Philadelphia, Pa., Aug 30, 2015 / 05:08 am
What do practicing Catholics believe? A new U.S. survey has answered this question by breaking down the similarities and differences these Catholics have with non-practicing Catholics and with Americans as a whole.
"It should come as no surprise that Catholics who regularly attend Mass support the Church's position in the greatest numbers," Supreme Knight Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus said Aug. 26. "But to measure accurately what Catholics really believe, this survey highlights the importance of looking at the level of Catholic practice in this country when discussing Catholics' opinions on issues."
Pope Francis is popular with the American public ahead of his September visit. About 60 percent of Americans approve of Pope Francis, as do 70 percent of Catholics and 83 percent of practicing Catholics, the Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll said.
About 90 percent or more of practicing Catholics said it is important to pray daily, to follow the teachings of the Church, to receive the sacraments, and to attend Mass regularly.
By comparison, only 42 percent of non-practicing Catholics said regular Mass attendance is important, while 61 percent said receiving the sacraments is important. About 79 percent of non-practicing Catholics said daily prayer is important, while only 70 percent said the same of following Church teaching.
Over 90 percent of Catholics saw practicing charity as important, regardless of whether they practiced the faith.
But respondents' stated religious practice showed differences in Catholics' views of other aspects of faith and morals.
About 65 percent of practicing Catholics said the Eucharist is "the true presence of Jesus Christ," but a similar number of non-practicing Catholics said it is "a symbol."
Another 72 percent of practicing Catholics said it is important to go to Confession at least once a year, compared to about 40 percent of non-practicing Catholics. About 83 percent of practicing Catholics said it is important to belong to a parish, compared to 48 percent of non-practicing Catholics.
Around 81 percent of practicing Catholics said abortion is morally wrong, compared to 60 percent of Americans and 51 percent of non-practicing Catholics. Asked about substantial restrictions on abortion, 91 percent of practicing Catholics supported restrictions while 84 percent of Americans as a whole did.
About 54 percent of practicing Catholics and 49 percent of all Americans said that same-sex marriage is morally wrong. However, only 27 percent of non-practicing Catholics said the same.
On religious freedom, 73 percent of practicing Catholics supported religious liberty protections even when these conflict with laws. About 67 percent of Americans overall agreed, as did 60 percent of non-practicing Catholics.
The survey of 1,027 U.S. adults and 222 U.S. Catholics was taken Aug. 4-17. It claims a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points for the overall result and 6.6 percentage points for the Catholic results, specifically.
The results also draw on an April 2015 survey of 3,002 U.S. adults and 702 U.S. Catholics.
The Knights of Columbus are a Catholic fraternal organization with almost 1.9 million members worldwide.
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