Francis will visit Luxembourg in less than two weeks and there are
already "signs of a large crowd", according to Lessentiel.lu (13
September).
Francis is an unpopular prelate who attracts "large crowds" nowhere, not even in Rome.
"I firmly hope that the visit of Pope Francis can give new impetus to our local Church," said Vicar General Patrick Muller.
"This
Pope knows how to encourage us at the grassroots level," says Muller,
contradicting reality. He admits that the number of people attending
church services "will probably not increase" after Francis' visit.
The
vicar general also admits that about 50 years ago, Luxembourg was a
country with more than 90% Catholics. Today, there are "just over 40%
Catholics" in the country of about 650,000 people.
The separation
of church and state, which came into force in 2015, banned Catholic
religious education in public schools and massively reduced state
financial support for the archdiocese.
According to the Vicar
General, around 10,200 people have registered for the meeting with
Francis in the cathedral of Luxembourg City (650 seats).
For him,
the "high number" of registrations shows that Francis generates a
"great interest in Luxembourg itself and beyond its borders".
John Paul II visited Luxembourg on 15 May 1985 and presided an open-air Eucharist, attended by around 100,000 people.
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