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Statistically speaking: Vatican numbers hint at fading faith practice
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The percentage of Catholics practicing their faith is declining almost everywhere around the globe. Almost all bishops report it, but it’s difficult to prove statistically.
Each year, the Vatican’s own statisticians compile mountains of data about the number of Catholics, baptisms, priests and religious, weddings and annulments in each diocese and country.
The numbers illustrate trends over time, but many factors lead to the variations, said Enrico Nenna, the chief statistician in the Vatican’s Central Office for Church Statistics.
“It’s very difficult to quantify Catholic practice, although many have tried with many different formulas,” he said. “The only way to get an accurate picture of religious practice would be to carefully choose a cross section of the population, do a census, and then conduct interviews repeated over time.”
He said in his parish “over the last five years there has been an amazing increased heterogeneity” with young and old, married and single, Italian and immigrant worshippers.
However, one cannot say his parish is the average Rome parish anymore than the parish in the historic center of the city where, he said, “the 5 p.m. Mass is known as the ‘widows’ Mass.’ In that neighborhood, the population is elderly, and women live longer than men.”
The number of baptisms and Catholic weddings reported around the world also are influenced by too many factors to be unquestionable indications of Catholic practice, Nenna said. [More]
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27 Comments
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We Catholics over 65 years of age are the last leaves on the tree (the catholic church). Smell the coffee! We are Catholics from the Europian catholic church. Irish, Italian etc. The young people today have no idenity with their heritage or Catholism, and cannot
identify with it. They can identify with the seduction of materialism, i-pades, the fast lane. We see churchs and catholic schools closing. I am greatful for what I had as I see it ending. The Pope and Europe are trying to bring it back, but it woun’t work here in America. 70% of Catholics are Catholic in name only. American has to kill itself with secularism, materiamism, paganism and hit a bottom and then perhaps people will start to question their need for God.I saw the raise and fall of the Roman Empire.
It is not only the Catholic Church that has seen attendance decline; other Established religions are experiencing the same decline. The “fellowship type” churches are flourishing. New comers are reached out to and community is lived rather than preached. They usually have some dynamic ministers who bring God’s word to those in the pews (or comfortable seats!)The church becomes a center for adult and youth activities. Hmmm!
Numerous Catholics who attend Mass every Sat/Sun also regularly attend nonCath churches, and for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is spiritual nourishment which they’re not getting in the Catholic church.
I think you are correct. The homilies are very often not interesting or not applicable. Often the preacher will download a homily from the Internet. A relative told me she went to two different churches and heard the exact sermon in both, and it wasn’t a prescribed homily for something like the bishops appeal.
Florian.
How did you know that?
Florian.
I totally agree with you – that has been my experience.
Florian — any person who says they are not getting nourished at a Catholic Mass is not in a state of grace. When’s the last time you’ve been to Reconcilation, Florian, or don’t you sin? Receiving the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin does not nourish you. Only at a Catholic Mass do we re-enter Calvary — the graces at a Catholic Mass are so abundant, it is literally Heaven on Earth. The Mass is NEVER about the priest’s homily — it is about receiving the Creator of the universe in Holy Communion.
Hi Jim.
Spitting out that old religious mumbo-jumbo again. I have been to several different houses of worship and I gained something special every time.
DENNIS — I’m not disputing that graces are available at other religious services. However, I am certain that the graces at a Catholic Mass are far far greater than any grace anywhere else. I hope you can come to this realization someday.
BTW, DENNIS, what you are terming “religious mumbo-jumbo” is in fact the absolute truth. You were taught the truth when you were a child and youth — but like so many others, you fell away from the Church. I am very sorry about that.
Don’t worry about it Jim. I am very comfortable in my on skin and would have no problem presenting myself at the pearly gates.
You are starting to sound a lot like Andrew. Related by any chance?
Not related to Andrew, DENNIS, but I know I would like him if I knew him in person. He is the kind of person I associate with in my life — a faithful Catholic who has found the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46), and thus who values his faith even more than his life.
Florian — still waiting for your response to my question about last Reconciliation for you. You know, it’s funny, I’ve asked that at least once or twice before, but no one ever answers my question. That’s because the people to whom I am posing the quetsion no longer go to Reconciliation, as they either think they don’t sin, or they don’t believe in the power of the sacrament. The Church is clear: avoid Reconciliation at your own eternal peril.
To illustrate the eternal peril to which one exposes themselves by avoiding Reconciliation: they come to think like Florian, like a Protestant: that they are not nourished at a Catholic Mass, when in fact there is no better nourishment anywhere.
The reason Church attendance is declining, if it is: as Our Lady of Fatima said, we would enter a period of apostasy. We have been there since about 1960. Satan is strong in the world, so of course church attendance will decline. Faithful Catholics need to attend Mass and receive Communion every day they can, go to Reconciliation monthly if not oftener, and go to Eucharistic Adoration to counter the influence of Satan in the world, and appeal to God to bring all those who have left the Church back to the true Church.
