Utrecht archbishop Wim Eijk would rather have a small church which sticks to Catholic principles than a mass organisation, he told Nos television on the eve of his appointment as a cardinal by the pope in Rome.

‘The strongest dioceses are those which have carefully preserved their Catholic identity,’ he said. ‘That is the future. The future of the church is remaining strong within Christ and his evangelism.’
Eijk said he is a ‘doctrinaire’ rather than an orthodox bishop. Free Catholics in the Netherlands have accused him of being a ‘liar’ and a ‘despot’ because of his conservative approach, Nos said.
Eijk is one of 21 men who will be ordained cardinals on Saturday. He has been archbishop of Utrecht since 2008.

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