Katholisch.de reported that in an interview, Bishop Léo Wagener said that 80 people officially left the church in October and November, just a month or so after the pope spoke at Catholic University of Leuven where he argued that men and women have separate qualities and roles in society.
The speech was met with criticism from the university, which stated that they disagreed with the “deterministic and reductionist position” put forth by Pope Francis.
During his visit to the schoo, the university’s rector had appealed to the pope for great equality for LGBTQ+ people in the church, as well as for greater equality for women.
The National Catholic Reporter detailed his comments:
“In his wide-ranging speech — which praised the pope for his support of refugees, efforts to combat climate change and his commitment to greater lay involvement in the life of the church — the rector lamented that the church ‘too often provides “once and for all” universal answers.’
“‘It is encouraging that you, the pope, have the courage to publicly question who you are to judge people with a different orientation,’ said Sels, in reference to the pope’s famous 2013 response of ‘Who am I to judge?’ when asked about gay priests.
“‘Would the church not gain moral authority in our corner of the world were it to have a less forced approach to the topic of gender diversity and were it to show more openness towards the LGBTQIA+ community?’ asked Sels, noting that he was pleased that both the Flemish bishops and Leuven theologians have expanded their outreach to gay Catholics.”
Sels also asked for the ordination of women:
“Why do we tolerate this considerable gap between men and women in a church that is so often carried on the shoulders of women? . . . Would the church not be a warmer community if there was a prominent place for women, including in the priesthood?”
Since then, there has been a large number of church withdrawals across the country. However, this reduction is not a new problem; Luxembourg has seen a decline in the Catholic population over the years.
There are currently 271,000 Catholics in Luxembourg, making up 41% of the country’s population. Ten years earlier, 411,000 identified as Catholic.
This stark decline could be due to a move toward diminishing, but not ending, state support for churches back in 2015.
In addition, the Archdiocese experienced a one million euro deficit in 2023. Donations, which cover half of the budget, continue to decrease by 5% every year.
According to Wagener, the country finds itself with a “Church of Decision” rather than a “Church of Habit.” People are now making their own choices as to whether to practice Catholicism.
In prior days, many participated in Church or religious education due to family tradition.
While Pope Francis has made some advances on women’s leadership in the church, his words on gender often show he does not understand full equality for men and women.
Moreover, such a view fails to acknowledge and affirm gender and sexual minorities.
While Pope Francis has been praised for his progressive
views, there is still room for improvement in order to truly advocate
for equality.