According to Marc Antoine, a young Catholic Quebec, the Church in Canada is “getting old”. “It’s mainly the elderly who attend,” he says. Therefore, “dialogue between generations and cultures under mutual respect is necessary.” This is how the meeting “contributes to the vitality of the Church.”
Griselda Mutual – Quebec, Canada
How is church life in Quebec? We asked Marc-Antoine Barnet, a young Catholic from Quebec, whom we met in Canada, as part of the Pope’s visit to his country. As he tells us, he had a “conversion experience,” returning to church when he was twenty. According to his opinion and that of other young people, the Catholic Church in Quebec and Canada in general is an “old church”. He tells us that the elderly are the ones who attend church. “They keep faith and hope alive.”
Spontaneously, the question arises of what his proposals are to further revitalize church life. He answers: “The meeting.”
“I think it is necessary to speak to the faithful and ask them what they would like to do for their church, how they see their church in the future and whether they want to contribute to this church project that Christ Himself bequeathed to us.”
For him, “dialogue between generations as well as between different cultures” is fundamental, based on “respect for the other person’s point of view” because he “does not impose one’s point of view on others, either in a very modern or outdated way of seeing” where the meeting in which the meeting takes place takes place Contributes to the vitality of the Church.
We also want to know about his experience with Indigenous communities. Do you personally relate to members of the communities? We asked him. He answers, “I don’t have much experience with indigenous peoples.” “I’ve met some First Nations people in my life, not many of them in a church context, but I think they have a very important legacy for all of Canada, for Quebec. We have a lot to learn from his view of the world on many issues, from the environment to respect for others, and his view of family” . He adds, “It is not only priests and bishops who should take these steps, but all believers should meet and ‘see’ the original brother, listen to him, get to know him, and make connections.” And he concludes:
“I believe that the Church of tomorrow, after this Pope’s visit, will have to take up wholly its incarnate vocation and mission, even in areas that have traditionally been Catholic such as Quebec.”
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