Note the underlying assumption here: it is the Church’s duty to change, not the fallen-away Catholic’s. Not once in the report are the (wrong) views of the participants ever questioned; in fact, this would be anathema to this project’s leaders. We are called to “appreciate” their “experiences” and their “reasons” for leaving; to question them is not acceptable. In other words, Church leaders are asking people who do not have the grace of the Sacraments how the Church can cater to their whims.
Another false presupposition of the survey—and a presupposition that is widely prevalent among Catholic leaders today—is that Catholics who don’t attend Mass still possess the Catholic Faith; that their faith has not changed in spite of the fact that they no longer participate in the Sacraments.
Read Full Article »