The Dutch Church at Odds with Rome
“I AM telling you, Sir! For twenty-five years I have had daily contact with the people. All of us feel that we have been cheated by the church. All these changes have taken away our enthusiasm. Not that all of us have quit the church, but we have lost our zeal. And our children are taking the next step. They do not go at all.”
That is what a middle-aged businessman in a Catholic country town in the Netherlands told a traveling minister. But is this an isolated case? No, his feelings are shared by countless others among the clergy and the laity alike.
This is shown by the sharp decline in church attendance—420,000 churchgoers less at the end of 1969 than in 1966—and it is evident from the thinning out of the ranks of the clergymen. A feeling of great uneasiness is common among Dutch Catholics all over the country. It is due to the changes in their church and worsening relations with Rome.
Recent events in connection with priestly celibacy have strained to the critical point relations between the Dutch church and Rome. The situation became tense during the fifth session of the pastoral council, held from January 4 to 7, 1970, in Noordwijkerhout, Netherlands.
There the recommendation was made to allow the ordination of married priests. During the sessions at this council the bishops did not vote. But later, when the Vatican voiced its strong displeasure over the pronouncement of the Dutch council, the Dutch bishops too declared that they wanted to clear the way for married priests. This was against the expressed wishes of Pope Paul VI.
That Rome was very displeased with this pronouncement is shown by the fiery denunciation that appeared in L’Osservatore Romano of January 30, 1970, stating that the celibacy action constituted “a maneuver against the pope.” Le Monde of Paris said: “It is the first time in the history of the Catholic church that a national conference of bishops in its entirety openly goes against clear papal policy.” A leading Catholic newspaper in the Netherlands expressed the situation by declaring: “Dutch Church Collides Headlong with Rome.”
But has the Dutch church always been at odds with Rome? If not, how did the situation grow to its present explosive state? A brief look at the history of the Roman Catholic Church in the Netherlands will be helpful.
HISTORY OF DUTCH CHURCH
During the sixth to the eighth centuries C.E., people in the general area of what is now the Netherlands were persuaded to become members of the Roman Catholic Church. Under Emperor Charlemagne very strong means were used to incorporate a whole people, the Saxons, into the church. Historians say that this “Christianizing” was carried on with a strong hand, at times baptism being required under the threat of death.
Gradually the whole population accepted “Christianity.” But this did not stop them from spilling blood in fighting out their controversies among themselves. In these feuds the bishop of Utrecht often took the initiative in carrying out marauding expeditions in his neighborhood. In this he did not differ from the secular rulers of that time.
A severe crisis hit the Dutch church in the sixteenth century. This was due to the Reformation, which found a ready response in the country. The “reformers” were successful because they urged the people to get to know the Bible better. For the first time, complete Bible translations became available in the Dutch language. But the Catholic clergy fought the new movement with all their power, and many Bible readers died at the stake. On both sides cruelties were committed. The religious contentions grew into a civil war.
The conclusion of this long-drawn-out war came with the Peace Treaty of Münster in 1648. By this treaty recognition was given to a Protestant northern part, making up approximately the modern-day country of the Netherlands, and a predominantly Catholic southern part, making up approximately modern-day Belgium.
At first, the Catholic minority in the Netherlands had to profess its faith in secret. But gradually more freedom came. During the official ban of Catholic worship, the Catholic church for a long time did not exist as an independent church province with its own hierarchy, but for centuries was governed directly from Rome. Understandably a stronger influence from Rome was felt than normally would have been the case.
This may be the reason why, with the exception of the Schism of Utrecht in 1723, the relationship between the Dutch church and Rome was quite undisturbed. In the middle of the nineteenth century a change in the constitution made possible the restoration of the episcopal hierarchy in the Netherlands. Now about 40 percent of the Dutch population of over twelve and a half million consists of Roman Catholics.
CONFLICT GROWS
Up to World War II, the Dutch church was in a condition described as ‘the prosperous Roman Catholic life.’ There was a strong attachment to Rome and an abundant Catholic social life. The number of priests sent out from the Netherlands as missionaries was very high. Religiously speaking, there were ease and quietness. This may explain why the Dutch church did not openly resist the concordat between the Vatican and Hitler. The time was not yet ripe.
However, during and after World War II the situation changed. The population groaned under Nazi oppression. The bishops in the Netherlands assumed an attitude much different from that of the pope of Rome regarding the oppression and deportation of Jews. When, some years later, Rolf Hochhuth’s play “The Deputy” was shown, the discussions about the stand the pope had taken in those years flared up again. A well-known Catholic reporter wrote that the silence of the pope at a time when the Dutch bishops spoke out boldly against Nazi persecution of the Jews had been a painful thing.
