To many Catholics, this meeting came as a surprise.

Traditionally, the themes of detachment, sacrifice, humility and repentance appear far more frequently in religious writing and preaching than the spiritual benefits of a good laugh.

But as a specialist in medieval Christian history, I am aware that, since antiquity, many theologians, preachers, monastics and other Christians have embraced the role of humour as a valuable part of Christian spirituality.

Some have even become popularly known as the patron saints of comedians or laughter.

Comedy is natural

Many Catholic saints have considered laughter to be an integral part of nature itself.

For example, the 12th-century German nun St. Hildegard of Bingen, a mystic poet and musician, wrote in a poem on the power of God:

I am the rain coming from the dew
That causes the grasses to laugh with the joy of life.

In the 13th century, St. Francis of Assisi called himself the "Jongleur de Dieu" - troubadour or jester of God - because of his ministry.

He probably used a French reference because his mother came from France and spoke French at home.

Francis and his followers wandered from town to town, singing God's praises and preaching joyfully in the streets.

People laughed when he preached to birds in trees, and he once had to politely ask a large flock to stop chirping first.

The 16th-century nun and mystic St. Teresa of Avila wrote in a poem, alluding to the voice of Jesus Christ as love:

Love once said to me,
‘I know a song, would you like to hear it?'
And laughter came from every brick in the street
And from every pore in the sky.

Humour and play are an important part of human nature. They provide opportunities for relaxation and relief and offer a way to cope with the challenges of human life.

In the 13th century, Dominican scholastic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas composed a lengthy summary of theology that became one of the most important resources in the Catholic tradition: the Summa Theologica.

In it, he argued that humor and other kinds of joyful recreation offer the mind and soul the same kind of rest that the body needs.

Aquinas cautioned, however, that these kinds of words or activities must not become hurtful or indecent.

Comedy can heal

The shared experience of laughing can break down barriers across cultures and bring people together.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits in the 16th century, is said to have danced a jig to raise the spirits of a despondent man on retreat; he also praised a Jesuit novice for his healthy laughter.

In the same century, St. Philip Neri, who has been called the patron saint of humor and joy, was reputed to be a mystic and visionary.

To put others at ease, he engaged in pranks and jokes, once attending a gathering with half of his beard shaved off.

Some famous Catholic saints even faced death with a smile, such as the second-century deacon St. Lawrence, one of the patron saints of comedians.

The legend goes that as he was executed by being roasted alive on a gridiron over a hot fire, he joked with his executioners, saying, "Turn me over … I'm done on this side!"

This legend has carried over into the official story of his life.

The Carmelite nun St. Therese of Lisieux also lived a life marked by humour in the 19th century.

Even as she lay dying from tuberculosis at the age of 24, she is said to have joked with the other nuns and her doctor.

Supposedly, when a priest was called to give her the last rites, he refused because she looked too healthy. She replied that she would try to look sicker the next time he was called.

Popes and humor

Francis is far from the only pope to stress the value of humor in Catholic and Christian life.

Pope St. John XXIII, who in 1961 summoned the Second Vatican Council, calling all Catholic bishops worldwide to a series of formal meetings at the Vatican to update Catholicism, was known for his humour.

Famously, when asked once how many people worked at the Vatican, he replied, "About half of them."

The next pope, St. Paul VI - elected in 1963 - was an accomplished administrator known for his wit.

One of his papal documents was on the importance of "Christian joy."

Now on the path to sainthood as "blessed," John Paul I, who reigned for only a month in 1978, was known as "the smiling pope" because of his cheerfulness.

Pope St. John Paul II, the first non-Italian elected pope in almost 500 years, was only 58 years old when elected in 1978, and he was well-known for his sense of humour.

The German cardinal who succeeded him in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI, also valued the role of humour in a balanced Christian life: "Humour is in fact essential in the mirth of creation."

And before this 2024 audience with comedians, Francis discussed the topic of humor more fully in his 2018 apostolic exhortation.

In this important document, addressed to the whole Catholic Church, the Pope stated that holiness is within the reach of every believer and is achieved through a joyful life.

Humour has a section of its own within the exhortation.

In the audience with comedians on June 14, Francis, who took the name in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, the troubadour of God, has very publicly affirmed that for Catholics, humour is an important part of a faithful life.

