Regained courage” “” “

“Catholics with heart and soul” is the title of the celebrations of the Dutch Catholic Church marking the 150th jubilee of the restoration of the episcopal hierarchy in 1853, thanks to Pope Pius IX. After three centuries of restrictions on freedom of religion, it was once again possible for Catholics to openly celebrate their own religious faith. A period of great growth for the Catholic Church in Holland followed from this. Various initiatives have been taking place in the Netherlands in recent months to celebrate the anniversary and enable people to get to know the life of the Church. On 7 June 10,000 Catholics met together in Utrecht. We interviewed Hein Pieper, coordinator of the group for the preparation of the celebrations. Catholics with heart and soul: what does this title mean? “The title reflects a new consciousness and a new confidence that Dutch Catholics have acquired in recent years. The “heart” alludes to social commitment, the heart that is dedicated to others, whether believers or non-believers, to relieve their spiritual and material needs. The “soul” reflects the spiritual element considered ever more important by the majority of practising Catholics who want to belong to a Church faithful to its missionary vocation”. What were the objectives of the celebrations of 7 June? “The event was planned by the Dutch Episcopal Conference to give renewed courage to Catholics and to free them from their inferiority complex, a kind of new emancipation”. What were the main highlights of the event? “The reading of the message of John Paul II at the eucharistic celebration in the morning, in which the Pope urged Catholics to live their baptism in a new way in communion with their own bishops. There were a series of testimonies on the significance of living one’s own faith in daily life, of being missionaries and on interreligious dialogue. Former Dutch Prime Minister, Ruud Lubbers, now UN High Commissioner for Refugees, spoke of the “richness of being Catholics”; the Minister for Education, Maria van der Hoevenjha invited Catholics to be more actively present in public life; the current prime minister J.P. Balkenende, a Protestant, said that he felt at home in this context and that the event had made a big impression on him. There were meetings on ecumenical issues (“No one can be Catholic without being ecumenical”) and on the 40th anniversary of Pacem in Terris. 220 Catholic organizations presented their programmes in a large exhibition space. The multi-cultural face of the Dutch Church also emerged at the event, with the presence of African choirs, girl dancers from the Philippines and other colourful ethnic displays. Cardinal Simonis declared: “The time has ended in which we did not have the courage to call ourselves Catholics”. He referred to the young enriched by a profound faith”. What image of the Church emerged? “The image of an “inspired” Church. After years in the doldrums, Dutch Catholics have finally divested themselves of their embarrassment and their timidity, they have regained courage in experiencing their faith both in the private sphere and in social commitment and in public life. Over the last two years there has been a growing interest in spirituality, in faith, in the willingness to commit oneself to the life of the local community, and growing interest in the new experiences of the movements. On 7 June all these new movements, groups and communities met together for the first time and emerged from the shadows. Many, including the press, were surprised by what they saw. Many people, after the meeting, said that this event had given them hope and strength to continue their own work, in the parishes and in the communities”. What was the basic message? “That God is more present in our society that we imagine. The Church has many witnesses who devote their life to the search for God. These witnesses, together with the scriptures and the tradition of the Church, are the most credible response to present-day questions about the meaning of life”.