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It is no wonder the numbers of parishioners are dwindling. The numbers of sexual assaults from priests is mind-boggling.
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As of May 30, 2017, the USCCB has counted 18,565 victims who are known to the bishops in the period 1950 through June 30, 2016. Many more survivors have yet to come forward. In 1993, the late Fr. Andrew Greeley estimated that 2,500 priests (fewer than half the USCCB's current total) might have molested "well in excess of 100,000" children in the United States.
It is no wonder the numbers of parishioners are dwindling. The numbers of sexual assaults from priests is mind-boggling.
This certainly isn't helping things but the amount of people attending church has been dwindling across the the board long before this became a big issue. I know in my area the catholic church and other churches have closed and/or consolidated numerous ones. Latest victim appears to be my Grandmother's church which is not catholic, I've taken her to some events there and have only seen a few kids, teenagers and young adults mostly from one family. The bulk of the congregation was elderly, back in the 70's if you didn't get there early Sunday morning you'd be lucky if there was standing room.
The pastor they had left to help is aging Father and getting a replacement is proving to be difficult, it's not only the fiances but the lack of people to take the position. This issue is exacerbated with the Catholic church because of the celibacy requirement, no women etc. I also have to wonder how many people both parishioners and priests they are losing to other faiths that aren't as strict.
Pope Francis's public admission that priests have used nuns as "sexual slaves" - and may still be doing so - marks a new chapter in the abuse crisis rocking the Catholic church.
Unfortunately for humanity, the Catholic Church isn't going anywhere. While it may very well bleed members in some of the developed world, it is still strong in much of the developing world and is still insanely wealthy from properties, investments, etc.
This certainly isn't helping things but the amount of people attending church has been dwindling across the the board long before this became a big issue. I know in my area the catholic church and other churches have closed and/or consolidated numerous ones. Latest victim appears to be my Grandmother's church which is not catholic, I've taken her to some events there and have only seen a few kids, teenagers and young adults mostly from one family. The bulk of the congregation was elderly, back in the 70's if you didn't get there early Sunday morning you'd be lucky if there was standing room.
The pastor they had left to help is aging Father and getting a replacement is proving to be difficult, it's not only the fiances but the lack of people to take the position. This issue is exacerbated with the Catholic church because of the celibacy requirement, no women etc. I also have to wonder how many people both parishioners and priests they are losing to other faiths that aren't as strict.
The Catholic Church is dying from the top down and the bottom up. Young men and women are no longer entering into the priesthood or becoming nuns, so the clergy is old and dying off. And young and middle aged people have left the church in droves, so the seats in the pews and dollars in the collection plates are dwindling as well.
I have five siblings. We were all raised Catholic and every one of us left the Church. I'm in touch with my Catholic grammar school class (we're planning a reunion right now) and the majority of them have left the Church as well. There is no future for this corrupt monolith of the past. Good riddance.
It really is a matter of handling their problems with integrity and mindset to protect the vulnerable. Yeah - I know... that's a stretch these days.
But if they can pull it off, they will take a hit in the short term - but they would probably bounce back.
They absolutely have to weed out the front groups whose purpose it is to prey on those who are vulnerable.
It's more than the molestation scandal, though, as horrific as that is. They also have to come into the 21st century and admit that women are of more use to the church than just to clean the pews and fill the vigil lights. Women continue to be treated as second class members of the Catholic church, subordinate to and ruled over by men, and that is a view that is wholly unacceptable in this day and age. And that celibacy is unrealistic and is killing the priesthood.
Until/unless they do these things, they have no future with the younger generations who no longer share these archaic views.
Around here, catholic parishes that have K-12 schools are extremely popular still, even to those parents who are not catholic or religious, many of the larger catholic schools in my area have waiting lists for enrollment...that speaks volumes imo!
It's more than the molestation scandal, though, as horrific as that is. They also have to come into the 21st century and admit that women are of more use to the church than just to clean the pews and fill the vigil lights. Women continue to be treated as second class members of the Catholic church, subordinate to and ruled over by men, and that is a view that is wholly unacceptable in this day and age. And that celibacy is unrealistic and is killing the priesthood.
Until/unless they do these things, they have no future with the younger generations who no longer share these archaic views.
I agree and I'm a (nominal) Catholic. If you study the history of the Church, and I have, you can easily see how it grew into the power hierarchy that it is today, with the people pretty much locked out from the beginning. The old boy's network that has run things for centuries set things up in their best interest and they have a vested interest in maintaing that power. It needs a total reformation - or to split into two groups, the current structure and a "reformed" church.
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