”Independent” Christians

Historical Christian Churches are confronted with the reality of new Christian, evangelical and Protestant movements. Over the past 100 years the continent underwent deep changes both in religious and demographic terms. Although Catholics and Orthodox represent 75% of Christians in Europe, the so-called ‘Independent marginal Christians’ are rapidly growing in numbers. "Faith and religiosity in a changing Europe. The new Christian movements in Europe: challenges or opportunities?" is the title of the ongoing joint meeting in Warsaw to the presence of the council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) and the Council of European Churches (CEC), that opened on February 4 in Warsaw in the new seat of Caritas-Poland. The two delegations are respectively led by cardinal Péter Erdõ, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, CCEE president, and Metropoltan Emmanuel of France, from the ecumenical Patriarchate, CEC President. A growing phenomenon. Stanislaw Wargacki from the Catholic University in Lublin drew a balance of the religious situation in the European continent, presenting the sociological perspective on the theme of the meeting. According to 2013 estimates -published by the weekly "Riforma" – 20 million people in Europe belong to Evangelical and Pentecostal movements. It’s a widespread reality in the United Kingdom and Russia. In both countries 5 million are followers of the new religious movements. "In many European countries – said the Polish professor – Christian movements have strongly resented the impact of migration flows from the South of the world. Some of the largest Christian congregations are to be found in Churches with African immigrants. This occurs also for Latin Americans and Asians". In some areas of Europe, "where the credit of the Church is declining", the new Christian and evangelical movements are gaining ground. Notably, the "Charismatic renewal movement" is among the most "dynamic" movements in Europe, considering that in 1919 "charismatic renewal" counted 26 thousand members, while in 2010 they reached over 31 million. It’s hard to get a clear picture of such a composite and fragmentary realm: the new Pentecostal and Evangelical movements encompass other evangelical movements, liturgical renewal and biblical studies groups. Some groups identify with the "Pentecostal-charismatic renewal". Simple answers to complex questions. Before this scenario, historical Churches can play an important role, such as "stimulating in the faithful in-depth reflections on all areas of social life". Rev. Luy Liagre delineated a first line of action, in his remarks during the meeting. "It is a matter of fighting against all forms of fundamentalism voiced by the new movements that seek to reaffirm Christian faith with elementary concepts, providing simplified answers to extremely complex questions". The Churches are thus addressing changes that depend on "demographic aspects due to migration flows, secularization, and by the fact that institutionalized religiosity of traditional Churches is losing vitality. It’s a challenge for the traditional Churches that are encouraged to question themselves on Christian witness, on the Christian presence in contemporary world". The need of God. For Msgr. Duarte da Cunha, General Secretary of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, the success of new Christian movements "clearly" reveals "a profound, radical need of God in the heart of all human persons", which the Churches are called to meet. "These movements – he added – signal the growth of non-organized religion. It’s an ever increasing phenomenon and for the pastors of traditional, protestant, Anglican and Catholic Churches it leads to a further reflection. Moreover while on the one side this phenomenon shows that religion is still thriving and present, it also constitutes a pastoral challenge, as it is a question of understanding how Christian faith is perceived by contemporary men and women in search of the truth and of God, even though they may convey their need in confused ways". "There is a need of God in the heart of every person. Also in this secularized world, marked by atheism, man doesn’t cease to seek the meaning of human existence".