That Made in the US Church, by Giacomo Galeazzi, Vatican Insider, October 29, 2011

That "Made in the US" Church

By Giacomo Galeazzi
Vatican Insider
October 29, 2011

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/world-news/detail/articolo/stati-uniti-united-states-estados-unidos-9395/

A survey "photographs" the characteristics of American Catholics: increasingly autonomous from Rome on moral, close to the Holy See for the criticism regarding unbridled liberalism

Autonomous from Rome on moral issues, in line with the Holy See in criticizing the unbridled liberalism. The Catholic Church, which is the largest denomination in the United States with about 68 million members, last year recorded an increase in faithful of 1.5%. Every six years, U.S. Catholics are "photographed" by an all-out survey that documents orientation and changes. Now the fifth in this series of surveys shows that U.S. Catholics have become more autonomous on moral decisions and are more closely aligned with Church teachings on social issues

It is a particular North American Catholicism. John Paul II looked to it with confidence. Many new bishops were appointed by Pope Benedict XVI because in line with what the Vatican Reporter, John Allen, called "affirmative orthodoxy". This is a line true to the dictates of the doctrine of the Church but at the same time is not closed and fearful. A sort of modern conservatism, open to the challenges of today, dynamic, young. That is why analyzing the American church is useful for understanding the future of the church, its spaces and its horizons. «It is significant that in the current crisis in the Catholic community (the largest religious denomination in the country) increasingly refers to the Church's social doctrine and the need for more justice and solidarity for the common good - said Cardinal Achille Silvestrini , former Vatican foreign minister -. in his social encyclical, the Pope was right, indicating the risk of social action at the mercy of private interests and the logic of power with fragmenting effects on society. U.S. Catholics understood and shared the commitment to reintroduce charity in ethical living».

The distance from the church hierarchy is felt, however, on moral issues. The survey was conducted online on a sample of 1,442 adults who said they were Catholics. During the last quarter century, the attitudes and practices of Catholics, as well as the composition of the Church itself, have changed significantly, although some have maintained strong core beliefs. «In recent years, the attitudes and practices of Catholics, as well as the composition of the Church itself, have changed significantly, although some have maintained strong core beliefs», said Tom Roberts on «National Catholic Reporter». The fundamental theological convictions and sacraments are at the center of faith for the majority of U.S. Catholics. For 73% faith in the resurrection is very important, while the doctrine of Mary as mother of God is important to 64%. 63% consider the sacraments, such as the Eucharist, very important. 67% consider «helping the poor» to be very important and considered almost essential to their beliefs on the Resurrection. The number of participants in the Mass remains fairly constant, but varies with the generations. «The number of participants of the younger generation of Catholics, also known as "Millennials" that is, those who reach the age of majority in the twenty-first century, is the lowest among all the generations surveyed», says Roberts. However, even the majority of Hispanics, whose number of participants higher than the others, agree that attending Sunday Mass is not necessary to be considered a good Catholic.

The "pre-Vatican II" generation is fading. At the same time, the "millennial" generation in filling the ranks of Catholics. One of the distinguishing characteristics of «Millennials» is that currently, 45% belongs to the Hispanic community and this number is expected to grow over the next two decades. Hispanics and non-Hispanics are at odds over a number of issues. Significant differences: for 70% of Hispanics helping the poor is important, while for others the percentage stops at 56%. Hispanics are also more traditional: in their opinion, as opposed to non-Hispanics, there is the need to agree with the teachings of the church on a number of issues, including remarriage after divorce or abortion. According to the survey: «one Catholic in five said that the leaders of the Church, such as Pope and bishops, are the referees who are responsible for deciding what is right or wrong with respect to matters such as divorce and remarriage, abortion, premarital sex , homosexuality and contraception, while others argue that it is the individual alone, or the individual who is confronted with the teaching of the leaders of the Church, the right place to collocate the authority to make decisions.

To prove that religion, like politics, is now at a local horizon, the majority of Catholics express favorable judgments on the leadership actions of the Bishops of the United States as a whole, and in particular their local Bishops. At the same time, the survey «finds consensus among American Catholics on issues arising from the way they handled cases of sexual abuse by clergy»; on this issue the majority of Catholics believe that the issue has damaged the political credibility of religious leaders and compromised the ability of priests to «meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of their parishioners».