Huffington Post

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican’s culture ministry warned on Thursday (Jan. 31) that the Catholic Church risks losing future generations if it doesn’t learn how to understand young people, their language and their culture.

The youth world, he said, has changed “radically,” but the church “is still offering what it has been offering for the past 500 years.”

“We keep on giving the same answers but the way questions are posed is now totally different.”

Not that it is in any way limited to the Holy C but, let’s take a look at what it and the Church, in general, HAS been offering for the last 500yrs:

(1). A list of ever-expanding rules (Especially focused on sex and gender) — though we died to the law with Christ.

(2). A culture of shame for violating said rules — though there is no more condemnation.

(3). A message of guilt based isolation from God — though He said nothing will pluck us from His hand.

(4). Fear from the constant threat of punishment — though all the wrath of God was poured out on Christ — yes ALL.

(5). A caricature of a god who looks like a cranky Pope, demands you perform and sulks like your house cat when you do something naughty — though Christ died ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Yes, the world has changed radically. People can now read their Bible for themselves. Cutting edge scholarship tools are freely available on the web — where people can also easily access archives of stupid tactics of shame, fear and guilt someone thought would work to control them and the cartoons that match. People are not willing to accept anything but the reality of relationship with the Living God.

It’s good some in the Vatican are finally asking the question — may they also find the courage to fix core rather than just call in the air-brushing team…