AP-NORC poll details rift between lay Catholics and bishops

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

AP-NORC poll details rift between lay Catholics and bishops

By DAVID CRARY
June 3, 2022

The hardline stances of many conservative Catholic bishops in the U.S. are not shared by a majority of lay Catholics. Most of them say abortion should be legal, favor greater inclusion of LGBT people, and oppose the denial of Communion for politicians who support abortion rights, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The poll, conducted in mid-May, shows a clear gap between the prevalent views of American Catholics, and some recent high-profile actions taken by the church’s leaders.

For example, leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently called on Catholics nationwide to pray for the U.S. Supreme Court to end the constitutional right to abortion by reversing its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. According to the new poll, 63% of Catholic adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and 68% say Roe should be left as is.

-snip-

According to the poll, only 31% of lay Catholics agree that politicians supporting abortion rights should be denied Communion, while 66% say they should be allowed access to the sacrament.

An even larger majority – 77% -- said that Catholics who identify as LGBT should be allowed to receive Communion. ...

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-religion-government-and-politics-a43a25ff7ffe1e340c26f985de7df95a

[Lovie777]

1. Chaos . ..

we will win.

[PXR-5]

2. I will barrow a quote from

Ronnie Raygun (hurts to do that) "Starve the Beast".
And from Nancy, "Just Say No" to money in that collection basket!

[Karadeniz]

3. I did not realize LGBTQ couldn't receive communion. "Don't hide your light under a basket " is such

a simple but important instruction. It's the soul that counts, not the body. I hope the church tries harder to find the answers in scripture;
the answers are usually there!

[regnaD kciN]

7. Technically speaking...

…Roman Catholicism doesn’t ban people with gay orientation from communion – but it does ban those who commit “homosexual acts” from communion unless they repent and go to confession for absolution. So it’s not a de jure ban, but effectively a de facto one.

[Haggard Celine]

4. I'm not surprised.

Most Catholics I have known were rather liberal on social issues. Here in the South, most Protestants are of the evangelical variety, and they tend to be much more conservative than the Catholics.

[Tree-Hugger]

5. I have mentioned this on DU previously...

I grew up Catholic. I went to Catholic grade school starting in 5th grade, Catholic high school, and Ukranian Catholic college. I grew up in a liberal family, but many of the seeds of social justice were sown in my Catholic school days, especially high school. My high school was run by Franciscans and they tend to be a more liberal bunch. There was a very heavy social justice theme in our theology classes. I realize the Church is extremely problematic, but I am grateful for whatever liberal bubble I was in during those school years.

[regnaD kciN]

8. Did your "Catholic upbringing" occur before JPII?

I wouldn’t be surprised, because I attended church at a Dominican Priory in the mid-‘70s, and they were quite progressive and social justice-oriented. It was once John Paul II took over that there was a drastic change, both as he issued encyclicals that took the Church back to the pre-Vatican II days and, possibly more importantly, made a point of appointing hardline conservatives as bishops in any place deemed “too liberal.” What we see now in the U.S. hierarchy, and even at the parish leadership level in many cases, is the result of decades of ultratraditionalist leadership from JPII and Benedict XVI.

[Tree-Hugger]

9. No - I'm just a kid

I was born in the 70's and Catholic school for me was late 80's into the mid 90's (and then college - graduated in the very beginning of 2000's). I don't remember much adieu about JPII at all, especially in high school. It's like this presence was acknowledged, but not overly emphasized. Again, the Franciscans were a different breed. We had a smattering of Jesuits as well, which is Pope Francis' order, I believe. Grade school was run by nuns. Nuns seem to lean more liberal in my experience.

Benedict was awful and backwards. I'm not super devout, but I still attend Church now and then and I *still* have not acclimated to all the changes he made to Mass.

[OrlandoDem2]

6. How about these "pro-life" bishops start denying communion to any politician who stands in the way

of gun safety laws!

God I can’t stand these people!

[Sky Jewels]

10. Fight! Fight!