However, it was the second Vatican Council of 1962-1965 that gave rise to the present situation. That council, according to Pope John XXIII, was intended ‘to let a little fresh air into the church.’ Instead, it raised controversies of hurricane force that threaten to blow the structure to bits.
In 1966 the Dutch episcopacy published a new catechism. Relations with Rome worsened quickly. The doctrinal purity of this catechism came under Vatican criticism. It became a matter of strong controversy. At last an extensive inquiry was made into the accusation of heresy regarding its contents. Finally a board of cardinals suggested revisions that had to be published by the Dutch church as a supplement.
HEADLONG COLLISION
The situation reached the breaking point by the decision of the Dutch bishops to “Grant the Priest a Wedding Ring,” as a newspaper headline expressed it. This brought the Dutch church into headlong collision with Rome. The bishops favored the opinion that married priests be given a place in the church. This was directly against the expressed wish of the pope to abstain from making any negative comments concerning celibacy.
The matter cannot be shoved aside by saying that it involves only a small group of rebelling priests who want to marry. Some try to explain it this way. The facts, however, show that most priests and 70 percent of the Dutch Catholics are in favor of marriage for priests while retaining their full authority. About half of the Catholics feel that local bishops should have the authority to cancel obligatory celibacy for priests.
In the meantime, the pope keeps on saying “No” to priests’ being allowed to marry. He wants the Dutch bishops to revise their stand as to the matter of celibacy. Since he has announced this, the number of priests leaving the church has increased. In January of 1970 the number of resigning priests was twice as high as in previous months.
REACTION OF PEOPLE
How are the Catholic people reacting to all this? Of course, there is much confusion. But generally speaking, four groups can be distinguished. One group is made up of people who see in this situation a challenge to renew the church. They feel it affords the opportunity to make needed changes.
A second group consists of those who dislike the “mess in the church,” as they express it. So they turn their backs on the church and on faith in God. Among this group we find many young people. They do not want to be cheated as their parents have been. But does dishonesty among men disprove the existence of God? The apostle Paul said that God cannot lie. (Heb. 6:18) His Word of truth, the Holy Bible, opens up a new future for young and old alike. And Jehovah’s witnesses are now helping many of these people in the Netherlands to understand the Bible and God’s purposes. To assist the people with their study of the Bible, they use the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. One reader called the contents of this book ‘a gold mine of Bible knowledge.’
A third group includes those Catholics who take the view that, although they do not agree with the confused situation, they are not willing to leave the church. But many of them have lost their zeal and have become passive observers. Their opinion about renovation is: “Let them have their own way. I will have my own way too.” But if there is nothing to get enthusiastic about, would it not be time to look elsewhere? A prominent Dutch clergyman wrote that the church is God’s grave. But the fact that the church is a grave does not mean that God is in that grave, or that people should stay there. God is alive and guarantees a ‘new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness is to dwell.’ (2 Pet. 3:13; 1 Tim. 3:15) Such a heartwarming promise should be welcomed by persons who really love God.
Then, there is an ever-increasing group of Catholic people who have made a different assessment of what is happening in their church. They see that the Bible is not really being relied on by either side in this conflict. Yet the Bible is plain as to the right view in all the points of conflict. That is why these people are turning to the Bible and studying it with Jehovah’s witnesses, who offer to all people a free six-month Bible-study course.
For instance, one young Catholic man was collecting money from house to house for the parish. At one door he met a Witness and was invited in. The Witness said that he did a preaching work, but that the difference was that he taught the Bible and did not receive money for it as the pastor did. The Witness offered him a free Bible study for one hour every week.
The young man and his wife accepted this offer and have progressed rapidly in learning Bible truths. They feel the urge now to work from house to house, not to collect money, but to tell others about God’s marvelous promises for the future. They no longer feel lost because of being abandoned by their spiritual leaders. They have regained faith in God and his dependable Word. They see no need for modernizing the church, but as they said, “we as individuals must change to be in harmony with God’s Word.”
Many others are coming to appreciate this need. When confronted either directly or indirectly with the conflicts in the church, they have taken the right steps to please God. They are not acting merely in a spirit of rebellion, nor do they allow themselves to become indifferent toward God. They are really interested in being at peace with God and doing his will.
Thus, while the turmoil grows in the Catholic church, many are having their eyes opened. They are taking hold of the opportunity to evaluate correctly their relationship to God from the Bible standpoint. And they rejoice to learn of God’s purpose to end all world turmoil and to grant eternal life under righteous conditions to those who really do his will.—Matt. 7:21-23; Ps. 37:10, 11, 29.
[Box on page 517]
THE DUTCH SAY—
“We Have Been Cheated by the Church.”
There Is a “Mess in the Church.”
“Grant the Priest a Wedding Ring.”
“Dutch Church Collides Headlong with Rome.”
“We as Individuals Must Change.”