USA Today James P. Gannon January 16, 2006
Two snapshots from a recent tourist trip to Europe: We are in Prague, the lovely and lively capital of the Czech Republic, where the bars and cafes are full, the glitzy crystal and art shops are busy, and the dozens of historic cathedrals and churches are largely empty — except for gawking tourists snapping photos. In The Prague Post, an English-language weekly newspaper, a front-page article reports, in titillating detail, how the city has become Europe’s new capital for pornographic filmmaking, while an op-ed examines why only 19% of the people in this once-religious country believe that God exists.
Change the scene to Rome. We are at the Vatican, swimming in a sea of 150,000 people waiting in St. Peter’s Square for Pope Benedict XVI to appear at a special celebration for Catholic children who have made their first communion in the past year. Rock bands and kids’ choirs entertain the faithful until a roar sweeps through the crowd at the first sighting of the “Popemobile,” carrying the waving, white-robed Benedict down barricaded lanes through the throng. The crowd goes wild.
I remember visiting Prague a couple years ago – there was a real split between the historic district and the new district made up of strip clubs and casinos.
Demographic suicide? Absolutely. No wonder so many Cardinals in Europe have been calling on Catholics to have children.