Washington D.C., Apr 17, 2008 / 04:41 am
A new poll reports that more than eight out of ten adult Catholics in the United States are satisfied with the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI. Of these same Catholics, the poll reports, about 23 percent attend Mass weekly, while the oldest observant Catholics share with the youngest observant adults a high level of devotion to their faith.
The poll results were reported by the Georgetown-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) in a report titled “Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice among U.S. Catholics.” The report was authorized by the Communications Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In February, 2008 researchers polled 1,007 self-identified adult Catholics, comparing responses from those born between 1943 and 1960, called “pre-Vatican II,” those born between 1961 and 1981, called “post-Vatican II,” and so-called “Millennials” born after 1981.
The poll finds that those Millennial Catholics who attend Mass at least monthly have similar levels of religious practice as those categorized as pre-Vatican II. However, only 36 percent of Millennials, approximately 2.7 million individuals, attend Mass at least monthly, compared to 64 percent of pre-Vatican II Catholics.