Editor's Note:
If you thought that the news from Belgium was bleak...
VATICAN CITY - Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, the Vatican newspaper said Sunday.
"For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. Formenti compiles the Vatican's yearbook.
He said that Catholics accounted for 17.4 percent of the world population — a stable percentage — while Muslims were at 19.2 percent.
"It is true that while Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and fewer," the monsignor said.
Formenti said that the data refer to 2006. The figures on Muslims were put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations, he said, adding that the Vatican could only vouch for its own data.
When considering all Christians and not just Catholics, Christians make up 33 percent of the world population, Formenti said.
Spokesmen for the Vatican and the United Nations did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.
If you thought that the news from Belgium was bleak...
VATICAN CITY - Islam has surpassed Roman Catholicism as the world's largest religion, the Vatican newspaper said Sunday.
"For the first time in history, we are no longer at the top: Muslims have overtaken us," Monsignor Vittorio Formenti said in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. Formenti compiles the Vatican's yearbook.
He said that Catholics accounted for 17.4 percent of the world population — a stable percentage — while Muslims were at 19.2 percent.
"It is true that while Muslim families, as is well known, continue to make a lot of children, Christian ones on the contrary tend to have fewer and fewer," the monsignor said.
Formenti said that the data refer to 2006. The figures on Muslims were put together by Muslim countries and then provided to the United Nations, he said, adding that the Vatican could only vouch for its own data.
When considering all Christians and not just Catholics, Christians make up 33 percent of the world population, Formenti said.
Spokesmen for the Vatican and the United Nations did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Sunday.
2 comments:
Herein lies the problem with something as seemingly innocent as NFP. Only 23% of all Muslims practice any form of family planning. The average birth rate is 4.4 children per Muslim woman. In Catholic countries such as Italy, Spain and Poland the birthrate is just over 1.2 children per Catholic woman. Even the Protestant countries have higher birth rates, than the Catholics.
They are breeding us out. And we're letting them.
Catholics of the world: embrace life! Don't fear the gift of fertility...trust in God's Providence! He didn't all of sudden change His mind just because we have the Creighton Model.
Until we grasp the reality of our desire to subvert and control the great gift of fertility, we have no right to be surprised at this latest revelation. The Muslims are not converting others to Islam. They are breeding "little Muslims..."
Dear Catholic Family Vignettes:
Thank you for the information. I couldn't agree with you more! You hit the nail right on the head with the fact that Muslims are breeding us out... We must wake up before it is too late... How do we do this when our culture sees children as a burden and not as a blessing? I blame all of the "isms"... Liberalism, modernism, secularism, and so on. Yet, more than these, I blame the men of the world, particularly in the West, who are un-willing to "make it happen". They see success absent wife and children. I am not here taking issue with those who are single and have a true vocation all their own... I am taking issue with the man who marries and puts off having children "until the time is right". When exactly is the time "right". After college? After the bar or board exam? After the yacht and country club membership? The point is, there is no "right" time... there is only, as you say, God's providence. I have said it before and I will say it again, Islam is going to take over the west without ever firing a shot. I say this a little tongue in cheek because violence will always follow Islam... I think you will agree, however, that there is certainly truth in this assertion, as your comment so wonderfully illustrates...
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