Last week Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the Archbishop of Algiers, gave an interview to CathoBel, a Belgian Catholic site. Talking about the Church in Algeria, he said it is “not a Church that is there to convert.” He wants it to be part of the Algerian people. He also called proselytism poison between monotheistic religions, since it treats the other person’s religion as false.
Bishop Barron answered on X on October 28. He agreed that evangelizing shouldn’t be pushy or disrespectful, but said that if he believed the Church didn’t exist to bring people to Christ, he’d resign. He pointed to the Great Commission (Mt 28:19) and to Vatican II.
A little background helps here. Catholics are a tiny minority in Algeria, and proselytism is a crime there. The Church in Algeria is also a Church of martyrs. Bl. Pierre Claverie and the Tibhirine monks stayed with their Muslim neighbors when it would have been safer to leave, and they died for it. Nobody would say they failed at mission.
Still, the Church is clear that she exists to evangelize. Paul VI said exactly that in Evangelii Nuntiandi 14. John Paul II wrote in Redemptoris Missio 55 that dialogue is part of the Church’s mission but can’t replace proclaiming Christ.
Some of this may come down to the word “proselytism.” In Church documents it usually means pressure, manipulation, or disrespect, and the Church rejects that (see the 2007 CDF Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization). Benedict XVI and Francis both said the Church grows by attraction. So did Cardinal Vesco mean that kind of proselytism, or something broader?
A few things I’d like to hear from you on:
What do you think he was getting at? What bothers you about how he put it?
Where’s the line between evangelizing and proselytizing? Have you seen either one up close?
Should witness in a country like Algeria look different from evangelization here at home?
If a cardinal says something that seems off, how should the rest of us respond?
Your research along with references is really well done…
He doesn’t want preaching; he wishes for friendship and understanding, over time.
St. Paul says that we shouldn’t have an ulterior motive if befriending others.
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach, and if necessary use words”.
This is probably what he is basing his angle on.
(Algeria was where there were martyrs, killed by Muslims).
1b. Inter-faith dialogue seems to me, like Ecumenism, to be maybe disingenuous.
We are told to keep friends with those inside the Church (i.e. those with whom we spend continued durations of time), not outside.
His angle seems New Agey. For the sake of being ‘softly, softly’.
I think Ecumenism fails to answer the subject of evangelizing. In keeping with Scripture but also reality.
The line between proselytizing and evangelizing is to be pushy or manipulative in conversation, having ulterior motives, as compared with being friendly when you are being friendly and at particular times preaching for preaching’s sake. The latter is in keeping with St. Paul and also St. Francis of Assisi.
If one offers up one’s day in the morning, then your whole day can be spent around people without trying to slip in words of conversion here and there. In terms of actions, ‘Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing.’, i.e. you are charitable all the time, anyway, and this would reflect in your general behaviour. Sure, sometimes you may consciously think of what is the right thing to do in terms of morals but in those instances you are offering that action up to God; and, in terms of carrying out a preaching act then that is probably going to have been previously deliberated.
2b. Probably seen these up close, at times. I’ve personally witnessed people preaching to the converted. Proselytizing…there’s bound to have been the odd instance.
You are talking about barbarity as a conclusion if your presence is taken the wrong way, so…maybe just don’t stoke the fire in the first place. This is the Catholic Church, invested from and enrobed in Mystery, and so am sure they could just pray for them.
From a safe distance away.
Pray for that person. Write into their diocese. Make it personally directed. Talk behind their backs, like we are on here. Only joking. We are entitled to disagree and discuss over matters of faith because we are living in the Church, as well, and which includes others’ remarks yet just as long as we are charitable and I think which is what also answers your question. What I don’t think you should do, is make a video about his remarks and slam it up on YouTube for those in secular society to also feast their eyes upon and in so doing then joining the rest of the heretics.
Good questions. Didn’t Pope Francis say something about how it’s wrong to proselytize (and/or evangelize) and that Catholics should avoid it? I don’t remember exactly.
Where’s the line between evangelization and proselytizing? Based on the literal definitions, evangelizing is “converting or seeking to convert (someone) to Christianity” whereas proselytizing is “attempting to convert (someone) from one religion to another”.
In my experience, it comes down to boundaries. There are Catholics who lead by example. The way they live their lives and the way they treat other people with kindness, etc can draw people to them (“What’s your secret, Bill?”).
Then…there are Catholics that are much the opposite; the firebrands. Catholics who not only believe that Faith and Salvation are ultimately the ONLY things that really matter, they believe those things are so important that those things give license to ignore rules of social interaction. Boundaries. They believe God gives them license to ignore the wishes of others. “You don’t want me to keep talking to you about God, but I know that your Salvation is most important for you, so I won’t honor your personal request, I will ignore it and continue to talk to you about God now and into the future.” Boundaries. The problem with this approach, other than presenting as a boor, a “religious nut”, is that is has the opposite effect. If someone has no respect for boundaries in life, does that draw others to want to be the same? Or does that repel people?
There’s an underlying motivation and fear, even a threat that can come into play in Catholicism related to evangelizing: Some such people fear that if they aren’t relentless with their evangelizing (often especially among family) that they will jeopardize their own salvation. The story in the OT of the priest Eli who only mildly chastises his sons who fall into sin. God punishes Eli for it, for not being stronger and more persistent in bringing his sons back to virtue. Eli is sitting outside the temple, falls from his seat, cracks his head and dies on the spot after God’s admonishment. Most would probably disagree with this, but evangelization isn’t really a selfless act. It also has this self-serving aspect to it (if/every time I help convert a soul, I’m storing up more of my own riches in Heaven). No one wants to mention this fact, but it’s true.