Kryzys wiary, czy religii? Przesłanie nadziei i zangażowania duszpasterskiego w świetle adhortacji evangelii gaudium

Abstract

The public debate increasingly talks about the crisis of the Church, which is manifested by a decline in the most important statistical indicators of faith. However, if we look at the development of Christianity, we will easily see that in its history it has very often experienced problems with the hallmarks of a crisis. Perhaps the basis for perceiving the current situation as a crisis is a distorted image of God and the expectation that Catholicism would dominate in quantitative terms over other worldview proposals that can be found today. This text reflects on the phenomenon of the crisis of the Catholic Church in Poland and discusses whether the observable changes in the Church concern faith itself, or rather religion, which is a broader concept. Finally, based on Francis’ exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, the article shows inspiration for awakening hope and pastoral activity, which are a guarantee of saving the faith of those seeking God and being close to Him.