Nagasaki

In 1865, Japan was reopened to the West.  Christians had been expelled from there for about 250 years, and yet when priests came to Japan in 1965, they found Catholics still there, with no churches or priests all those years.  The lay people had held onto the faith and passed it on to each succeeding generation.  That probably would not happen in The USA. Catholics here clammer for clergy, masses, churches and schools so someone else can educate their children and keep them Catholic.  Being responsible for passing on the faith yourself, is not part of Catholic culture in my world.  The bishops of this country opted for churches, lots of masses and Catholic schools with or without the religious sisters to teach. When the Amazon, with so few clergy, had their synod in Rome recently, the Pope did not try to “solve” that issue with married clergy and women deacons.  Some people thought he made a wrong decision on that one, but the Pope has come to realize that with lots of convenient masses and churches as we have in this country, people are not really following Christ.  For many it is a private religion between the person and God with holy communion.  What the Pope is looking for is a whole new culture or inculturation, empowering the Amazon locals to develop an indigenous spirituality that will follow Christ, much like happened in Nagasaki.  And the Pope would like ecology, care for the earth, to be part of that faith practice.  Ecology in this country is not very central to many a Catholic standing on the communion line waiting for their host.