READERS ASK IF I BELIEVE THE CHURCH COULD COLLAPSE

Several readers have asked if I believe the Church could collapse.

I have thought about that question especially in light of the assurance by Christ to Saint Peter that the “gates of hell would not prevail against it”.

I guess the answer to the question is what exact one means be the Church “collapsing”.

Will the Church survive?

Yes, I believe that it must in the light of Christ’s Promise and for the sake of humanity itself.

But it will be a weakened Church for sure.  And it will take decades, if not centuries, for the Body of Christ to experience restoration.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Church finds itself in a moment of grave crisis which it has never experienced before in its history.

We must remember how the Church rose from the ashes of the fallen Roman Empire and slowly and patiently built a community of Catholic identity -- such as the world had never seen -- which laid the groundwork for the birth of Western Civilization.

The Church has survived catastrophes in the past, but these were mostly brought about by powers and influences external to the community of faith.

The difference now is that the corruptive influences are coming from within the Body of Christ itself, mostly especially in the loss of confidence and relevancy of the Bishops and the Vicar of Christ, the Pope.

Catholics cannot prepare to endure the hardships that lie ahead unless they are first willing and honest enough to admit how precarious the present situation is.  

And Catholics must be willing to accept the fact that the Church which survives as an institution may be very different in its external structure and expression than that which is familiar to us now.

All Christians  — not just Catholics — must prepare for the decline, and even the fall, of our institutions. It’s happening now. It’s going to get worse. 

Those Catholics (and other Christians) who can read the signs of the times and get ready for what’s coming will not be afraid when these terrible things start to happen. 

Those who have walled themselves off from reality and pretended that somehow, things were going to be okay if they just sat still and waited out the crisis — those are the believers who are going to panic.

So, do I believe the Church as we know it is in a dynamic state of collapse?

Yes.

But I am equally confident, and pray each day, that the Church which survives this turmoil will emerge stronger and more effective in providing the world with the Truth of the Gospel and the Divine nourishment of the Sacraments.

And the Church will continue to do so, in whatever form, until the Lord comes again!