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-2The Dutch Church by the 1950s possessed its own newspapers, radio stations, television channels, journals, universities, schools, unions - in fact, every imaginable type of organisation. In 1955, for example, 97 % of Catholic adults subscribed to Catholic newspapers. This tightly-knit church, insulated for a couple of generations from secularising trends or questioning or criticism within its ranks, would be subject to profound social and economic changes in the lead up to the Second Vatican Council. The first of these emerged as a result of closer contacts with other religions and ideologies during the World War II struggle against a common foe. This, in turn, led to a breakthrough mentality, particularly among the intellectuals, which sought more co-operation among all Dutch religious groups to rebuild the country after the war. The years after World War II saw a dramatic growth in Dutch economic prosperity with Catholics, relatively speaking, the greatest beneficiaries. Accompanying this came a massive extension of social welfare schemes which, by the 1960s, had contributed to a weakening of bonds between generations, allowing more independence for the young. As a result of these changes, there emerged a new class of nouveaux riches Dutch Catholics, committed to materialism and updating everything, including their Church. A dominant ideology of emancipation from old ways emerged. This new church ideology would soon capture the Dutch Churchs internal network of pillars. By the 1960s, the Dutch mass media, Catholic included, would be exposing members of the Church to alternative lifestyles, including demands for acceptance of contraception, euthanasia, homosexuality and abortion on demand. The once sheltered Dutch Catholics were, according to Fr Bots, exposed to massive internal secularisation, a process quickened by a traditional Dutch trait of submissiveness to authority. The Dutch would simply swap loyalties from Pope and Bishops to a new class of local ideologues.
-3Emphasis in Dutch religious life centred on becoming a person, relating, social emancipation, experiencing, peace movements, women's movements and general emancipation from rules. Fr Leenhouwers interpreted the Gospels Good News as essentially redemption from earthly poverty and oppression. Dutch religious orders, in the absence of vocations, grew wealthy from the sales of empty monasteries as their ageing memberships became eligible for generous government pensions. The near extinction of religious life in Holland was highlighted by the decline of the Divine Word Order. Despite its flourishing condition in neighbouring West Germany, the Order has received no new Dutch postulants since 1967.
-4Rather like Sorcerers Apprentices, the Dutch Bishops have watched helplessly (or benignly), as social, economic and conciliar forces swept inexorably through the Church. Thanks to policies of masterly inactivity or tacit support, the Dutch Church was already in a state of virtual schism by the mid-1970s. Until 1983, in fact, with the exception of Rotterdam and Roermond, the Dutch Church would remain in the hands of bishops at least tacitly sympathetic or tolerant of the new church revolution.