Pope Francis warned Christians on Saturday that they must adapt to a Western civilization that is shifting away from Christianity.
In his Christmas message, the pope noted that religious belief in Western countries has plummeted in recent decades. He urged his Catholic followers to prepare for a change in society as more people flee the church.
“We need other maps, other paradigms that might help us change our ways of thinking,” the pope said. “We are not in Christianity, not anymore!”
He added, “We are no longer under a Christian regime because the faith — especially in Europe, but also in much of the West — no longer constitutes an obvious premise of common life. On the contrary, it is even often denied, derided, marginalized, and ridiculed.”
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Francis has brought a more liberal presence to the church compared to his predecessors. While St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI argued for a return to the traditional values of the faith, Francis has pivoted away from socially conservative teachings in favor of messages about equality.
He claimed the shift away from religion in the West shows that the church must change how it evangelizes.
Earlier this year, Francis said, “Rigidity arises from fear of change and ends up strewing the ground of the common good with stakes and obstacles, turning it into a minefield of lack of communication and hatred. Let’s remember always that behind every rigidity lies some derangement.”
Francis has been more inclined to chime in on political issues than his predecessors. He recently compared the political rhetoric in the West to the rhetoric used during Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.
