What happened when a priest invited 500 young people in his parish to talk about the church?

Read on, via National Catholic Reporter: 

Less than 10 percent of the 500 invited showed up.

The low attendance was discouraging. It told me that the church is irrelevant to their lives. They do not even care enough about church to come and tell us why they don’t want to come. For them, the church is a dead letter, not good news.

Of the roughly 40 young adults who did attend, about half were still going to church most Sundays. These were not the truly alienated. A few even sing in the choir.

We recorded the session. After a brief opening prayer, I just sat in silence and listened. It was discouraging, but not surprising. Even the young adults who are still going to church were alienated from Catholicism as an institution to some extent.

The No. 1 issue by far, which came up over and over again, was the Catholic church’s treatment of lesbians and gays. Everyone, conservative or liberal, disagreed with the church on that…

…One young man, a lawyer, said the Catholic church is the “most sexist and homophobic institution of significance in our culture.” He noted that there is no discussion of issues like women’s ordination in the church. It is just not to be discussed. He felt the church just dismissed women’s opinions.

He also said there is a complete lack of accountability for what is said from the pulpit. He cited in detail statements made by a priest at another parish regarding Obamacare and birth control. He said the statements were simply factually false, and no one held the priest accountable. He wrote to the archdiocese and not receive a reply.

The thing that most upset this young lawyer was our “inhospitable” policy regarding the reception of the Eucharist. He noted that the missalette in used in Catholic churches said non-Catholics were not welcome. At the Episcopal cathedral in Washington, D.C., where he had gone to Christmas services, he noted that everyone who wants to “deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ is welcome at Holy Communion.” He felt strongly that Jesus would welcome everyone to his table. Even atheists should be welcomed.

One young woman followed up on his comments. She now attends a United Church of Christ. She said that our song “All Are Welcome” is hypocritical.

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