68 years ago in the tiny village of La Motte, 600 kms from Montreal, a
future Pope of the Catholic Church may have been born. His father with 7
other children was a farmer like most of the men in that remotely rural area
although later with self-education he became a school trustee and
administrator. Quebec was then staunchly religious and Catholicism ruled
every aspect of people's lives, often stifling their social freedom. Young
Marc Ouellet grew up to be an avid sportsman and outdoors buff, fishing and
hunting as often as he could. His religious transformation took place when
he was injured in an ice hockey game and he began to read the only books
available to him - of the Saints and of his religion. When he was ordained a
priest in the late 60s, Quebec after the Quiet Revolution was already going
the other way, divesting itself of its Catholic influence, leading to the
province taking over health care and education which was in the hands of the
Church until then. In 1970 during the October Crisis, sovereignist
francophones under the FLQ rebelled against the administration, leading to
the imposition of the War Measures Act. During this very time, Ouellet was
sent to teach in South America where he remained until the new century.
Returning to his native land, ultimately as Cardinal of Quebec City, he
found a completely different civil society from when he left it. Sunday mass
attendance was ghostly and the church had completely lost its influence.
Ouellet was disoriented, encountering much criticism from politicians,
women's groups and the media when he said abortion was a moral crime even in
the context of rape. He retained his staunch conservatism and lost the
chance to build bridges with his fellow Quebecers.
Elsewhere meanwhile, in Europe, as in Quebec, churches were becoming empty
chambers. People were embracing secular and radical ideas of homosexual
equality, contraception, sex and laxer moral standards in dating and
marriage. The US led most of these revolutionary changes, with their clergy
quickly adapting to the new social standards. This adaptation often brought
them in conflict with the Vatican old guard. In less than two generations,
Catholicism and religion had undergone a sea change. China and India,
emerging Asia's two biggest Catholic population centers were engrossed with
their changing economies and Africa a later rising bastion of Catholic
conversion was still engrossed in life after colonialism, finding itself
embroiled in border wars and tribal violence. Meanwhile the Catholic Church
found itself in the middle of a huge sex scandal, the ramifications of which
are still unfolding, and another scandal, this one a gigantic mesh of
Vatican corruption.
Can Ouellet or any other Pope sort out all the problems that beset their
world today? What must the Church do to make itself relevant to their flock
while maintaining the tempo of rising numbers of devout followers in Africa,
Latin America and India-Asia? A century ago, the Catholic population of
Africa was 1 percent, now it is 21. Half a century ago India was 1 per cent
Christian, today it is 5. China had almost no practicing Catholics under
communism, today they are a large and influential body. Catholicism is
challenged in the old world except among immigrant communities, by the
temptations of progressive society. The evangelical Protestants, well funded
and spiritually motivated, are making wide inroads in largely Catholic South
America and in Muslim Africa. In China, India and the rest of Asia, they
work like well-oiled machines, constantly expanding their influence. Islam
is another challenge, considering it their duty to in Africa to wage a
crusade against Christian conversion, flush with weapons and funds from
extremist Gulf Arab quarters.
In Goa, the Portuguese seem to have done a good job with religion. Goan
Catholics have remained more or less faithful to their faith and religious
traditions although riddled with comical hypocrisy. The old vestige of caste
has gone underground, but rears its ugly head when occasion demands.
Brotherly love goes out the door when it comes to land or money. Bribery,
cheating corruption and crime are common as with the rest of the population.
Priests are no longer the moral beacons of yore and the higher clergy seem
to do nothing about it. Bombay, the most influential Indian diocese has a
Goan Cardinal who is also the head of the chapter of the Asian Bishops
Conference but he is too mild, decent and studious where a firmer,
take-charge prince of the church is called for. But who knows what the
future holds. For the sake of the church, we wish for a Pope who brings
better times although that is a difficult task.