Europe's Christian heritage is fading - Pope warns

Christians are now in a minority and Christian traditions are fading throughout the world - even in countries with ancient Christian roots, the Pope said yesterday. Speaking to more than 150 cardinals, at the Mass in St Peter's Basilica to mark the end of the four day consistory, the Pope spoke of the enormous challenges facing the Catholic Church at the start of the new millennium. The Pope said cultural horizons, were now dominated by the experimental sciences. People might just about be able to accept the idea of a God the Creator, but found it difficult to grasp what it regarded as the scandalous idea of a God who had entered our history. Speaking about globalisation and the internet, he said that although they might bring people and cultures closer together, making innumerable messages available to everyone, they did not encourage discernment. The conference appealed to world leaders to help Israelis and Palestinians live together in peace. They also sent a message of solidarity to Africa which is suffering from extreme poverty, epidemics and ethnic conflict.