The meeting even concluded with one of the pope's favorite prayers, for good humour, attributed to St. Thomas More, the chancellor of England under King Henry VIII - fitting, given More's legendary sense of humour.

Executed for treason in 1535, More is said to have asked the constable of the Tower of London to help him up the steps of the scaffold, with one of his last jokes: "For my coming down, I can shift for myself."

The prayer asks God for, among other things, "a good sense of humour … to share with others."

• First published in The Conversation
• Joanne M. Pierce is a Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts.

The 2021 social profile of the Catholic community in Australia, prepared by the National Centre for Pastoral Research from census data released last year, gives a bird's eye view of Australia's Catholic population.

It also charts how much has changed in the last quarter century. In 1996, Australia's 4.8 million Catholics were 27 per cent of our total population.

In 2011 our population peaked at 5.4 million, before falling to 5.07 million in 2021—only 20 per cent of the country.

The median age has also risen significantly in the same time period, from 33 to 43 years, and the Catholic population is now slightly more female than male, at 53 per cent.

The days of large Catholic families are also behind us, with around 2 per cent of married couples having four or more children, and only 10 per cent with three or more.

The number of people never married has remained stable for the last 25 years, at around 33 per cent, as has the number of single parent families, at around 11 per cent.

But the divorce and separation rate among Catholics has risen from 8.9 percent to 11.7 percent in 2021, ironically higher than the national average of 10.6 per cent.

The number of de facto couples in which at least one person identifies as Catholic has risen from 10.1 to 17.7 per cent since 1996, as has the percentage of couples of mixed religion, from 53 to 58 per cent.

Australia's Catholic population has become much more diverse, with a fifth of all Catholics in Australia born in a non-English-speaking country.

The top five overseas birthplaces for Catholics were the Philippines, Italy, the UK, India and NZ; recent arrivals were most likely to come from Colombia, Iraq, the Philippines, Brazil and Argentina.

One in five Catholics spoke a language other than English at home, and three per cent aren't proficient in English at all.

We are receiving more education than ever before, with the percentage of Catholics with a university education rising from 9.7 to 24.6 per cent in the last 25 years.

Our educational profile is reflected in the prevalence of women in "white collar" management or professional jobs (39 vs 35 per cent of men), while men still fill the bulk of "blue collar" trades jobs (45 vs 12 per cent).

Nearly 21 per cent of all Australian school students attend Catholic schools. Catholic students make up 63 per cent of Catholic primary, and 58.7 per cent of secondary students.

"Knowing the people who make up the Catholic population helps dioceses, parishes and other Catholic ministries better understand and serve their communities," said Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB.

"The statistics in this report confirm what we are seeing in our parish communities - that they are becoming more and more culturally and linguistically diverse.

The census statistics, from which the report was compiled, only measure religious identification and not practice or belief.

In 2021 the Catholic Church was the single largest religious affiliation in Australia, at 20 per cent.

Christianity as a whole fell below 50 per cent for the first time at the 2021 census, and "no religion" rose to a new peak of 38.9 per cent.

• Adam Wesselinoff is Deputy Editor of the Catholic Weekly.
• First published in The Catholic Weekly. Republished with permission.

The emphasis is, at once, on a list of ideas about the universe, human life, purpose and what, if anything, is beyond the universe.

Once I have such a list, I can then tick the ones I also accept and a cross off those I consider weird, wrong or simply crazy.

Interestingly, this is the same way we approach various philosophies, political systems or any number of off-the-shelf spirituality books.

The world is a marketplace of various beliefs and you can either buy the "whole package" (a whole religion with every one of its beliefs — if you can list them all); the "lite version" (what you take as the key items you can believe and then skip the bits that look silly or awkward or just too complicated); or you can have the "pick & choose" selection that you make to order.

Ticking all the boxes

Few ever question the idea that, for example, if you wish to be a Catholic, then it's key that you sign-up to "all the Catholic beliefs".

Moreover, people sometimes say "I am no longer a Catholic" or "I could not be a Catholic" because "I no longer" or "cannot believe X, Y. or Z.

This focus on beliefs - statements that demand acceptance - is not only reinforced by our culture of ideologies, but by a long history of the western Churches fighting over which is the exact beliefs and statements of beliefs that are declared orthodox.

