In the previous centuries, Evangelization mostly meant bringing the gospel to Africa, S. America, wherever. Today, however, much of the Church's efforts are focused on W. Europe & N. America.
This was a big part of John Paul's papacy and I think the Pope Benedict will continue this work. As far as John Paul was concerned many Catholics had drifted so far away from doctrine that they were Catholic in name only. The Gospel had to be brought to them again.
It seems to me that John Paul II was willing to live with a (possibly) much smaller, but stronger Church that is committed to its traditions and doctrines. This small, strong Church would then be in a better position to provide an alternative to today's secularist, relativist world.
It also seems to me that John Paul II essentially decided to skip a generation – the "me" generation – and focus on the next generation. The world youth days were a big part of that. Those young Catholics are to be the Church's evangelizers this century.
That possible trend I noted last week would be part of that. So would the growth of student movements advocating abstinence and reviving Catholic traditions.
Whether these are just blips or the real beginnings of a revival of Orthodoxy among Catholics (in the US & elsewhere) is impossible to say. It's also too early to evaluate whether this approach is the right one, but those Christian Churches that would be called "hard-line" or "conservative" are also the ones experiencing the greatest growth. Something I'm sure that is not lost on Benedict XVI.
