David Gibson and Kevin Eckstrom recently wrote about an online survey of 1,400 adult Catholics. The research, conducted by D’Antonio, Gautier and Dillon in cooperation with the National Catholic Reporter, found:
- 86% don’t think that following the Vatican’s teachings is the only way to be a loyal member of the faith
- 83% say the clergy sexual abuse scandal has hurt the bishops’ moral and political credibility
- 74% said you could be a good Catholic without donating time or money to a parish
- 60% said you could be a good Catholic without donating time or money to help the poor
So What
These statistics tell part of the story of the shift in American Catholicism in recent years. Gibson and Eckstrom also point out that while the views in the pews have shifted in recent years, those of church leaders have not. As a result, ” The portion of Catholics who say church leaders have “the final say” on homosexuality has plunged by half, from 32 percent to 16 percent, over the past 25 years, while those who say individuals make the final call has shot up from 39 percent to 57 percent.”
- Which statistic do you find most surprising? Why?
- If the gap between those in the pews and those in leadership, with regard to positions on key issues and beliefs, continues to widen what are the likely consequences? How might these be avoided or minimized?