This blog explores both historical and current events guided by the thought of the leading thinkers, past and present, of this school or movement of theology. Refer to the Classic Posts, Great and Contemporary Thinkers, various links of all kinds, in addition to the Archives themselves. David is the founder and manager of this website, but many friends contribute to it on a regular basis.
The decline in Mass attendance highlights another significant fact; fewer and fewer people who call themselves Catholic actually follow Church rules or accept Church doctrine.
For example, a 1999 poll by the National Catholic Reporter shows that 77 percent believe a person can be a good Catholic without going to Mass every Sunday, 65 percent believe good Catholics can divorce and remarry, and 53 percent believe Catholics can have abortions and remain in good standing.
Only 10 percent of lay religion teachers accept Church teaching on artificial birth control, according to a 2000 University of Notre Dame poll. And a New York Times/CBS poll revealed that 70 percent of Catholics age 18-44 believe the Eucharist is merely a "symbolic reminder" of Jesus.
Given these alarming statistics and surveys, one wonders why the American bishops ignore the profound crisis that threatens the very existence of the Church in America.
After all, there can be no Church without priests, no Church without a laity that has children and practices the Catholic Faith.
Yet at their annual conferences, the bishops gather to issue weighty statements about nuclear weapons and the economy. Then they return home to "consolidate" parishes and close down schools.
As Cardinal Ratzinger said, the post-Vatican II period "has definitely been unfavorable for the Catholic Church."
This Index of Leading Catholic Indicators is an attempt to chronicle the continuing crisis, in the hope that a compilation of the grim statistics-----in a clear, objective, easy to understand manner-----will spur action before it is too late. -----Kenneth C. Jones, January 2003
Te Pope himself calls it a FAILURE. What will it take for you to GET IT?
An article by Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio on TCRnews.com
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The decline in Mass attendance highlights another significant fact; fewer and fewer people who call themselves Catholic actually follow Church rules or accept Church doctrine.
For example, a 1999 poll by the National Catholic Reporter shows that 77 percent believe a person can be a
good Catholic without going to Mass every Sunday, 65 percent believe good Catholics can divorce and remarry, and 53 percent believe Catholics can have abortions and remain in good standing.
Only 10 percent of lay religion teachers accept Church teaching on artificial birth control, according to a 2000 University of Notre Dame poll.
And a New York Times/CBS poll revealed that 70 percent of Catholics age 18-44 believe the Eucharist is merely a "symbolic reminder" of Jesus.
Given these alarming statistics and surveys, one wonders why the American bishops ignore the profound crisis that threatens the very existence of the Church in America.
After all, there can be no Church without priests, no Church without a laity that has children and practices the Catholic Faith.
Yet at their annual conferences, the bishops gather to issue weighty statements about nuclear weapons and the economy. Then they return home to "consolidate" parishes and close down schools.
As Cardinal Ratzinger said, the post-Vatican II period "has definitely been unfavorable for the Catholic Church."
This Index of Leading Catholic Indicators is an attempt to chronicle the continuing crisis, in the hope that a compilation of the grim statistics-----in a clear, objective, easy to understand manner-----will spur action before it is too late.
-----Kenneth C. Jones, January 2003
Te Pope himself calls it a FAILURE.
What will it take for you to GET IT?
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