All this fighting, and this emphasis on having the right set of beliefs, makes it even harder to distinguish between a religion and a philosophy, or between a religion and a political party.

Indeed, for many Christians today the notion of a "party line" is almost identical with "orthodoxy" and with belonging to a religion.

A good example of this would be some Catholics, including some bishops, in the United States.

This confusion is demonstrated in these Catholics and bishops conduct debates or discussions with their fellow Christians - their brothers and sisters in Christ - with the same venom, bitterness and suspicion that they conduct their party politics.

While I might condemn such animosity-driven politics that damages the public forum and the common good, I am scandalized when I find the same style being used in the name of Christianity or Catholicism.

It is another instance of what I call "the Sin of Cain": sibling rising against sibling, made worse because it is done in the name of the God who is Father of each of us.

But is there any other way to view a religion?

Where do I belong?

Religion is also a means of belonging.

It gives me a home with others so that I can share a vision, help and be helped, and affirm with others all that is part and parcel of my humanity.

I need, we all need, to belong more than we need a box of doctrines or set of beliefs.

If I do not belong, my humanity is enfeebled.

I need to exercise care for others and I need the care of others.

Cut off, I wither.

While we might find Robinson Crusoe a good read, and there is a streak of devil-take-the-hindmost individualism in our culture, it is actually a vision of horror.

We really are social animals!

During these COVID-19 lockdowns, we have started to discover this as a reality in a way that we could not have imagined a year ago.

On the one hand, people's mental health is suffering when they are cut off from others. They know just how much they need to be with others and with Zoom, Skype and Facetime as poor substitutes, people need to know that they are not forgotten.

We need to belong!

The full verse reads: "See what love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God; and so we are".

On the other hand, we have discovered the joy and energy that comes from looking out for others.

Knowing that, somehow, we all belong to one another, we are, each of us, the keeper of our sisters and brothers.

We want to be able to know that there is an "us" and that we are working together. And - working with people we might never have met before COVID-19 - that belonging to the human family is more important than divisions caused by lists of beliefs that can set us at loggerheads.

Perhaps we need now to think of religion as belonging before we think of it as believing?

Frightening consequences of truly belonging

This is, of course, a frightening prospect for many people.

They love the idea that, for example, the Catholic Church is a monolith. Unflinching it stands there - and there are clear lines indicating who is "in" and who is "out".

This attracts many who see themselves as the great champions of faith and it appeals to those who want the Catholic Church as their enemy - and an enemy that is monolith is an easy target. Both sides see a very close link between religion and social control and cohesion.

However, the Church is first and foremost a place of belonging: we are welcomed into the Church at baptism. We become a brother or a sister of both the Christ and of one another - look at how we address one another at our formal gatherings - and we become daughters and sons of the Father in heaven - look at how we pray: "Our Father..."

It is as this community, this Church, that we profess our faith: it is our common vision, hope, and commitment.

It is not a series of questions on a form such as we might get at a customs barrier where you are excluded if you do not tick the right boxes.

Once one begins to think of the Church as a place of belonging, then the fireworks begin.

It must be a community of welcoming and acceptance that works together.

It must be a community that puts forgiveness and reconciliation close to its centre.

So a sacrament of reconciliation makes sense, but not if reconciliation and healing are seen as "payback time" or a moral rectitude test. Such a community must have healing at its centre, but not if that is seen as a re-modelling to a standard issue.

And we must work together because belonging must be an awareness of all our human bonds and belongings.

Consequently...

• Will this be a "home" where every race will be made to feel valued? Will Black Lives Matter in this place - along with people of every other colour? We might glibly say "yes" but we are less than 200 years since we Catholics defended slavery as acceptable within the divine plan!
• Will this be a place where we accept people as they are? "Yes" comes the resounding answer. But will the gay couple see their love as valued in this community as that of the straight couple?
• What about the couple; each divorced from their former partner and is willing to join up with us so that we have a common pilgrimage of faith?
• Will they have a place at our table where they can share the loaf and cup of the Lord with us as siblings? We all know too many clergy and groups who have used the Lord's Supper as if it were a reward for rule-keeping rather than food to help us travel on together.
• And, will we work together for humanity and the health of the planet? Again, "it goes without saying" is our response! But what about our being willing to change lifestyles and helping one another in putting pressure on governments for this?

