Posts Tagged U.S. Catholics
Percentage of U.S. Catholics drops and Catholicism is losing numbers faster than any denomination / Cruxnow.com
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Future of the Church, Voice of the Faithful on May 12, 2015
For years, two truisms dominated coverage of the US Catholic Church: about one quarter of the population is Catholic and each year at Easter, Catholics entering the church offset those leaving it.
“But new data suggests a new story.
“A report released Tuesday (May 12) by the Pew Forum finds that the total number of Catholics in the United States dropped by 3 million since 2007, now comprising about 20 percent – or one-fifth – of the total population.”
By Michael O’Loughlin, Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this story. Click here to read about the survey on PewForum.org.
Studies Provide Insight on Synod Questions / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 13, 2013
Amid the scramble to gather new data ahead of next October’s synod on the family, a question arises: Will church officials incorporate the wealth of insights collected in recent decades by researchers inside and outside the U.S. church?
“In late October, the Vatican sent to national bishops’ conferences a preparatory document and questionnaire for the 2014 Synod of Bishops on the family with the directive to circulate them ‘as widely as possible.’ The questions ask about topics like knowledge and acceptance of church teachings, family transference of the faith, marital issues (including natural law, divorce/annulments, and same-sex unions), and contraception.
“Much attention has focused on how various bishops and dioceses would distribute the questionnaire, which NCR made public, and gather responses. While reform groups and lay organizations have joined the data collection push, valid research from social scientists already provides brushstrokes toward a portrait of the modern American Catholic family.” By Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter
Click here to read the rest of Roewe’s article.
No Clear ‘Pope Francis Effect’ among U.S. Catholics / Pew Research Center
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Pope Francis, Voice of the Faithful on November 26, 2013
In the first eight months of his pontificate, Pope Francis has impressed, charmed and inspired many people around the world with his outreach to non-Christians, his statements of concern for the poor and disabled, and his personal humility. At the same time,
other Catholics have expressed dismay over the pope’s statements about homosexuality and his remarks that the church is “obsessed” with some social issues … But has the pope’s popularity produced a Catholic resurgence in the U.S., where 10% of adults are former Catholics? Not so far, at least in terms of the share of Americans who identify as such, or the share of those who report attending Mass weekly.” By Conrad Hackett, Pew Research Center Fact Tank — Click here to read Hackett’s entire article.
Lay Groups Launch Surveys to Answer Vatican Questionnaire / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on November 18, 2013
While U.S. bishops consider how best and how broad to collect information ahead of a 2014 global bishops’ meeting on family issues, several lay Catholic groups took the task into their own hands. In mid-November, a coalition of 15 church reform groups (including Voice of the Faithful) — primarily members of Catholic Organizations for Renewal — created an online survey for U.S. Catholics to offer their thoughts on the preparatory document to the 2014 Synod of Bishops, which will focus on the theme of ‘pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelization.’” By Brian Roewe, National Catholic Reporter
Read the rest of Roewe’s report by clicking here.
Additional information on gathering input from the faithful in preparation for past synods can be found in NCR’s Joshua McElwee’s article “Experts: Wide-Range Listening for Synods a Massive Undertaking.” Click here to read the article.
Pew Research Study Says 34% of U.S. Catholics Say Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal Is the Church’s Biggest Problem
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on March 6, 2013
As the Roman Catholic Church prepares for a conclave to elect a new pope, Catholics in the United States tend to view the scandal over sex abuse by clergy as the most important problem facing their church today. Asked to say in their own words what they think is the Catholic Church’s most important problem, 34% of U.S. Catholics mention sex abuse, pedophilia or some other reference to the scandal. No other problem garners more than 10% of responses. When asked about the main way the church helps society today, U.S. Catholics most commonly refer to charitable efforts to aid the poor, feed the hungry and heal the sick.” By The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Voice of the Faithful
A lay movement for governance reform in the Roman Catholic Church, responding to the clergy sexual abuse scandal and supporting survivors.
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