Popular piety, the privatization of religion and the pastoral transformation of individual religiositytranslated

Popular piety is one of the most vivid and complex phenomena of church life. It expresses man's need to experience faith not only as a theoretical acceptance of doctrinal truths, but also as a daily experience, as a symbolic act, as a memory, as a tradition and as a relationship with God, the saints and the community.

Malamatenia Barouta, Doctor of Theology Candidate, AUTH

The feasts, pilgrimages, local holidays, festivals and various religious customs reveal that faith is not limited to the area of intellectual understanding, but touches the body, place, time and the collective identity of the people.

However, popular piety is not without its dangers. When detached from the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, it can become an individual religious practice, a psychological security mechanism, or even a form of religious exploitation. In this case, faith is not experienced as participation in the Body of Christ, but as a means of satisfying personal needs. The transition from church society to individual religiosity is a key feature of modern society, in which religion often…