In particular, the bishops noted that "the thirst for God accompanies each and every human being," while "today's culture and society, characterized by a secularized mentality, hinder the cultivation of spirituality and everything that leads to the encounter with God."
"Our rhythm of life, marked by activism, competitiveness, and consumerism, generates emptiness, stress, anguish, frustration, and multiple concerns that fail to alleviate the means that the world offers to achieve happiness," the bishops wrote.
In this context, "not a few feel a pressing desire for silence, serenity, and inner peace."
The bishops warned, however, that "we are witnessing the resurgence of a spirituality that is presented in response to the growing 'demand' for emotional well-being, personal balance, enjoyment of life or serenity to face challenges."
That spirituality, they said, is too often "understood as the cultivation of one's own interiority so that man finds himself, and which often does not lead to God."
"To this effect, many people-even those who grew up in a Christian environment-resort to meditation, prayer techniques and methods that have their origin in religious traditions outside Christianity and the rich spiritual heritage of the Church."
"In some cases, this is accompanied by the abandonment of the Catholic faith, even inadvertently. In other cases, people try to incorporate these methods as a 'supplement' of their faith to achieve a more intense experience of it. This assimilation is frequently done without proper discernment about its compatibility with the Christian faith, the anthropology that derives from it and with the Christian message of salvation," the bishops warned.