Catholic Bishop: Atheism, Stupidity, Weak Church Leading to Rise of Islam in Europe
A Roman Catholic archbishop warned that the rise of atheism in Europe, along with the acceptance of moral decadence that "goes against God," is leaving room for the dramatic rise of Islam in Italy and other places.
Monsignor Carlo Liberati, bishop emeritus of Pompeii, said: "In 10 years we will all be Muslims because of our stupidity. Italy and Europe live in a pagan and atheist way, they make laws that go against God and they have traditions that are proper of paganism."
"All of this moral and religious decadence favors Islam," Liberati argued.
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MailOnline pointed out that there were only around 2,000 Muslims in Italy in 1970, but that number has now grown to two million, in part due to the rise of Islamic migrants over the past few years.
The archbishop acknowledged that the Christian faith has been suffering in Italy, noting that the Church "does not work well" and that seminaries are not enjoying a high attendance.
"Parishes are the only thing still standing. We need a true Christian life. All this paves the way to Islam. In addition to this, they have children and we do not. We are in full decline," he warned.
What is more, Liberati claimed that giving out too much financial aid to refugees in Italy creates a "beggars' network."
"I remember that my father went to work very hard as a migrant in Australia so I could go to the seminary. So he has experienced in his own skin the discomfort of poverty and the noble virtue of gratitude," he shared.
Many reports in recent years have shown a continuous decline in Christianity in parts of Europe. A recent ComRess poll in the U.K. found that the majority of Millennials, or young people aged 18-24, do not believe that Britain is a Christian country anymore.
The survey found that only 31 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds would say that Britain is a Christian country. People of older age groups, including 74 percent of those aged 65 and older, were more likely to state that the U.K. is still Christian.
Scandinavian countries have also seen a significant rise of secularism in recent years, which has been celebrated by atheists.
The Danish Atheist Society revealed in 2016 that as many as 10,000 people left the Church of Denmark between April and June, following a nationwide atheist campaign urging people to question the divinity of Jesus.
"We're pleased that Danes have taken the opportunity to express what they actually want. We have long seen in surveys that there aren't that many Danes who are devout Christians," Chairman Anders Stjernholm told Politiken at the time.
"So I view [the withdrawals] as an expression of the fact that people can't really see why we should have an institution like the Church of Denmark that has such incredible influence and that takes one's money," he commented.
