By coincidence, while Catholics of every stripe scramble to clarify the pope's assault on the word "proselytism" (i.e. "Proselytism is solemn nonsense"), I met with a Mormon friend who openly invited me to become a Mormon. At our first meeting I asked him to tell me about the Mormon church. His immediate answer was "We are a proselytizing church." He said it with surety and pride. I admired that. I also admired his willingness to simply invite me to consider his church. Perhaps that is why, while Catholic parishes crumble and close (google "Catholic parish closing") the Mormon church is set to "become the world's largest."
(Just a note. Upon his invitation, I extended one of my own. We meet again next week. Another note: certain Catholic parishes and dioceses and religious orders as well are actually growing. We'll talk about that another time.)
