Muslims will become majority in Europe, senior Vatican official warns

European Christians must have more children or face the prospect of the continent becoming Islamised, a senior Vatican official has said.

From the Telegraph:

While many European Catholic bishops often defend the rights of Muslims to worship publicly others are more keen to protect the Christian heritage of their continent Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Italian Father Piero Gheddo said that the low birth rate among indigenous Europeans combined with an unprecedented wave of Muslim immigrants with large families could see Europe becoming dominated by Islam in the space of a few generations.

"The challenge must be taken seriously," said Father Gheddo, of the Vatican's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.

"Certainly from a demographic point of view, as it is clear to everyone that Italians are decreasing by 120,000 or 130,000 persons a year because of abortion and broken families – while among the more than 200,000 legal immigrants a year in Italy, more than half are Muslims and Muslim families, which have a much higher level of growth."

He said: "Newspapers and television programmes never speak of this. However, an answer must be given above all in the religious and cultural fields and in the area of identity."

The priest blamed Christians for failing to live up to their own beliefs and helping to create a "religious vacuum" which was being filled by Islam.

He predicted that Islam would "sooner rather than later conquer the majority in Europe".

"The fact is that, as a people, we are becoming ever more pagan and the religious vacuum is inevitably filled by other proposals and religious forces," he said.

Father Gheddo also said that Christians who lapsed were also making themselves vulnerable to attacks by secularists.

He said when "religious practice diminishes in Christian Europe and indifference spreads, Christianity and the Church are attacked".

Pastorius' comment:


Though I agree with Father Pietro Gheddo, that Europe is doomed to become more and more Islamic because of it's lack of belief in it's own Christian tradition, I think there is one glaring deficiency in his analysis of the situation.


Here's what is wrong with his analysis:


The Christian belief system includes the idea that all Christian Faith is a matter of the individual will.


Therefore, European Freedom of Choice/Freedom of Speech/Freedom of Conscience must come BEFORE Europe's Christian Faith.


AND,


this European Freedom must be articulated and defended by the Ministers of the Christian Faith, or it will be seen as a scam by lapsed Christians, secularists, and Muslims, 


and,


it will be rejected.


Europe's long history of State-promoted religion has weakened real Christian Faith, and Europe is now suffering the consequences.


Ultimately, mankind can not be forced to do anything, not even defend itself.


And, if human beings do not have something they believe makes their life worth defending, they will simply lie down and die.


And, this is what Europe is doing.


To repeat: 


FREEDOM COMES FIRST


From there,


the differences between Secularism, Christianity, and Islam will be clear, and people will make an informed and reasonable decision.