The people of the covenant

Belonging sounds so sweet: it rapidly becomes the challenge to faith that is far more demanding than any ticking of credal boxes.

Faith can sound so much like an ideology that we can pervert to communities that make suffering humanity welcome into stifling agenda-driven parties.

Our history - back to the time of Abraham - is not that of God revealing secrets to us but of his making a covenant with us.

Jesus is not a guru. He never wrote a book to convey his ideas. Nor did he have a party-line.

Jesus is the one whom we look back to as making us a new people: children of the Father.

So in Christianity, as in Judaism, belonging is what is fundamental.

• Thomas O'Loughlin is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, emeritus professor of historical theology at the University of Nottingham (UK) and director of the Centre of Applied Theology, UK.
• His latest award-winning book is Eating Together, Becoming One: Taking Up Pope Francis's Call to Theologians (Liturgical Press, 2019).
• Image: Flashes of Insight

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was speaking at a Mass Oct. 20 commemorating the canonization of John Henry Newman, the founder of what is now University College Dublin.

"Faith is always a seeking and Newman reminds us that that seeking continues, lifelong, in our own hearts and in our desire to understand the human project," the archbishop said.

"Obstacles to faith arise when we somehow begin to feel that we definitively have all the answers and others are to be judged as outsiders, or on the other hand, when we fall into the temptation to indifference, not even asking the questions." Read more

The Green Affordable Housing Project is uniting Catholics and Buddhists in three US cities to provide a home for poor and homeless people. Read more

The bishops surveyed around 3,000 young Catholic Britons ahead of next October's synod of bishops, whose theme is "Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment".

Describing the two main groups, the report said the first is "a small but vocal group who want to draw the Church back into an era which they have been told was far better than it is today".

The other group, which the report describes as "much larger, though less evident", adheres to the "predominant narratives in society, wanting the Church to follow suit".

"The first group asks for clarity, the second for authenticity," the report claims.

"If we're brave enough not to dismiss either of them, it's possible to hear their yearning for a compelling narrative of how to live as Christians both faithfully and authentically."

The report also says that while the percentage of young Catholics is declining, a young person who identifies as a member of the Church is more likely to practice their faith than older generations.

Young people of all faiths and none were invited to take part in the survey, although the majority of the respondents described themselves as Catholic.

Bishops' conferences around the world are sending out similar surveys ahead of next year's synod.

Similar surveys, handed out before the synod on the family in 2014 and 2015, were criticised for being too complex and taking too long to fill out.

The Youth survey, by contrast, could be completed in less than half an hour.

The synod on the family was marked by sometimes acrimonious debates over the Church's teaching on divorce and the sacraments.

Sources

• The Catholic Herald
• Image: CTV News

They called the event "(Re)Thinking Europe." Pope Francis was one of the many speakers. A theme emerged from what they had to say: Religion is still essential to Europe. Read more

"Five hundred years ago, Europe was a tinder box, it was ready to go aflame," said Martin Marty of the University of Chicago, himself a Lutheran and one of America's preeminent scholars of religion, in a recent Crux interview.

"Luther, an Augustinian friar, left his monastery and either posted by mail to the Archbishop of Mainz, or posted to the door of the church in Wittenberg in Saxony in southern Germany, 95 theses that he wanted to debate," Marty said.

"He hit exactly the points that were at issue in the hearts of so many people.

"They were all Catholics," Marty said, "and it struck their hearts, because they were struggling with the same things he was."

What that means, Marty suggested, is that despite centuries of bitter ecclesiastic rivalries, Protestants and Catholics have a common heritage, which he said has flowered in the modern ecumenical movement.

"I remember going once to a meeting of the World Council of Churches, where the topic was the nature of the unity we seek," Marty said.

"The bureaucratic typist from Geneva who sent the draft to us in the press room had said that the goal of Christian unity is that all in each place come to a ‘full committee fellowship!'"

Marty said of course, the word was supposed to be, come to a ‘fully committed fellowship' - "Today's Catholic and Lutheran leadership are both committed to finding new ways to move toward that fully committed fellowship." Continue reading

Sources

• Crux article by John L. Allen Jr., editor of Crux.
• Image: MysteryOfFaith blog

It was hard not to think about potlucks with slow cookers full of unrecognizable cuisine, or coffee and donut functions where one lucky greeter uncomfortably stands at the entrance of the parish hall while the attendees dine and dash. Or when a really progressive church asks the congregation to greet one another before Mass (gasp!) and people awkwardly start digging through their purses or suddenly find themselves absorbed in the missalette.

