Understanding the Church in the NetherlandsThe crisis of the Church in the Netherlands in the second half of the twentieth centuryPaul Graas: "Individualism is a great challenge for the Church in the Netherlands".In 1947, during his two years of studies in Rome, the young priest Karol Wojtyła visited Holland on behalf of Cardinal Sapieha to get to know the Catholicism of Western Europe. With a deep observant spirit he noted during those days, "the Catholic faith means: baptism, a large family, a Catholic school for the children, a Catholic university for the students and numerous vocations (both for the local Church and for the mission lands). But also: a Catholic party in parliament, Catholic ministers in government, Catholic trade unions, Catholic youth associations".
Although the memories of the young priest Wojtyła are distinctly positive, one cannot suppress the impression that Dutch Catholicism, amidst the exuberance of organizations and external apparatus, lacked interiority.
During the Second World War, the resistance to the Nazi invader favored the rapprochement between Catholics and other groups. Especially among intellectuals, a process of openness and rapprochement with Protestants, liberals and, above all, socialists began, which led to a gradual breaking of the social bubble. This openness often went hand in hand with a critical attitude towards the Hierarchy, which still seemed to cling to the old structures of the "Catholic Church".column"Catholic. In the previous article of the series we explained that Columnization was the process by which Dutch society segregated itself more or less spontaneously and freely into various groups -or columns-: Catholic, Protestant and, to a lesser extent, liberal and socialist.
The crisis of the Church in the open: 1960-1968
Between 1960 and 1968 a "Copernican revolution" in doctrinal and moral ideas took place, affecting the Dutch population in general and Catholics in particular. The process of secularization, i.e. the assimilation of Catholics into the rest of the population, accelerated in the 1960s, and Catholics quickly became the most liberal or permissive group of the population in the Netherlands, together with non-believers (originally the most liberal in moral matters).
Like any "revolution", it was preceded and prepared by ideological changes which, as we have seen in the preceding article, were imported during the 1950s from France and Germany. Paradoxically, in these countries its influence would be lesser, or at least it would be integrated organically or seen in its true dimensions due -among other reasons- to the greater intellectual tradition of these countries.
A little context
Historical and economic factors were added to this ideological evolution: from the late 1950s onwards, salaries continued to rise rapidly and the excellent social security offered such guarantees that no one needed to worry about their economic future. The increase in welfare allowed most families to have access to goods and comforts that were unthinkable until then, generating a mentality of unlimited progress and modernity in which everything new seemed possible, and was good simply because it was new.
Practical materialism was joined by the introduction of the contraceptive pill in the Netherlands in 1963. Up to that time, birth control had been a core value for Catholics, in many cases rejecting even natural methods of birth control, which were frowned upon by many. Catholics formed by far the population group with the highest birth rate, both for doctrinal reasons and out of a desire to strengthen their social clout.
Some publications speak of the role that some priests played in stimulating the birth rate by interfering in the conscientious decisions of parents. This lack of respect for conjugal intimacy, which was not limited to the confessional, logically caused indignation in many Catholics. And presumably it did not facilitate the acceptance of the Church's doctrine when it pronounced itself in 1968 with the Encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Humanae Vitae
A number of factors favored the rapid acceptance of the Pill in the Netherlands, especially among Catholics. Among them was a legendary speech by Bishop Willem Bekkers on Catholic television in March 1963, in which he declared that the decision on the number and succession of children was a matter for the spouses: "it is a matter of conscience in which no one can interfere". These were accurate words which, however, because of the historical context and other televised speeches by Bishop Bekkers, were interpreted as an approval of contraception in certain cases.
This contributed to the rapid spread of the pill among Catholics. When in 1968 the Encyclical Humanae VitaeIn the early years, the contraceptive practice had already been established and its roots were too deep to be easily reversed. The consequences were enormous, not only for the way marital morality was lived, but for all sexual morality. The very authority of the Church in moral matters was called into question or simply rejected.
During these years, a conception of life was forged in which the key ideas were prosperity, modernity and individualism. Paradoxically, the structure of the "Catholic column" was maintained, but increasingly controlled by intellectuals (lay or not) who wanted to reform the Church. And so came the council.
The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)
The Second Vatican Council was followed with enormous interest by Dutch Catholics, both because of their strong ties to the Church and because of the intense media coverage. Cardinal Bernard Alfrink, Archbishop of Utrecht and the youngest member of the Council's Presidency Council, was presented in the Dutch media as the leader of the reformist sectors, in opposition to the "conservatives", in a dialectical interpretation of the conciliar debates that was so common in those years: according to them, a power struggle was being waged in the Council hall.
