The Sunday congregation in the churches of many countries, particularly in the West, speaks for itself. The number of practicing Catholics has significantly diminished in the last four decades, while the average age of the faithful has increased.

In his Dec. 22 address to the Roman Curia, Benedict XVI stated: “Not only faithful believers but also outside observers are noticing with concern that regular churchgoers are growing older all the time and that their number is constantly diminishing; that recruitment of priests is stagnating; that scepticism and unbelief are growing.”

“What, then, are we to do?” he asked. “There are endless debates over what must be done in order to reverse the trend. There is no doubt that a variety of things need to be done. But action alone fails to resolve the matter. The essence of the crisis of the Church in Europe is the crisis of faith. If we find no answer to this, if faith does not take on new life, deep conviction and real strength from the encounter with Jesus Christ, then all other reforms will remain ineffective.”

Benedict XVI will convoke the Year of Faith on Oct. 11, 2012, (the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council), and the year will end on Nov. 24, 2013, the solemnity of Christ the King.

The Pope announced the year in the apostolic letter “Porta Fidei” (Door of Faith), in which he stated that the initiative aims to contribute to a renewed conversion to Christ, and the rediscovery of the faith, so that every member of the Church becomes for the modern world a joyful and convincing witness of the Risen Lord, capable of pointing out the "door of faith" to the countless men and women who are seeking the truth.

The year seeks to promote the "new evangelization" with even greater intensity -- an evangelization that John Paul II called for, and that Benedict XVI is working toward with the whole of his pontificate.

In fact, the Year of Faith will begin during the synod of bishops on the new evangelization, which will take place Oct. 7-18 in the Vatican. The theme of the event is “Nova evangelizatio ad christianam fidem tradendam - The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.”

As the preparatory document for the synod (the "lineamenta") explains: “Continuing the reflection which has taken place thus far on the subject, the aim of the approaching synodal assembly will be to examine the present situation in the particular Churches and to trace, in communion with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, the Bishop of Rome and Universal Pastor of the Church, the new methods and means for transmitting the Good News to people in our world today with a renewed enthusiasm proper to the saints, who were joyous witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The date chosen to begin the Year of Faith is not a coincidence. On Oct. 11, 1962, the Second Vatican Council called by Blessed John XXIII began, and thirty years later, John Paul II promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in its pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith, recounts: “The Council, according to Pope John XXIII, wanted ‘to transmit doctrine, pure and whole, without attenuations or misrepresentations,’ in such a way that ‘this sure and immutable teaching, which must be respected faithfully, is elaborated and presented in a way which corresponds to the needs of our time.’”

The interpretation of Vatican II has caused division in the recent decades of the Church. The Year of Faith is presented as an opportunity to rise above the tensions, provoked by those who see the Council as a "rupture" with 2,000 years of Church teaching.

In his letter convoking the year, the Pope shows how the Conciliar documents are in harmony with the Church's teaching of two millennia, and he presents Vatican II as “the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century.”

Given that, above all, the "Year of Faith" is conceived as a tool to assist the baptized in rediscovering the Creed, the Pope presents the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was bequeathed to the Church by John Paul II in 1992, as the book for the year.

Benedict XVI considers this book “one of the most important fruits of the Second Vatican Council,” “a precious and indispensable tool,” “a very important contribution to that work of renewing the whole life of the Church," and “a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith.”

The Holy See, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, at the request of Benedict XVI, published a “Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith.” It includes 40 proposals divided into four groups: the level of the universal Church, the level of the episcopal conferences, the level of dioceses, and the level of parishes, communities, associations and movements.

At the level of the universal Church, the document proposes encouraging pilgrimages of faith to the See of Peter in Rome, to the Holy Land, and to Marian shrines.

One of the main events of the Year of Faith will be World Youth Day, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2013. As the note mentions, the event will “offer a special occasion for the young to experience the joy which comes from faith in the Lord Jesus and communion with the Holy Father, in the greater family of the Church.”

Ecumenical events will be organized as well, to work toward “the restoration of unity among all Christians.”

The Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization will establish a special commission to coordinate the various Year of Faith initiatives at the universal level, and it will open a Web site.

At the level of the episcopal conferences, the Vatican note asks pastors to promote the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Vatican II documents, and requests that these be translated into the languages that are still lacking a translation.

It suggests availing of new communication tools to “promote television and radio transmissions, films and publications focusing on the faith, its principles and content, as well as on the ecclesial significance of the Second Vatican Council. This should be done using the new styles of communication, especially on the popular level, making these things available to a wider public.”

As well, the document suggests “pamphlets and leaflets of an apologetic nature (cfr. 1 Pt 3:15), which should be done with the help of theologians and authors. Every member of the faithful would then be enabled to respond better to the questions which arise in difficult contexts -- whether to do with sects, or the problems related to secularism and relativism.”

Finally, the Vatican note proposes dialogue between the baptized and believers from other religions, with those who do not profess a faith or are indifferent to faith, to offer them the testimony of having “welcomed the news of salvation.”