Without a doubt, a common theme among fallen-away Catholics who are now happily nestled in bustling Protestant communities is that they felt unwelcome at their parish because there was a lack of fellowship. So what is fellowship and why are we, as Catholics, so notoriously bad at it?

Fellowship, by its very definition, is merely a friendly association and the gathering of like-minded people. How is that so difficult? Yet the very concept brings disdain from some Catholics. In a group chat discussing this issue there was a common theme: We don't need fellowship; we go to Mass for the Eucharist. One commenter even said, "The difference is that Protestants need people; we don't need people, we have Jesus."

Really? Catholics don't need people? Yes, we do have Jesus in the Eucharist but it's a fallacy to espouse a spirituality without community. We are the Church, and that in its very essence means we are a people. The concept of fellowship is essential to our journey as Christians; Jesus Christ himself taught us this. Continue reading

• Maria Garabis Davis holds a Juris Doctor degree and a BA in theology. A former youth minister and now practicing attorney, she resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and four children.

The bishops advised Catholics to be more active in the upcoming elections for constituency Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) and regional MSP.

"Catholics in Scotland should not simply be passive spectators but should be active participants," the bishops said in a letter that will be read in churches on Sunday.

Catholics of the 500 Scottish parishes told to "scrutinize the candidates so as to vote for the person most compatible with your views."

The bishops said Catholics should also "seek to influence political parties by making your views known to them."

The letter warns that by not voting in the election, the future of Scotland would be left in the hands of others.

Sources

Independent Catholic News
Catholic Herald
Scottish Catholic Observer
Image: Catholic Herald

In the Vatican, Pope Francis will hear confessions from the faithful at St. Peter's Basilica as part of a "24 Hours of Reconciliation" initiative in Italy.

In England and Wales, teams of Catholic priests will be available in cathedrals and in some local churches to hear confessions.

"[Confession] is an amazing gift of God, a channel of Grace and mercy, through which we are made whole again, reconciled with God and with others," said Bishop Mark O'Toole of Plymouth.

"This weekend, there is no reason to be afraid. Come. God loves you unconditionally and the priest is there simply to be a channel of Jesus's mercy," added the bishop.

Pope Francis has led several penitential celebrations during his pontificate. During one of them, celebrated on March 28, 2014, he personally went to confession.

"By calling for an attentive listening to the word of God and encouraging the initiative '24 Hours for the Lord,' I sought to stress the primacy of prayerful listening to God's word, especially his prophetic word," Pope Francis said in his message for this year's observance of Lent.

"The mercy of God is a proclamation made to the world, a proclamation which each Christian is called to experience at first hand," he said.

Last month, Pope Francis sent out more than 1,000 'missionaries of mercy' to forgive sins all over the world, including transgressions such as abortion, which is usually reserved for high-ranking officials to absolve.

Sources

Catholic Herald
Catholic News Agency
Christian Today
Image: CNS/Catholic Herald

Then dictator Kim Il-sung purged and executed leading church figures after the communists took power in the north in 1948, severing ties with the Vatican.

Contact between North Korean Catholics and the outside world remains rare.

Following one such meeting last week, a delegation of a dozen Western and South Korean Christians to North Korea confirmed the church remains minuscule.

Nonetheless, a few hundred Catholics can worship within the narrow confines imposed by the regime, Peter Prove, director of international affairs at the World Council of Churches, told ucanews.com after flying out of Pyongyang.

"It operates under very different conditions from that which we on the outside might consider ideal. But it is a genuine witnessing community," he said.

The delegation spent a week inside the country on behalf of the Ecumenical Forum for Korea, a group that has built ties with the north and south in the name of peace on the divided peninsula.

Two leading officials of the regime-run Korean Catholic Association told the group during a one-hour meeting in Pyongyang that North Korea had not had an ordained priest for about seven years.

Pyongyang's Changchung Cathedral, the only bricks-and-mortar Catholic church known to exist in the country, has been run by laymen in recent years, officials told the delegation.

Catholic priests from South Korea have traveled to Pyongyang to hold Mass in the cathedral.

