Catholics, pain and Europe

Are Catholics in Europe moving onward or backward?

Some medieval practices that are spreading again in Italy suggests the latter:

Here's an interesting article:

Here's an excerpt:

Catholics and the Return of the Spiked Metal “Cilicio”.

The unfortunate senator and Opus Dei numerary Paola Binetti fell into the trap of admitting on television that she was familiar with the “cilicio”, a spiked metal garter, and attempted to explain why it is used: “It forces us to reflect on the fatigue of living. It is the sacrifice of a mother waking up at night because her baby is crying”.