Hey, I follow these things closely. Despite the US Catholic Church's problems, the numbers grew by 10% in the US. Some of the big urban parishes have lost people. Lotsa the suburban parishes are bursting at the seems. See the trend?
I do not know a single conservative catholic who has left in the last 10 years. But lotsa liberals have. There are many crummy priests, but there are many more excellent ones. In my hometown, I've gone to most of the dozen or so parishes. All but a couple have good to very good pastors.
They're closing parish churches in St. Louis, but I'm sure you are right that there are places where it is healthier. But you bypass the point about the couple hundred mill in settlements.
But I wish we wouldn't argue. Seriously. I only want the best for the Mother Church and I want the freaks, weirdo's and deviants excommunicated and gone, just like I want the Episcopal church to be cleansed.
Unfortunately, I'm not so sure there is a mechanism to cleanse the Episcopal church so I may ride the schism wave back to Rome in the end, or hop over to a Roman parish and take Catechism class and be Received. Maybe I'd better not wait too long. Hmmmm.
The lefties seem in decline.