Nearly two years into his tenure as the Charlotte bishop leading nearly 600,000 Catholics, Bishop Michael Martin this month announced his vision for the church’s future as he faces pushback for controversial changes he has already made.
In a pastoral letter and videos played at Masses across western North Carolina, Martin laid out the need for parishioners to go well beyond believing to engaging in proactive evangelism. That message, he said, has been well-received initially — a welcome change, no doubt, from the displeasure some priests and laypeople have expressed to some of Martin’s earlier pronouncements.
There are some parishioners who believe Martin is a breath of fresh air, an approachable leader who seeks to challenge them to be better Catholics. Others say the changes Martin has made to some traditional practices is leading the church in the wrong direction.
Following the release of his pastoral vision for the Diocese of Charlotte, Martin sat down with The Charlotte Observer to talk in detail about how he believes God is leading him to move the church forward and to address concerns that have stemmed from changes he says were made to align the diocese with universal norms.
⛪ More with Bishop Martin:
- › Charlotte bishop talks ICE and Border Patrol
- › Charlotte bishop on alignment with pope
- › Bishop’s vision: Just believing isn’t enough
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Despite the pushback, Martin says he wants his vision to be the main focus…