The globalization of the Catholic Church: history, organization, theology

In this chapter we propose a three-dimensional analysis – historical, organizational and theological – of the globalization of the Catholic Church in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. These three dimensions have evolved together to transform it from a mainly European-based organization into a global actor. The historical dimension concerns macro-historical changes like secularisation in Europe, the loss of temporal power of the popes, and global demographic trends. Continents like Latin America and Africa, which were once lands of evangelisation for European missionaries, now represent the bulk of Catholicity and are themselves promoting evangelisation elsewhere. The organizational dimension includes major structural changes. Five of them stand out: the centralization of the election of bishops in the hands of the pope; a shift in the composition of the college of cardinals that elects the pope: this college, which used to be mainly European and particularly Italian, is now genuinely global; the organization of a diplomatic corps at the Holy See that helps to ensure political relations with a growing number of countries worldwide and representation at the UNO; the establishment of a wide network of charities and other Catholic NGOs that provide social assistance to people in need but also act as political and diplomatic actors and as a powerful network of information; relationships with the global media, a crucial point for the public image of the Church, which is high on Pope Francis’ agenda. The theological level focuses on the Catholic doctrine as it appears in papal teachings. This teaching provides contents, guidelines and inspiration for the activities of Catholic communities and organizations worldwide. We will review five recurrent topics: human rights; family, sexuality and bioethics; migrants and refugees; economics; environment and climate change. Taken together, these issues contribute to forging a global Catholic teaching. For better or worse, this participation in the public sphere has helped greatly to increase the visibility of the Church and its influence in contemporary social and political processes. The next challenges for the global Church include evangelisation and pastoral care, two issues at the top of Pope Francis’ agenda. Indeed, the Church is losing followers to the profit of Protestant and Pentecostal Churches, particularly in Africa and Latin America. Another crucial point concerns internal ideological divisions. The post-conciliar fracture between liberal and conservative Catholics is still not reconciled and may endanger the unity of the Church. The upsurge of new grassroots Catholic movements, from the loosely organized Charismatics to the strictly disciplined Neocatechumenal Way, also raises questions about the liturgical and doctrinal consistency of the various branches of the Church. On the external front, inter-religious relations represent a crucial challenge for the twenty-first century. In a time when religion has become a major variable in international relations, the establishment of peaceful collaborations between the Catholic Church and other faiths, especially Islam, Judaism and Orthodox Christianity, seems particularly doubtful and delicate.