Belgian Cardinal Says Church Must ‘Wholeheartedly Accept Secularization’

New Europe: Cardinal Jozef De Kesel: “Perhaps the biggest challenge for the Church in Europe, and it’s also an opportunity, because it helps us to rediscover our roots and our mission, is to wholeheartedly accept secularised society. It must be understood that Christianity was, for a long time, the cultural religion in Europe. Today this is no longer the case. And it would be dangerous to go back because it is always dangerous to have one religious tradition that obtains a monopoly. This is true for Christianity, for Islam…for any religion. . . . We need openness and interreligious dialogue. Of course, this dialogue exists whilst keeping our convictions, because in this dialogue, the goal is never to convince the other to convert.” Read interview here.