‘A step back in time': America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways(Excerpt -- for the entire article click on the Associated Press website.)
Across the U.S., the Catholic Church is undergoing an immense shift. Generations of Catholics who embraced the modernizing tide sparked in the 1960s by Vatican II are increasingly giving way to religious conservatives who believe the church has been twisted by change, with the promise of eternal salvation replaced by guitar Masses, parish food pantries and casual indifference to church doctrine.
The shift, molded by plummeting church attendance, increasingly traditional priests and growing numbers of young Catholics searching for more orthodoxy, has reshaped parishes across the country, leaving them sometimes at odds with Pope Francis and much of the Catholic world.
The changes are not happening everywhere. There are still plenty of liberal parishes, plenty that see themselves as middle-of-the-road. Despite their growing influence, conservative Catholics remain a minority.
Yet the changes they have brought are impossible to miss.
The Associated Press on the future of the Church
There have been numerous mainstream media articles on how traditional Catholics (and conservative Catholics favoring tradition) are the future of the Church, particularly in the U.S. Many such articles, however, were during the Benedict XVI papacy and following his 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. A handful of positive articles since Pope Francis' TLM suppressions have been published in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
So, it is very encouraging to see a new Associated Press article today entitled "'A step back in time': America's Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways".
Excellent job to all of those who worked with the reporters to make this happen. Friendly media outlets are always good to amplify messages -- but breaking through to mainstream media carries a extra ton of credibility. It comes with a price; the article is far from perfect, and there is zero reason to dwell on that -- but the audience and reach of the AP, stating traditional and conservative Catholics are the future of the Church while liberal Catholics whine and die, is pretty impressive given who is in charge.
