Marx urges Christians to make their mark in Europe

Europe is in danger of betraying its Christian heritage unless Christians find new ways to influence Western society, Cardinal Reinhard Marx warned this week during a lecture held in Oxford, writes Catherine Pepinster.

The German cardinal, who is Archbishop of Munich and Freising, said: “We have an obligation to bring the Gospel to people. Evangelisation is not about losing the territory and then having a new battle. The Church does not have monopoly today but it aspires to leave a Christian footprint.”

Cardinal Marx made his remarks as part of the Newman Lecture, given at St Anne’s College, Oxford, on Tuesday. Reflecting on how Europe today had been shaped by conflict, he described it as “a work in progress”, but there were major problems because “the new Europe does not have a continuing narrative”, and he urged Christianity to provide it with values, particularly through Catholic social doctrine.

Afterwards, he spoke to The Tablet about the Vatican survey, carried out in advance of the October Synod on the Family, and its German results, which showed people not living by the Church’s sexual teaching.

“I am not surprised, not astonished,” he said. “People are not against the position of the Church but the problem is when they fail. So the issue is how you deal with people in very difficult situations.”

Cardinal Marx is one of the eight cardinals working with Pope Francis to examine church reform, about which, he told The Tablet, “the Pope is audacious …”.

The lecture was sponsored by St Benet’s, Blackfriars and Campion Halls.