NEW GALLUP POLL FINDS AMERICANS CONFIDENCE IN CHURCH AND RELIGION LOWERING...........

In a newly released poll surveying Americans attitudes toward Church and Religion, published yesterday, the George Gallup firm finds that Confidence in the Christian Church continues to decline, as does confidence in public schools, banks, and television news.  The survey for 2012 finds Catholics confidence in the institutional Church and organized Religion, is 46% favorable, with that percentage of American Catholics saying they have a, "Great Deal, or "Quite A Lot", of Confidence in the Church and Religion; compared to 56% of American Protestants expressing the same degree of Confidence in the institution of the Church and organized Religion.  In totality, 44% of Americans express Confidence in Organized Religion, down from 45% approval  ten years ago and 46% with a positive attitude five years ago.  The percentage of all other Religious denominations expressing a favorable outlook on Church and Religion is an even lower 29%.  Gallup points out this has been a consistent, long term decline in Americans view dating back to 1973, when 66% of Americans said they has high confidence in Religion. Gallup also explained the ten point differential between Catholic and Protestant Confidence in the Church and Religion, follows a ten year pattern averaging a 12% gap between Protestants and Catholics response, noting since 2002, "Protestants consistently expressing higher confidence".  2002 was the year, the priests pedophilia scandals unfolded in the United States, and  in what has been a difficult decade of fall out for Bishops and Dioceses, by the Laity, in terms of a decline in their moral authority, as well as the costs of financial settlements with alledged victims of abuse, and widespread publicity in the media regarding sexual abuse by the Clergy, - it is perhaps unsurprising Catholics are found to be less confident presently.  Still, parishioners in Catholic parochial communities continue to express high confidence, support, and affection, for their very own parish priests, as well as the recently evidenced overwhelming support much of the Catholic laity is showing for Women Religious and the "Nuns On The Bus", in the United States.  In my view a sign of hope  exists in the high level of support and confidence that exists for the ministerial Church, which may help renew and reform in time, the credibility and positive view of the leadership and moral authority of the institutional Church and Catholic-Christian Religion............Fr.  Troy