
Praying for the Philippines! I know a Filipina who has left the church but I keep praying she returns. Maybe this news story will inspire her. 🙂
 
Good News!

The 51st International Eucharistic Congress will be in the Philippines in 2016. That sounds like a long way off; but often, the years of preparation bring people back to Catholicism. Sometimes a pilgrimage goes to every diocese which is what happened in Ireland.
 
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