"But in the context of recent tensions, it's been very difficult — in fact impossible — to receive such visits," Prove said he was told.

North and South Korea held marathon talks in the demilitarized zone to defuse military tensions in August. Since then, a new period of rapprochement has seen separated families visit across the demilitarized zone for the first time in years.

Officials told last week's Christian delegation that about 200 North Koreans worship in Changchung Cathedral every Sunday. Continue reading

Sources

• Ucanews.com, from a feature article by an unnamed "ucanews.com reporter"
• Image: ucanews.com

Elder M. Russell Ballard made this remark at a gathering in Argentina last year, but it has only recently come to light in media.

The comment has raised hackles both within and outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Near the end of an hour long address, Elder Ballard said: "Most people don't know where they came from. They don't know why they're here, and they don't know where they're going."

"And if they have a Catholic background, they don't know who God is. They don't know who the Saviour is; nor do they know who the Holy Ghost is."

Continue reading

Pope Francis is expected to be greeted with huge crowds and across-the-board reverence when he tours Washington, New York and Philadelphia during his first visit as pontiff to the United States.

The rapture, however, will not change the awkward - and largely forgotten fact - that for centuries the US discriminated against Catholics.

The land of immigrants enshrined freedom of religion in the constitution yet spent much of its history despising, harassing and marginalising Catholics.

From the first Puritan settlers to televangelists, leading political, business and religious figures lambasted followers of Rome as theological abominations and traitorous fifth columnists.

"When you look back at the true, hidden history of the United States this strand of anti-Catholicism is very powerful," said Kenneth Davis, a prominent historian and commentator.

"We want to show this patriotic view that we were this melting pot of religious freedom. Nonsense. People wanted their own religious freedom, not freedom for others. There was a very, very deep hatred of Catholics."

Discrimination dwindled in the 20th century, especially after John F Kennedy became the first Catholic president, bequeathing a sort of amnesia, said Davis.

"It's really astonishing how it has been swept under the rug. It's as if with JFK all the past is forgiven."

That history will seem distant indeed if, as expected, progressives and conservatives seek to co-opt the Pope, the former cheering his denunciations of poverty, inequality and climate change, the latter his espousal of family values.

The political establishment no longer frets about the religion. Joe Biden, the vice-president, is Catholic, as are three Republican presidential candidates: Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal. Continue reading

Sources

• The Guardian
• Image: Smithsonian.com

But according to a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Catholics and others, an additional one-in-ten American adults (9%) consider themselves Catholic or partially Catholic in other ways, even though they do not self-identify as Catholic on the basis of religion.

Who are these "cultural Catholics"?

Often, they think of themselves as Catholic in one way or another even though many belong to another faith tradition (such as Protestantism). Others are religiously unaffiliated, identifying as atheist, agnostic or simply "nothing in particular."

Most of these cultural Catholics (62%) say that for them personally, being Catholic is mainly a matter of ancestry and/or culture (rather than religion).

But majorities also point to religious beliefs and teachings as key parts of their Catholic identity. For example, 60% of cultural Catholics say that having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is essential to what being Catholic means to them. Likewise, 57% say the same about believing in Jesus' resurrection.

A similar share (59%) say that working to help the poor and needy is essential to their Catholicism.

Sizable minorities of cultural Catholics also participate in some of the church's rituals.

For instance, about a third of cultural Catholics (32%) say they attend Mass at least once a year, and roughly a quarter (26%) say they receive Holy Communion at least sometimes when they attend Mass.

A third (33%) say they gave something up or did something extra for Lent this year, and about four-in-ten (41%) say it would be important to them to receive the sacrament of the anointing of the sick (sometimes part of "last rites") if they were seriously ill.

Roughly two-thirds of cultural Catholics (65%) were raised Catholic or had at least one Catholic parent.

And about six-in-ten (62%) of these cultural Catholics who have immediate family connections to Catholicism say that this family background is the reason for their link to the Catholic faith. Continue reading

Sources

• Pew Research Center, from an article by David Masci, a senior writer/editor at Pew Research Center, where he is the in-house expert on church-state issues, culture war issues, and religion and science.
• Image: The Atlantic

And not all bode well for the church's future as it faces major demographic and social shifts.

"Global Catholicism: Trends & Forecasts," released Monday (June 1) by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, looks at seven regions of the world.

