Posted on 04/10/2005 10:45:26 AM PDT by Torie
Despite the millions of pilgrims gathered in Rome, attendance at weekly Mass in many places has declined and many have left the flock.
By Larry B. Stammer, Times Staff Writer
ROME — Only a few miles from the throngs that pressed into St. Peter's Square to bid farewell to Pope John Paul II, a soaring Baroque-style basilica echoed with emptiness.
Inside, 20 of the faithful were sequestered in a side chapel for the noon Mass, while Father Virgilio Missori, 84, sat alone near a confessional booth awaiting penitents who did not come.
In many ways, the quiet scene day in and day out at the 17th century Basilica of Sts. Ambrose and Charles on the Corso is far more representative of the state of the Roman Catholic Church today than the one in St. Peter's Square, where an estimated 2 million pilgrims paid homage to John Paul in what was arguably the world's largest funeral. ...
"The church in today's world needs to face some real crises. There's a crisis of faith. I've been saying there's a crisis of indifference or apathy," said Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C.
For all the glory of its churches and its history as the preeminent keeper and promulgator of the Christian faith, the Roman Catholic Church is in retreat in much of the developed West that used to be called Christendom.
Regular attendance at Mass is on a downward spiral in many predominantly Catholic countries, especially in the church's European heartland. It is much the same story in the United States.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
well, i read this very amused. After watching a relative "pay" for two annulments (just like selling indulgences) and watching the trashing of families who came forward about the pedophiliac abuse, i can't bear to sit at mass and listen to the hypocrisy of what is being preached. The hierarchy only has themselves to blame. I guess they're trying to figure out where their next paycheck is going to come from. What can they sell next?
ping
The payment is for the paperwork and processing. It has nothing to do with "buying" the annulment.
Anyway, in those parishes and dioceses where they are faithful to the doctrine of the Church, attendence is just fine and there are plenty of new vocations to the priesthood and religious life. It's in the dioceses and parishes where they mix New Age crap and other non-Catholic beliefs with the teachings, where they say abortion and gay crap is okay, that there's a problem.
keodmo
Since Apr 10, 2005
Welcome to FR!
My parish is run by an Uber-Conservative, young, vibrant priest who also celebrates the TLM in downtown Detroit. We have 200 Altar BOYS, 4 Priests, 750 families and growing. Until we get back to the Traditions of the church (some parts of our Holy Masses are in Latin and Greek), the people will continue to leave.
As the parishes try to gleen the Catholic out of the Catholic church, the people will discover that Protestants do Protestantism so much better and go there.
My church seats 1000. It's packed every Sunday.
For all the glory of its churches and its history as the preeminent keeper and promulgator of the Christian faith, the Roman Catholic Church is in retreat in much of the developed West that used to be called Christendom.
Regular attendance at Mass is on a downward spiral in many predominantly Catholic countries, especially in the church's European heartland. It is much the same story in the United States.
New Springtime alert.
Two of the biggest problems currently facing the Roman Catholic Church are the number of European Catholics who don't attend mass and the number of American Catholics who do....
I still have a little problem with my conscience over the scandals that mostly happened elsewhere. I do not excuse them. I try not to rationalize them. I do not like to be viewed as an enabler or a sheeple. An enabler I may be, but I don't have to follow the herd in everything and I can be myself.
I've been wondering how some of the high-profile converts of late dealt in their innermost selves with the scandals.
I also have a question about the campaign against the death penalty. This not meant to be mean-spirited, but how can the church that never changes suddenly change this doctrine?
I'm also grieved at the way the Schiavo case has been handled by the church in Florida, *if* what I have read here is true.
If it is true and I were in that diocese, my conscience would tell me to flee the church again into my own spiritual wilderness.
For now, I feel safe, but I do not intend to register as a parish member. I believe that is permitted.
Handing out annulments like holy cards has been a big, big part of the decline too. I hate seeing the practice defended. I remember back in the '70s when a priest friend boasted about presiding at the 2nd marriage of a prominent person who had deserted his family to shack up with a babe--who had also put aside a spouse and kids. In the priest's mind, the church was showing a new kind of "openness." In my mind, it was proof that the Catholic Church was a rotten hulk, and I was confirmed in my determination to sleep in every Sunday morning thereafter. (Blessedly, JPII changed my thinking.)
I agree with you on that. Especially the northeastern catholic church, which I think is corrupt to the bone. How they hell can Ted Kennedy get an anullment after a decade of marriage? Thats ridiculous. And what is Bernard Law still doing at the church? Years ago the church trampled over one of my families distant relatives in horrible case of purchased favoritism, and my family has never forgiven the church.
On the other hand, I have noticed that liberals want to act "unilaterally" when it comes to the catholic church - they want American values put into it and forget that the church has increased membership worldwide.
there's only one Catholic Church in our whole county(that's all there's ever been)but they still do saturday evening mass and four or five on sunday starting at 7:00am, where there's several Churches of every other denomination... round here, those are the ones consolidating
Yeah. Sure you did.
The quickest way to kill the church is to "modernize' it. Too bad perverts.
This story, my FRiends has everything to do with the liberals trying to find a negative in the Catholic Church after a week of amazing pilgrimage and faith.
Blessed,
I realize that the filing fees are required. What I'm talking about are the golf games with the "judge" in the tribunal, the donations to the Church, and all the attending nonsense that go with the kangaroo courts conducted (my filling out testimony along with others that just gets trashed when it doesn't fit the outcome desired). I'm sorry, but I am not going to whitewash the nonsense of annulments. It is no better than selling indulgences. This is a Church made up rule that is a joke.
Yes, the Church is full of hypocrites.
Fortunately for you an me, there's always room for one more.
IMHO to get an annulment after many years of marriage and many children is specious.
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