An Asian Christian woman living in London blogging about the everyday issues of religion

Friday 17 September 2010

Are Third World people third rate?

The remark made by Cardinal Walter Kasper, a member of the Pope's inner circle, on how upon arriving in Britain "you sometimes think you've landed in a third world country" is really quite insulting because there is a Catholic faith stronghold in third world countries. Poverty is rife in large parts of Africa and Asia but people living well below the poverty line hang on to their faith through thick and thin because it is the only beacon of hope in their lives. The Pope seeks to elicit a level of unquestioning faith among Catholics in Western countries but, ironically, it is precisely that type of faith which exists in third world countries. People don't practice birth control or question the wisdom of using condoms because 'the church says it is wrong'. Does this make these people inferior? I don't think so.These people may not be spiritual or academic intellectuals but they have a love of God that is touching in its' simplicity. Immigrants from these parts of the world into Britain bring this faith trait with them and the CoE benefits greatly from their church attendance. It has changed the demographic of our church congretation in a positive way. I see this as being part of the Inclusive agenda.

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