It wraps the United States, Mexico and Canada in with Central and South America as simply the Americas.

The focus is on "the three most important indicators of ‘vitality' for the Catholic Church … the number of Catholics, the number of parishes, and the number of priests."

Among the key findings:

The global Catholic population has grown by 57 percent since 1980.

It's up from 7.83 million in 1980 to 1.2 billion. However, this growth varies steeply by region.

Europeans are rapidly shedding the continent's historic Catholic identity while the Global South, particularly Africa and Asia, booms with Catholics.

Europe saw only a 6 percent increase — from 271 million to more than 289 million. Meanwhile, the number of Catholics in Africa was up 238 percent, from 58.6 million in 1980 to 198 million in 2012.

But that growth is primarily due to a higher birth rate, "not to conversion or evangelization," observed the Rev. Thomas Reese, a social scientist and columnist for the National Catholic Reporter who has seen the report.

When that birth rate levels off with economic development, Reese wondered, then what? "Some like to say the Global South is the future of the church but I'm not convinced," said Reese.

More people than ever before are receiving the core sacraments of Catholicism including baptism, First Communion, confirmation, and marriage in the church.

But the growth in absolute numbers disguises more telling numbers. Continue reading

Sources

• Huffington Post
• Image: The Nation

Writing in The Times, Professor Sir Tom Devine of Edinburgh University noted that, historically, Catholics in Scotland have not favoured devolution.

This was because they were sceptical about the Presbyterian majority using devolution to gain greater influence.

This scepticism has, however, been declining since the 1980s.

Polls now suggest that the 30 per cent of Catholics support independence, compared with 26 per cent of those with no religion, and 17 per cent in the Church of Scotland.

The professor argued that with the decline of sectarianism and equalising educational and social opportunities, Scottish Catholics are more at peace with their national identity.

Add to this the fact that the Scottish National Party has developed relationships with Catholic Church leaders, while "Scotland's Catholics were taken for granted by Labour for a generation".

The referendum is on September 18.

Continue reading

South African Cardinal Wilfred Napier presided over a Requiem Mass at Emmanuel Cathedral in his archdiocese of Durban on Saturday night, which was followed by an ecumenical service and an all-night prayer vigil; and hundreds more gathered to remember Mandela at Masses in South Africa's largest Catholic church, Regina Mundi church in Soweto, on Sunday.

At a service at St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, the former seat of fellow anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop-emeritus of South Africa Desmond Tutu, the Anglican dean Michael Weeder told a packed congregation that Mandela's life "was an exposition of the African spirit of generosity. And as he dies, he lives again and again. He is resurrected in every act of kindness."

The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, who has proved unable, or some say unwilling, to deal with the country's increasing violence, corruption and inequality, delivered a eulogy for Mandela at a Methodist service in the northern Johannesburg suburb of Bryanston, which was attended by Mandela's former wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

"He believed in forgiveness and he forgave even those who kept him in jail for 27 years. He stood for freedom. He fought against those who oppressed others. He wanted everyone to be free," said Mr Zuma.

Catholic leaders across the world responded to the news of Mandela's death.

China Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma, who has been incarcerated in Shanghai diocese's Sheshan seminary since his episcopal ordination on 7 July, 2012, paid carefully worded tributes to the former South African leader on his online blog.

Bishop Ma quoted three sayings of Mandela's, including a quotation from his book Long Walk to Freedom, saying: "Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me … Faith sometimes undergoes painful tests, but I will not give in to pessimism," and "Both the oppressors and the oppressed need liberation. The ones who take away others' freedom are prisoners of hatred. They are locked behind bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told the BBC's Newsnight programme on Thursday that Mandela's example "challenges us all" and had provided a non-violent basis on which South Africa's political future could be constructed.

"The pattern that South Africa has established - and I know very well the present head of the Anglican Church in South Africa, and you see it in him - is of enormous inclusion; a willingness to accept a prejudice towards welcome and hospitality, rather than shutting out and enmity," he said.

In a telegram on Friday Pope Francis urged President Zuma to keep Mandela's commitment to non-violence and reconciliation at the heart of the country's politics.

At the news of Mandela's death Chris Bain, director of the bishops' aid agency Cafod, urged Catholics to "build the world he wanted to see".

