Geographically it may be a far and distant Church, but the challenges that it faces are akin to those found in Europe; the marginalisation of faith in an increasingly secular society, the proper integration of migrants within larger society and an increasingly aging and dwindling clergy.
But the Catholic Church in New Zealand is also witnessing the after-effects of Sydney 2008, with young people becoming more enthusiastic and proud of their faith, and the joy they bring with them to the local Church.
A local Church that reflects the diversity of the cultures it incorporates, from the indigenous Maori traditions, through the various waves of European migration to today’s increasing body of Catholics from South East Asia, Vietnam in particular.
The bishops of New Zealand, led by Archbishop John Dew of Wellington, are in Rome this week on their 5 yearly Ad-limina pilgrimage, to report to the Curia and the Holy Father on the life of their Church. Of the nation’s 4.4 million inhabitants about 15 percent are Catholic.
A small but incisive minority, says Archbishop Dew:
“Our main challenge, I suppose is how to be present in an increasingly secular society. We are often described as a very secular country, and this is a problem that we are trying to deal with by being a stronger presence in society. For example, we have a National Centre for Bioethics committed on different moral issues. Then, we have recently created a national formation institute to coordinate our teaching staff, but also to make sure that the Churches’ voice is heard on moral issues and public policies and to be present in places where decisions are made. Then there is the challenge of acceptance and integration of immigrants in our parishes through inculturation”.
One of the themes of the 1998 Synod of Bishops for Oceania was enculturation. Archbishop Dew says great progress has been made in this field: “There has always been a great dialogue with the Maori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand: the first missionaries came here to devote their mission to them. Part of the new Missal was translated into Maori, one thing New Zealand’s wanted to have, because we consider it an important sign for our Church is that it be "bi-cultural." Inculturation in the liturgy is important, but also in theology and spirituality. The Maori have a rich heritage of values such as respect for the dignity and worth of the human person, we are trying to convey this to our whole society. Another aspect of inculturation is the integration of other ethnic minorities that have recently arrived in New Zealand. We are committed to finding ways to enhance and promote their cultural heritage and religious values of their countries so they can enrich our parishes, dioceses and communities”.
But in all endeavors, Archbishop Dew points out that the energy and enthusiasm of young Catholics is essential: “I think that Sydney was an amazing experience for us from New Zealand. 4 thousand pilgrims travelled to Australia from here, now that is a really significant number for a small country like ours (...) Our dioceses also hosted three thousand young foreigners during the days in the diocese, the experience that had a huge impact on the lives of our communities and our youth. I am convinced that today's kids are much more involved in Church life because of this. I have accompanied groups of young people to other World Youth Days (...) and I can say that what strikes me every time is to see so many people enthusiastic about their faith: this is an encouragement for them to be proud to be Catholic. The World Youth Days have really had a positive impact on the life of the Church of the country”.