Empty pews worry Bishop
Offline http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Empty+pews+worry+Bishop+Fabbro/5410910/story.html#ixzz1YKtI4KaY
Empty Pews Worry Bishop Fabro
Six Percent drop in attendance
by Don Lajoie (The Windsor Star)
A new in-depth report on the state of the Roman Catholic church, released Thursday by the Diocese of London, paints a picture of waning faith and points to a need for rebuilding, says Bishop Ron Fabbro.
"I found this report hard to read," the bishop wrote in a message to all clergy and church employees that accompanies the 65-page document. "Many of us are saddened by the losses our Church has experienced in our own lifetime."
Fabbro goes on to state the study, which was begun last fall and includes data, analysis and projections on everything from attendance at mass to technology and volunteerism, should not be seen as a "source of discouragement" but as a tool to understand the trends, the rapid changes and point to solutions.
Among the report's findings is that church attendance for diocese churches in Windsor and Essex County has dropped by six per cent in the past three years. That compares with a 3.5 per cent decline in other areas of the diocese.
The report also showed there are about 450,000 Catholics in the diocese but average weekend attendance is only about 14 per cent of that population. There were 120 parishes in 2010, down from 171 in 1975.
Data on sacraments, from baptism, confirmation and marriage to funerals also shows "constantly declining" participation, with numbers off by more than 18 per cent in some cases since 1975. The declines have begun deepen after 1993. The report blamed declining birthrates and smaller student populations in Catholic schools for some "but not all" of those losses.
Fabbro was at a loss to explain the reason for the higher percentage locally, but suggested part of the problem may have begun with church reorganization which has seen many parishes close and others consolidated since the 1990s.
He said that work is more or less complete now and the remaining parishes are being readied to serve into the future. That, he said, will begin the process of rebuilding.
He also blamed part of the decline on the ongoing controversy over the sexual abuse of children by priests, which, the report concludes "has also led to a loss of trust in the moral authority of the church" and priesthood.
"I'm committed to making sure that the church is safe for children," said Fabbro, when asked about the long-lasting impact of sexual abuse cases. "That's essential and we have to continue to be vigilant."
He dismissed the campaign by international victims' rights groups based in New York that Pope Benedict XVI should be brought before the International Criminal Court and charged with crimes against humanity for what the plaintiffs call the church's role in "covering up abuse."
Fabbro called the Pope "the strongest proponent" for addressing the sex abuse issue and for convincing Catholics he is serious about addressing the issue. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the issue continues to have an impact on Catholics "affinity" for the church and attendance.
"We can't allow priests to abuse children," he said. "And the Pope has been very strong on that point."
Here is the report in question
http://wp.dol.ca/webportal/diocese/content/1/5/Trends%20and%20Planning/36
(mod edit: Moved from General Conversation to News & Activism forum)
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
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The Pope is "strong" on stopping kiddy fiddling priests NOW, because his church got called on it. Prior Popes had policies in place that protected the assholes in their ranks. Just like it took them hundred years to accept that the earth was a globe and not flat.
And of course he should worry, he defends a fictional being and more and more people now know they don't need a comic book club leader to live their lives.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
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Rebuilding isn't the problem, having a shitty product is the problem.
So basically only about 10-20% of the Catholic congregation actually believes this bullshit.
Have we almost kicked Catholicism?
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Can you link to or give me the name of the report so I can verify your description. It's not personal. I'm a skeptic. I like me some evidence.
The link is there, right at the top of the post. Does it not work for you?
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
I think he means to the 65 page document refered to, I could be wrong though.
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.
Here is the report in question
http://wp.dol.ca/webportal/diocese/content/1/5/Trends%20and%20Planning/36
Religion Kills !!!
Numbers 31:17-18 - Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.
http://jesus-needs-money.blogspot.com/
it annoys me when news web-pages will announce the release of some document and discuss it, but provide no link to it if it is available on-line.
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
Given this outstanding result over the last three years, we can only hope that these results are replicated across the rest of the country.
I love the way they worry about the proximate causes of these results, without ever looking at the ultimate cause - the justification for their belief is unsubstantiated bullshit.