<p>Italian Father Piero Gheddo said the poor birth rate among Europeans coupled with waves of Muslim immigrants could lead to Europe getting dominated by Islam.<br /><br />"The challenge must be taken seriously," Daily Telegraph Tuesday quoted Father Gheddo of the Vatican's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions as saying. </p>.<p>He said: "Certainly from a demographic point of view, as it is clear to everyone that Italians are decreasing by 120,000 or 130,000 persons a year because of abortion and broken families - while among the more than 200,000 legal immigrants a year in Italy, more than half are Muslims and Muslim families, which have a much higher level of growth."<br /><br />"Newspapers and television programmes never speak of this. However, an answer must be given above all in the religious and cultural fields and in the area of identity." <br /><br />The official held Christians responsible for failing to live up to their own beliefs that led to the creation of a "religious vacuum" being filled by Islam. <br /><br />He said Islam would "sooner rather than later conquer the majority in Europe". "The fact is that, as a people, we are becoming ever more pagan and the religious vacuum is inevitably filled by other proposals and religious forces."<br /><br />Gheddo went on to say that Christians were also making themselves vulnerable to secularists' attacks. <br /><br />He stated that when "religious practice diminishes in Christian Europe and indifference spreads, Christianity and the Church are attacked". <br /><br />"If we consider ourselves a Christian country, we should return to the practice of Christian life, which would also solve the problem of empty cradles." <br /><br />A few months back, a Czech cardinal had also blamed lapsed Catholics for Europe's Islamisation. <br /><br />Cardinal Miloslav Vlk had said Muslims were well placed to fill the spiritual void "created as Europeans systematically empty the Christian content of their lives". <br /><br />He said that in case Christians didn't wake up to the threat they would one day realise that they don't have the strength to make their mark on society. <br /><br /></p>
<p>Italian Father Piero Gheddo said the poor birth rate among Europeans coupled with waves of Muslim immigrants could lead to Europe getting dominated by Islam.<br /><br />"The challenge must be taken seriously," Daily Telegraph Tuesday quoted Father Gheddo of the Vatican's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions as saying. </p>.<p>He said: "Certainly from a demographic point of view, as it is clear to everyone that Italians are decreasing by 120,000 or 130,000 persons a year because of abortion and broken families - while among the more than 200,000 legal immigrants a year in Italy, more than half are Muslims and Muslim families, which have a much higher level of growth."<br /><br />"Newspapers and television programmes never speak of this. However, an answer must be given above all in the religious and cultural fields and in the area of identity." <br /><br />The official held Christians responsible for failing to live up to their own beliefs that led to the creation of a "religious vacuum" being filled by Islam. <br /><br />He said Islam would "sooner rather than later conquer the majority in Europe". "The fact is that, as a people, we are becoming ever more pagan and the religious vacuum is inevitably filled by other proposals and religious forces."<br /><br />Gheddo went on to say that Christians were also making themselves vulnerable to secularists' attacks. <br /><br />He stated that when "religious practice diminishes in Christian Europe and indifference spreads, Christianity and the Church are attacked". <br /><br />"If we consider ourselves a Christian country, we should return to the practice of Christian life, which would also solve the problem of empty cradles." <br /><br />A few months back, a Czech cardinal had also blamed lapsed Catholics for Europe's Islamisation. <br /><br />Cardinal Miloslav Vlk had said Muslims were well placed to fill the spiritual void "created as Europeans systematically empty the Christian content of their lives". <br /><br />He said that in case Christians didn't wake up to the threat they would one day realise that they don't have the strength to make their mark on society. <br /><br /></p>