Madrid, Spain, Feb 8, 2011 / 16:03 pm
Archbishop Juan Jose Asenjo of Sevilla, Spain said the attack of secularism should motivate Christians to “proclaim Jesus Christ in word and deed, in order to further evangelization.”
In an interview with the Diario de Sevilla on Feb. 7, Archbishop Asenjo said, “The secularized culture seeks to erase God from public life” through non-Christian media and laws that do not respect the right of parents to educate their children.
He acknowledged that one of the consequences of secularism is the decreasing number of religious marriages, as well as the drop in Mass attendance. However, he also pointed to positive signs such as the increase in the number of Catholics who “take their faith seriously,” who “perhaps live more consistently now than several years ago.
“That faith also gives us hope for the future,” he said.
Archbishop Asenjo recalled the Pope's Nov. 6-7 visit to Spain and said it was a positive event that strengthened the faith of Catholics and gave an “incentive for hope.”
He said relations between the Church and the Spanish government “are now smooth and cordial” but that “some issues still need to be addressed, such as religion classes and other issues related to morals and customs.”