The Church in a Pluralistic Society

Abstract

The paper contains a description of some aspects of the crisis which pluralistic society experiences and which is not without an influence on the efficacy of the apostolic work of the Church. There are various symptoms of that crisis: an experience of alienation towards any institutions, cultural eradication, axiological chaos and chaos of ideas; this chaos implies a particular predilection for simplified ideas, a readiness for an intensive, short-term experience; all this should be taken into account in pastoral programmes. The latter may succeed only if people experience solidarity with the world in which the Church is immersed. This solidarity must find its expression in the strengthening of the sense of turn to subject among the faithful and bonds of fellowship, in its work on behalf of the weak and the poor, in the openness of its forms of religious cult to particular traits of contemporary sensitivity. Solidarity is a condition for the mission of the Church to be effective. It should not, however, induce it to renounce the prophetic function, a function that is critical towards the world. It is only the Church which is solidary with the pluralistic society and at the same time one that keeps autonomy towards it that may proclaim Good News about God who becomes order amongst chaos.