He said: "Today, we have lost a brother, a leader, and a legend. But more than ever now, we must dedicate ourselves in Nelson Mandela's memory to the fight for freedom, peace and justice.

"The greatest honour we can pay him - the legacy that he warrants - is that we build the world he wanted to see: a world free from any form of division, whether between black or white, rich or poor, man or woman."

Church leaders in the United States offered prayers for Mandela, remembering both his courageous anti-apartheid leadership and his promotion of one of the world's most liberal abortion laws.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York, called Mandela "a hero to the world."

"His bravery in defending human rights against the great evil of apartheid made him a symbol of courage and dignity, as well as an inspiration to people everywhere."

Carolyn Woo, president of Catholic Relief Services, said the U.S.-based international relief agency mourns Mandela's passing, calling him "a champion in the struggle for justice and equality for all."

"His life inspires all of us to re-dedicate ourselves to helping the oppressed find their voice and their way to lives of meaning and dignity. His personal example of forgiveness and non-violence will challenge us to work for peace and reconciliation even in the midst of deep conflict."

Sources

The Tablet
Catholic News Agency
Catholic Herald
Image: Chip Somodevilla/news.com.au

"Many of our people do not even know the fundamentals of our faith," Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan said in a pastoral letter on the Year of the Laity released yesterday.

"It is certainly shameful proof of our failure to evangelize our country that our churches are filled with people, our religious festivities are fervent, our Catholic schools are many, but our country is mired in poverty and corruption," he said.

"Many, perhaps the majority of corrupt people in politics and in business, are graduates of our own Catholic schools and are 'practicing' Catholics," Villegas said, adding that most of those who cheat in elections and those who sell their votes are baptized Catholics.

"This is also true of the bribe takers in public offices and the looters of our public coffers," he said.

Villegas, who took over as head of the bishops' conference on Saturday, also said Catholics have become "very vulnerable to the seductions of other religious groups who find [Filipinos] easy targets."

Recent political developments in the country have highlighted corruption that is connected with "blatant misuse of political patronage," he noted.

"It is now clear that our people are poor because our leaders have kept them poor by their greed for money and power," he said, pointing to several senators and congressmen implicated in a 10-billion peso (US$228.8 million) pork barrel fund scam.

The pork barrel is a lump sum given through the national budget to legislators supposedly to finance priority development programs and projects.

Bishops have repeatedly argued that politics as it is practiced in the Philippines is the single biggest obstacle to development of the country.

"What are you doing, our dear lay faithful to rid our country of graft and corruption? Do you perhaps participate in corrupt practices by selling your votes, by buying votes, by bribery and acceptance of kickbacks?" Villegas asked.

Villegas urged the faithful to "take courage" and stand up for their faith. "Speak for Jesus and His Church in public discussions. Do not be afraid to be identified as Catholic Christians," he said.

Church leaders in the Philippines are conducting a nine-year intensive evangelization campaign in the run-up to the 500th anniversary celebrations in 2021 marking the arrival of Christianity in the country.

Source

UCA News
Image: UCA News

She is a regular attender of Mass, a longtime stalwart in her church's anti-abortion movement and a believer that all the church's doctrines are true and beautiful and should be obeyed. She loved the last two popes, and keeps a scrapbook with memorabilia from her road trip to Denver in 1993 to see Pope John Paul II at World Youth Day.

But Ms. Kurt recently took the Pope Francis prayer card down and threw it away.

"It seems he's focusing on bringing back the left that's fallen away, but what about the conservatives?" said Ms. Kurt, a hospice community educator. "Even when it was discouraging working in pro-life, you always felt like Mother Teresa was on your side and the popes were encouraging you. Now I feel kind of thrown under the bus."

In the eight months since he became pope, Francis has won affection worldwide for his humble mien and common touch. His approval numbers are skyrocketing. Even atheists are applauding.

But not everyone is so enchanted. Some Catholics in the church's conservative wing in the United States say Francis has left them feeling abandoned and deeply unsettled. Continue reading.

Source: The New York Times

Image: Alexandra P. Shattuck, right, the director of a Catholic-run pregnancy clinic in Hapeville, Ga., with Sequoia Tonge and her 2-month-old. Ms. Shattuck said the pope's recent comments on abortion had been taken out of context. Kendrick Brinson for The New York Times