Posted on 04/04/2005 7:33:19 AM PDT by SmithL
U.S. Roman Catholics adored Pope John Paul II but vast numbers of the nation's 67 million parishioners openly disregard the pontiff's core teachings about abortion, divorce, extramarital sex and birth control.
But Catholics have become more conservative in recent years, a movement fueled, in part, by the growing numbers of more traditional Latino members. Church officials estimate Latinos will comprise half of the U.S. membership within a decade.
A majority of Catholics voted for President Bush, the first time a Republican presidential candidate has taken the Catholic vote. A historic union between conservative Protestants and Catholics helped re-elect Bush.
Catholic Joan Toth of Concord, for one, says she would like American Catholics to stop challenging long-held church doctrine on social issues.
"Some of the hierarchy have conflicting devotions," the 70-year-old said. "They're not supportive of traditional teachings."
It's too soon to know whether this conservative shift will transform American Catholics into more obedient servants of John Paul's teachings or those of the next pope.
Americans' propensity to treat their faith like a buffet, a spoonful of this and a "No, thanks" on that, has diluted the pope's power to dictate their behavior, said Steven Waldman, editor of beliefnet.org and former national editor of U.S. News and World Report.
"The pope is an extraordinarily beloved figure in the American Catholic community even though half of the community disagrees with him on abortion," Waldman said. "In the other direction, a large number of Catholics supported the Iraq War even though the pope opposed it.
"Catholics have the ability to make distinctions in their minds on these issues, and I'm not sure this pope, or the next one, can change that dynamic."
Many U.S. congregates challenge the Vatican by living typical American lives.
They divorce, use birth control and have abortions, although their church forbids the practices, and they clamor for a greater role for women in church leadership or support of gay marriage.
"American Catholicism has been pushing the envelope on many issues," said James Donahue, president of the Berkeley-based Graduate Theological Union, a school specializing in Christian and other teachings. "At the level of the hierarchy, bishops are very much in congress with the establishment. Some of the Catholics themselves are not."
But it's not just parishioners that disagree with the church; count American priests among those who question its doctrines.
Like Catholics around the world, the Rev. Richard Sparks, pastor at Newman Hall Holy Spirit parish in Berkeley, respected the pontiff as a "universal Christian person" who did much to encourage dialogue and understanding in a troubled world.
The priest just wishes his leader had also opened dialogue within the church itself, especially on issues such as divorce and birth control.
"Some Catholics hope that with the next pope, there will be less tension," Sparks said.
On the other side, the Rev. Luis Perez, a Spanish-speaking priest at Queen of All Saints Catholic Church in Concord, said he would like to see the next pope emphasize "the respect for life."
"Everyone wants people to live well and no one to suffer," he said.
They divorce, use birth control and have abortions, although their church forbids the practices, and they clamor for a greater role for women in church leadership or support of gay marriage.
This lie is typical of the garbage put forward by the likes of Frances Kissling and 'Catholics for Choice' crowd. The average Catholic in the pews reject these practices and take their Faith and the teaching of the Church seriously.
They divorce, use birth control and have abortions, although their church forbids the practices, and they clamor for a greater role for women in church leadership or support of gay marriage.
This lie is typical of the garbage put forward by the likes of Frances Kissling and 'Catholics for Choice' crowd. The average Catholic in the pews reject these practices and take their Faith and the teaching of the Church seriously.
Agreed. The Church is there to provide precepts for the ideal life. It is not there to legitimise when we fall short of the ideal.
Regards, Ivan
it would be more interesting if the authors of this article had asked American Catholics who actually go to Mass every Sunday, frequent Confession, and try to practice the faith what they thought of the Pope's positions on marriage and life issues. Sadly many people (especially here in the Northeast) think that just because their grandma practiced Catholicism, or because their last name is Irish or Italian that they can live like a complete pagan and still have a "right" to call themselves Catholics. The inclusion of these "Catholics" in MSM studies of American Catholicism greatly skews the picture of the Church.
Step 1: introduce married priests
step 2: admit female deacons
step 3: cool talk about reunification with the Orthodox
step 4: promote ecumenism with Lutherans/Episcopalians
step 4: promote condom use
step 5: let the liturgy contine to "evolve"
Read National Catholic Reporter to see their game plan.
On the issue of contraception, even weekly communicants do not follow the Church's teaching. Just look at the size of the families.
The genie's out of the bottle on birth control.
BTTT -- I agree with you.
NFP has imporved. Think that is the reason?
We are in the second generation of women who are utilizing birth control. I don't think the numbers for NFP are all that great.
The reason that Humanae Vitae continues to be ignored is because even bishops and priests are not convinced of its soundness.
The Church has a major problem when a teaching is defined, and 85% of Church-going Catholics don't observe it.
I don't see that changing, either. Catholics are convinced that they are good Catholics even when using contraception and that there is nothing sinful about it.
You're right...I thought about that after I hit post. Married couples adhering to Church's teaching about birth control are definately in the minority...although there are probably more large new families today than there were 30 years ago.
Bump, sassbox. You're right, you're right, you're oh, so right!
God bless and keep Pope John Paul, II, may the Church grower spiritually stronger, may the Lord send us good and holy priests, and may those that wish to alter the Church according to their ease and preference leave the Church en masse.
The Catholic Church doesn't need to modernize, the modern world needs to Catholic-ize. (ya, I know its not a word)
Perhaps we could use more solid preaching on Humanae Vitae?
NFP was a major part of my Pre-Cana training (4 years ago)...this was not so 20 years ago...
Women are getting sick and tired of pills that make them fat and cause breast cancer.
Yep, they're not real Catholics, they're statistical Catholics -- kept on the books to jack up the numbers.
"Perhaps we could use more solid preaching on Humanae Vitae?"
Agreed. The days of obedience to doctrine as a reason to adhere to teachings has passed us by. I think it is time for the priests to incorporate the moral teachings of the Church into the homilies. The laity need to hear it from the shepherds, rather than this confusion they hear from so many voices.
EXPLAIN the teachings, don't just spout them out. Show that following the culture of death is a dead-end ride and that the Church's moral teachings will help to secure a better, more happy life for us, today! Not in the distant future we call heaven. Only then will the laity begin to see that the secular call to license is not the answer.
Regards
Father Corapi for Pope!
No, the Church doesn't have a problem. Eighty-five percent of Church-going "catholics" who don't observe church teaching have a problem. And that problem concerns their salvation.
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