More evidence that the Catholic Church is falling apart—UPDATED

I’m being ironic.

The fact is: there are abundant signs of life and hope that some people may be missing (or, perhaps, choosing to ignore.) Case in point: the reconciliation business is booming in England and Wales, with more people returning to the faith through the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession.  (I wouldn’t be surprised to discover similar results in this country, but the evidence so far is purely anecdotal.)

Here are some of the results of a phone survey conducted last month: 

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) Telephone Survey Results

Home Mission Desk, CCN, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

22 Catholic cathedrals in England and Wales were telephoned and emailed on Wednesday 21 August.

The respondents were either Cathedral Deans, Priests-in-Residence, or designated staff members.There was a 91% response rate.

• 65% overall report an increase in the number of confessions heard because of a ‘Papal effect’. The reason given was either because of the impact of the Papal Visit, the inauguration of Pope Francis or both.
• 35% reported no increase but said there was no decline using the words ‘steady’ or ‘normal’.
• 15% attributed increases specifically in response to the Papal Visit in September 2010.
• 10% attributed increases specifically in response to the election of Pope Francis.
• 30% attributed the increases to both Popes – in response to the visit of Pope Benedict and the election of Pope Francis.
• 10% weren’t sure why there had been an increase or just didn’t comment on the reason for the increase.

Observations made in relation to the increase in confessions being heard

The quotes inserted under each bullet point below are taken from survey respondents.

• Extra demand for confessions

One respondent shared: “This summer there has been a marked difference in demand compared to last summer. There has been an increase. We don’t usually offer confessions in August but have done this year.”

• Increased interest in the Church

“I’m observing more interest in the Catholic Church. There has been more interest in people wanting to become Catholics being brought by existing Catholics.” And another: “After the Easter Sunday Mass one woman said, ‘I feel proud to be a Catholic again.’”

• Increase of people attending Church

“…especially during Holy Week this year there was increased demand. We had a very good Reconciliation Service in Holy Week where we did observe an extra 25% that came along and a lot of people who came were lapsed. They hadn’t been to confession for a number of years and suddenly they felt the urge to come.”

• Non-churchgoing Catholics (lapsed) returning

“There is definitely an increase in lapsed seeking confession since the election of Pope Francis.” Another said: “I think very often those who have been away from the sacrament for a long time are very often surprised and delighted to find it such a positive and affirming experience. People just recently, who were expecting to struggle, or be met by an indifferent response from the priest, were struck how their experience was completely different. It is one of the many positive signs concerning the sacrament.”

• Popular with young people

“There are people coming back who have not received the sacrament for years. People have been away from confession for a considerable period and we had a lot of younger adults coming.” Another said: “A lot of them are in their twenties and thirties and that was the most noticeable thing.”

• Mass attendance

“Numbers are increasing for Mass, particularly, mid-week Masses are going up as well as Sunday Masses.”

• Papal Effect

“There was a surge after Pope Benedict’s visit and an increase since Pope Francis’ election which has maintained.”

• Westminster Cathedral is an exceptional case

“…due to its position in Central London and it serves a large number of workers and tourists for whom the Cathedral is not their parish. There is always a queue. In a normal week there is always a priest hearing confessions Monday-Friday 11.30-6pm, Saturday 10.30-6.30pm, and Sunday 11-1pm and 4.30-7pm, meaning they offer 45 hours per week. Popular devotions, such as the first Friday, and holy days of obligation see an increase in demand. In Holy Week this year we advertised 45 hours of confessions… which represented 103 priest-hours. This was nowhere near enough to cope with demand.”

Reasons given for the increase in confessions

Some of the bullet points are quotes from respondents.

• The positive impact of Pope Benedict’s Visit to the UK in 2010

• Positive impact of Pope Francis’ election

“Certainly since Pope Francis, people seem more sympathetic (people outside) to the Catholic Faith. Pope Francis seems to be talking their language and there is a good connection there.” Another said: “Positive media reporting about Pope Francis.” A different respondent said: “A lot of people are coming back to his Church because they feel Pope Francis is a hands on kind of man, approachable.” Another: “The Pope preached on it (confession) and inspired people making it more accessible.”

• Positive impact of both Popes

“There has been a Papal bounce!” Another said: “The election of Pope Francis has brought a great sense of hope and enthusiasm. I also think that it has brought great confidence as the Pope engages so easily with people and has made such a huge impact in so short a time. It also reflects on the humility and faith of Pope Emeritus Benedict whose visit to Britain had such a profound effect and was a great success.”

Read more. 

UPDATE: As if the news above weren’t bad enough, my blog neighbor Max Lindenman shares the distressing news that a woman in Turkey now wants to become Catholic, and it’s all Patheos’ fault: 

A friend of mine, having reached me on Skype, aimed her webcam at her own morning’s plunder, which included a Miraculous Medal, a Rosary, and a wooden, dashboard-sized statue of Mary as Queen of Heaven. In terms of quality, it was average, the kind of stuff you settle for when your cat or your kids give you reason to fear you’ll soon have to replace it. But several facts gave it an special dignity and significance:

1) My friend isn’t Catholic

2) She now wants to become Catholic

3) She lives in Istanbul

4) She learned the practicalities of Church life largely through reading Patheos

My friend, whom I shall call Pertev, is 34, divorced, and employed as a translator. Along with her native Turkish, she’s fluent in English, German, and Spanish. The fact that we know each other at all is one of those miracles of the new media. Last summer, Pertev began surfing Patheos. She was in a spiritual-seeking mood. Over the past ten years, since renouncing Islam, she’d explored several varieties of neo-paganism, but had found none satisfying. She’d also studied both Old and New Testaments. After friending me on Facebook, she’d quizzed me from time to time on various features of Catholicism. I answered with all the detail and objectivity I could muster, but felt shy about evangelizing outright — going for the hard close would have taken me back to my days in mortgages.

Turns out I needn’t have bothered. One day, Pertev said, some impulse impelled her to attend a Catholic Mass, and to enter the parish’s pre-cat program.

Read it all.  Clearly, with things like this happening, the Church is doomed.