The closer, the further apart?

Old age is the most spiritual age since it’s closer to death. This is the conclusion of a survey conducted by the St. Andrews and East Anglia Universities titled, “The greying church: the impact of life expectancy on religiosity”. According to the research religiosity in Great Britain is increasing especially among old people, to whom, however, present counts more than entering the afterlife. We asked Clare Ward, Responsible for Evangelization of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and to Hannah Moruzzi, in charge of the Family and Marriage for the same Conference, to share their views on the subject. According to the research longevity delays interest for religion, and as a result the churches shouldn’t focus only on young people. What do you think? “The work of the Catholic Grandparents’ Association and the efforts aimed at developing a network across England and Wales are ways in which the Catholic Church seeks to meet old age. The network offers moments for prayer that provide strength and the feeling of belonging to a Community”.The survey shows that people are more interested in contemporaneous socio-spiritual benefits, rather than rewards in the afterlife. Does this mean that churches are called to provide a feeling of belonging and spiritual support rather than underlining afterlife rewards? “A report by the American Sociological Institute confirms this view. Accordingly, the main sources of happiness include church attendance and friendship within the ecclesial community. It is a reason why the Bishops’ Conference collaborated with the “Passionists family group” in order to create a movement of family groups in England and Wales. During the “Listening 2004″ program, fifteen thousand families in England and Wales spoke of their need for welcoming parishes. The bishops responded to their requests by sending eleven coordinators for the family that provided support to mothers, fathers, and children across thirteen dioceses to improve the quality of their relations. The Church is called to proclaim the reality of afterlife, but she equally has the duty to share the reality of the kingdom of God here and now. Her message must encompass both truths. Indeed, some people who don’t go to church made it clear that they find it hard to see how the Church could play a significant role in contemporary society. Nonetheless, it is the duty of the entire baptised community to highlight the key role of the Church in Charities’ social engagement. Notably, the bishops of England and Wales recently promoted a series of initiatives to encourage social commitment promoted by the Caritas charities network”.The survey also affirms that religiosity in Great Britain is increasing… “A figure confirmed by many researches shows the extent of the change in the way people seek and express spirituality compared to fifty years ago. In other words, spiritual needs are met outside the Church. People look for God on the Internet, that provides various resources to this regard. Religious books sales have increased, but the themes are different compared to fifty years ago. There is a greater offer of books on alternative religions and angels. This is not a negative fact for the Church since an ever-present interest for spiritual life can provide fertile grounds for the new evangelization. The findings of many surveys show that three million people would go to church if they were invited”.How could this report be useful to the Church? “It must be said that the research provides interesting perspectives, although it has certain limits from the Catholic viewpoint. It must be always be remembered that the Holy Spirit, like the Grace of God, has a role in individual faith. In fact, research fails to underline that some people, especially those serving poor communities, with high criminality rates, where no one wants to go, are committed to serve a community of faith motivated by purely altruistic reasons, without social or religious benefits. These people are guided by their faith. Moreover, the research regards all Christian churches, thus some statements are applicable also outside a strictly Catholic environment”.