Displaying items by tag: Catholicism

Haiti, the western hemisphere’s poorest nation, is often devastated by floods, hurricanes and earthquakes, with poverty making these disasters harsher than in richer countries. Money sent home by Haitians overseas saves lives but does not fill Haiti’s biggest needs: roads, bridges, clinics, schools and electricity. 70% of Haitians are Catholics, but many mingle their Catholicism with voodoo, which is rooted in West African animism. Evangelicals have grown in numbers, through love in action and openly standing against voodoo. Pray for good leaders at every level of society and church who will build the nation rather than loot or exploit it. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Haiti that will transform lives and communities. A truly renewed Catholic Church would be a great force for good. Pray that Catholics re-centre on simple, personal trust in Christ so that God can build their lives.

Half of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics live in the Americas, a quarter in Europe, and the rest in Africa and Asia. Catholicism is slowly declining. Traditionally Catholic countries are becoming mixed populations of Catholics, non-religious, and Pentecostals. Child sex abuse scandals continue to unfold globally, causing more people to leave the Church. Folk Catholicism is very common. Mixed with pre-Christian influences, this is a faith of saints, fiestas and hoped-for miracles, an attempted short-cut to blessing and spiritual power that is at times very dark. Charismatic renewal has a wide impact with the involvement of lay people, and the balance between adoration and activism gives charismatics a vitality lacking in much of Catholicism globally. A truly renewed Catholic Church would be a great force for good in the world. Pray that its current trials will result in a fresh consecration to Jesus.