Poor formation in the faith leads to “silent fleeing of faithful” in Brazil

Sao Paulo, Brazil, Feb 7, 2007 / 09:49 am

The secretary general of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNNB), Bishop Odilo Scherer, said the volubility and the lack of religious instruction in Brazil are the causes of the serious “silent flight of the faithful” the Church is experiencing in that country.

In noting that the Church is experiencing a “silent flight of Catholics,” the bishop recalled that this constitutes a serious problem for the Church in Brazil, as “here the faithful are more fickle.”

“Brazilians are very religious but have little instruction about the Church and religion,” he explained.

Bishop Scherer, who has been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as adjunct secretary of the upcoming 5th General Conference of the Latin American Bishops’ Council, mentioned the “silent flight” as one of the issues that will be discussed at the upcoming meetings in Aparecida in May.