You are correct Jim. It was in the 1960s that some people in the Church leadership misinterpreted Vatican II. The beautiful Tridentine Mass with its focus on Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was largely taken away and this made the people less reverent. Many of the Churches tried to be as Protestant as they could with the music, church architecture, funny time during the homilies, etc. As time went by, the Faithful began to see the Catholic Church as just another church, no better than any other church. Liberal priests and feminist nuns got caught up in social justice and forgot how to evangelicize. All of this and more took place and that’s why we have the mess today that we have: Satan is very happy. But… The Immaculate Heart of Mary will ultimately triumph and there are signs of hope that the liberal media won’t report. In my Diocese for example (Charlotte), new churches are being built to serve the growing population of Catholics. Our Diocese has a good number of vocations and the younger priests coming out of today’s seminaries are bringing back Euchristic devotion, the Rosary any even the Tridentine Mass. There’s still a lot of work to be done and for now, I have to drive an hour every Sunday to attend Mass in a church where people don’t talk in the sanctuary or wear trashy clothes to receive communion. But, there was a time not too long ago when every church in this Diocese seemed like a Protestant church. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.
Thanks for your post and your thoughts, Andrew. Earlier today, DENNIS asked me if you and I are related. I told him we do not know each other, but you are exactly the kind of person with whom I associate. Your fervor increases my fervor. And, it’s impressive that you converted from a Protestant Church (Episcopalian) — if you consider that a Protestant Church (some case could be made that the Episcopalians are a cut above other Protestant denominations).
and you are so right, Andrew — we know who wins in the end, and it won’t be these heretic sisters or others who trash the Catholic Church. The Immaculate Heart of Mary will indeed triumph. How do I know? Because I have a simple rule: if you either raise yourself from the dead (as Jesus did), or if you hover in the sky, are radiant with light, and make the sun dance in the heavens, I listen to everything you say, and I believe everything you say.
Nice to know you like the magic aclt of thr dancing sun, nothing like a mass halutionation.
Tony, I assume you’re referring to the miracle of the sun that happened after Our Lady’s last apparition at Fatima? That was real and it was witnessed by the tens of thousands who were there that day. Even the socialist newspaper covering the events back then reported it as true. There have been many false apparitions throughout history but Fatima was real.
I’ll stick with The revelations of sacred scripture and the tradition of the church and leave private visions for the psychos that have the. Catholics are not bound to believe them.
When I talk with the marginalized or unchurched Catholics, very often they express their displeasure with the lack of credibility by our leadership. Thee sex abuse scandal has done an immeasurable amount of harm.
Priests and Bishops are seen as frauds who say one thing and live another. We see priests who are unfaithfull to their promises of celibacy, priests who steal, and priests and bishops who lie and coverup their crimes.
Another complaint I hear is that the bishops and some priests live like kings and try to Lord it over the people whom they serve. The clergy are seen as anything but pastoral.
Of course their are somevery holy and saintly priests and bishops, true humble servants of the Lord, but therese are blind to them because of the failures of the others.
So Tony, who is responsible for these “marginalized or unchurched Catholics” not seeing the “saintly priests and bishops, true humble servants of the Lord?” It is those people themselves. There is no excuse for their hard heartedness. My guess is in the vast majority of cases, those “marginalized or unchurched Catholics” never were abused by a priest; they are just using these scandals, blown up by Satan’s media, as a pretext for rejecting the Church. They very likely rejected the Church for some other reason — e.g., its opposition to masturbation, contraception, or female ordination — and then use the scandals to justify their rejection of the Church. We all will be held accountable by God for our actions and decisions.
Jim, there is an old saying that if the leaders will lead the people will follow. The people aren’t following because they don’t see leaders to follow.
There is no excuse for the deplorable scandal many priests and bishops have given.
I’m not trying to make excuses for the genuine, horrible infractions committed by a very small minority of clergy. Look, I live in the same world, but I haven’t turned my back on the Church. What’s the difference? We all are responsible for the decisions we make. Admitedly, God has showered His grace upon me — I am certain of that. But, I don’t believe He loves me anymore than He loves anyone else — that He would provide the same grace to these others if they were receptive to them. So, then, they have the responsiblity for their decision to turn their back on the Church.
Jim, if you ask the average Catholic couple why the want there child baptized you get an answer like, if we don’t our parents would be upset. There is no sense of relationship with Jesus or the Christian community.
Of the few who still come in for a church wedding many are just going through the ceremony because mom and dad want them to.
There is no sense of relationship with Jesus and His community……that’s a problem we need to address and it is hard to do with the allianated and unchurched.