Catholic experts available to respond to controversial survey on the state of the Catholic Church
ATLANTA, March 8, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ --
Numerous clergy, religious and lay Catholic experts are prepared to
address the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute's recently conducted
survey that found that 52 percent of American Catholics believe the
Church is moving in the right direction, but 52 percent also said Church
leaders were out of touch with American Catholics. Fifty-five percent
of the 497 Catholics who were surveyed said the next pope should move
the church in new directions.
According to the controversial survey,
released Friday, majorities of Catholic Americans also believe the
Church needs to change its stance on several hot-button issues,
including its ban on contraception (64 percent), marriage among priests
(62 percent) and the ordination of women (62 percent).
"The
survey doesn't adequately reflect the distinction between practicing and
non-practicing Catholics," said Mark Brumley, president and CEO of
Ignatius Press. "And while it is helpful to know what people say they
think, what is right or wrong isn't determined by a survey. The confused
results show that the Church needs to be clearer, firmer and more
persuasive in presenting her message, and not let people with little
understanding of that message call the shots. Jesus' teaching was not
initially well-received by the establishment of his day. It should come
as no surprise that the Church's continuation of that teaching meets
with opposition among today's establishment, sometimes even among people
who identify themselves as Catholics."
Dr. Pia de Solenni adds,
"If polls and news outlets want a real story, ask the people who
regularly attend Mass what they believe. Start here in the U.S. But also
ask people around the world, like the 350,000 who recently protested
same-sex marriage in France. If you want to get really interesting, ask
Anglicans in the African nations what they think about the Catholic
Church's teachings on marriage."
Dr. Pia de Solenni, Mark
Brumley and over a dozen other experts, including priests, lay experts
and women religious, are prepared to speak on the inadequacies and
inaccuracies of Catholic surveys conducted by Quinnipiac and other
polling institutes.
Contact Lisa Wheeler (770-591-0045 or
[email protected]) or Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or
[email protected]) of Carmel Communications to schedule
interviews with our Catholic experts.
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