Pell wants laity to engage in culture wars

A prominent cardinal has warned that “culture wars are entering a new phase of political struggle” and he appealed to the laity not to flee from the world but become politically active, particularly over the question of same-sex marriage.

Cardinal George Pell, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, observed that “democracies will only remain healthy if there are a significant number of good people in political life”.

Speaking at the Fota VIII International Liturgy Conference in Cork (4-6 July 2015), he warned against a confusion or reversal of the roles of priests and laity, terming it “spiritual disequilibrium”.

He said: “We don’t need watered-down and uncertain priests, and we don’t need lay faithful who seem determined to fill the gap. The proper role of the laity is to take the Gospel into the world.”

On Tuesday, the cardinal visited the United Kingdom and said Mass at Canterbury Cathedral.