Progressivism in the Church
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Church Revolution in Pictures
Photo of the Week
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Catholic-Shintoist temple in Japan
Above, we see two Catholic priests sitting on the floor and surrounded by Shintoist and Buddhist monks. Where is this meeting taking place? These men are participating in a religious session at Shinmeizan.Shinmneizan is an interreligious center of spirituality in the village of Heboura in Kyushu Island, Japan. It was founded in 1987 by Saverian Fr. Franco Sottocornola and a Buddhist monk with the intention of creating a "Christian" branch of a Buddhist temple for the area.
Fr. Claudio Condernotti, Sister Maria De Giorni, both Saverians, and Franciscan Fr. Pietro Yoshiaki joined Sottocornola in the initiative.
The goal of Shinmeizan (Japanese for mountain of the true life) is "to dialogue in depth with Shintoism and Buddhism." Shintoism, says Sottocornola, is rather a sentiment, a way of living in tune with nature and with the spirits that inhabit it. As much as possible the priests of Shinmeizan pray in the forests in order to create a bridge between the Shinto spirituality and the Christian vision of nature as a gift of God, the priest states.
Maria De Giorni explains that in their center of spirituality they habitually meet with Buddhist monks and nuns. It is a "dialogue of life made up of friendship, hope and a shared path." She notes that they have studied both the Sutra of Lothus book and the Bible with Buddhist monks. "It is thus that the dialogue interweaves with the announcement."
It is into these syncretist experiences that the heroic Catholic missions of the past were metamorphosed by the Conciliar Church.
There is no need to say that this transformation was fully approved by the Vatican and its organ, L'Osservatore Romano, from which we took this photo and information.
Photo from L'Osservatore Romano, April, 7, 2025, p. 5