In the Dutch Catholic population, three groups could be distinguished: i) theologians and intellectuals with high expectations of change; ii) a small conservative group; iii) the majority of the faithful, who followed the orientation of the media, in favor of renewal.
Despite its small size, the Netherlands had a considerable influence on the Council. In addition to the country's bishops - six titular bishops and a few auxiliary bishops - sixty Dutch bishops from mission territories participated. Among their most notable contributions were the AnimadversionsThe bishops asked Edward Schillebeeckx to prepare anonymous critiques of the conciliar outlines. This theologian from the University of Nijmegen, although rejected as a conciliar expert by the Holy See, advised the Dutch bishops in Rome. These criticisms were furtively distributed among the council fathers shortly before the council began.
According to the well-known chronicler of the council Wiltgen, the Animadversions Schillebeeckx were of crucial importance for many of the Council Fathers to realize that they were not the only ones who had doubts or criticisms about the previously prepared outlines. The Dutch style, direct and undiplomatic, helped to promote dialogue-which was an express wish of John XXIII-although it sometimes generated tensions.
The reception of the council
The conciliar documents were received with enthusiasm, but many forgot their continuity with tradition and interpreted them as a starting point for shaping more radical changes in the dioceses.
It could be said that a series of social, economic and religious ingredients, stirred by a dialectical media, gave rise to a potion that turned out to be poisonous in the long run: a crisis of authority in society; Catholics' yearning for freedom; unshakable optimism in the progress of humanity; practical materialism; the desire for an authentic faith in Christ, without social or institutional pressures. In a short time, many Catholics broke with what they saw as yokes and rejected abundant demands of the faith. Seeking to solve real problems, they ended up discarding the faith itself.
Thus, without hardly noticing it, many of the faithful, driven by the desire for reform, gradually lost their faith and rejected the heritage of the Church, with devastating consequences. For many, the Truth of Jesus Christ and of the Gospel vanished.
Crisis data
Here are a few facts that may help us to realize the magnitude of the crisis that led to the process we have been talking about. Sunday Mass attendance dropped dramatically, from 64% of Catholics in 1966 to 26% in 1979.
Personal confession was 'abolished' by a large majority of priests, and practically disappeared.
Between 1965 and 1980, it is estimated that the number of priests decreased by 50%, both because of deaths and - above all - defections. There were also many deaths among the religious, and the number of seminarians and candidates for religious life dropped considerably. All minor and major seminaries, diocesan and regular (approximately fifty throughout the country) were closed.
Result of the mixture of the existential phenomenology and the sensus fidei, catechesis ceased to transmit the doctrine and life of Christ and became an exchange of ideas about the way in which each person lives his or her faith.
In 1966 the so-called Dutch Catechism ("New Catechism. Announcing the Faith for Adults").
From 1966 to 1970, the Dutch Pastoral Council in which numerous reforms were proposed, some of which could not be accepted by Rome.
What can we learn from all this?
Although this crisis undoubtedly had many different causes, there is one factor that in my opinion can help to understand its gravity and virulence: the lack of depth and inner freedom in the experience of the faith of a large portion of Catholics, resulting from anachronistic structures and customs that after having fulfilled their purpose (to help the emancipation of Catholics) had become asphyxiating.
However, it is also true that this crisis raised questions that remain relevant today: the role of the laity, the relationship between faith and culture, and how to live Catholicism in a secularized environment.
A few decades have passed since then. Many thought that by breaking the chains and rejecting the yokes, the temples would be filled again as in the past. But not only did this not happen, but the opposite proved to be true: while some communities lost vitality by distancing themselves from ecclesial teaching, others tried to apply the reforms of the Second Vatican Council faithfully, albeit with difficulties, and a good number of these have not lost their vitality.
A new bloom
Now there is a new flowering in the Church. This process, however, has not been homogeneous. Some communities have rediscovered Eucharistic adoration and confession, others have opted for an evangelization more adapted to a secularized society. The bishops are not afraid to exercise their magisterium and are well united among themselves and with the Pope. They even dare to display their authority with the occasional 'rebellious' priest. New priests are ordained to serve, not to command. Confession is administered more and more and young people practice it gratefully.
The number of churches with Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has increased considerably. However, the path of renewal is still open, with specific challenges in each community.
It is a process of purification, which presupposes and counts on inner freedom, since being a Catholic does not bring no more than spiritual benefits, although they increase mental and spiritual well-being and ultimately lead to happiness.
The Church faces a number of challenges: learning to be missionary "anew," proclaiming the message of Christ everywhere and opening the doors of the Church to all kinds of people in the post-Christian era. As someone once said to me: the Church used to be about keeping young people in the Church, now it has to learn how to attract new young people.
There is still a long way to go, but the outlook is encouraging.
