A STEADY decline in the number of Roman Catholics born and baptised into the faith in England and Wales is linked to a Church that is facing declining or static income and increased expenditure, in the first statistical analysis of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales to use financial data publicly available through the Charity Commission.
The Digest of Statistics of the Catholic Community of England and Wales, 1958 to 2005, published by the independent Pastoral Research Centre Trust, contrasts with recent reports that seemed to show Roman Catholic numbers surging ahead, largely because of immigration from Roman Catholic areas of Europe.
Roman Catholic bishops were reported as saying that the RC population had risen by 20 per cent in the 47 years up to 2005.
But Anthony Spencer, the editor of the Digest, has used a variety of sources — including the national Catholic Directory the Annuario Pontificio, the statistical yearbook of the Church; and the accounts of the RC Church’s 22 diocesan trusts on the Charity Commission website — to check and correlate the record. Read more
No comments will be posted without a full name and location, see the policy.
Friday, 18 January 2008
Analyst reports drop in RC numbers
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I was really surprised by this! I have a priest friend, who tells me how he conducts more Masses than a few years ago & they are full!
Secondly the RCIA attendance I was told is growing each year. I suspect, like Anglican churches, it varies from Diocese to Diocese or even parish.
I know there are still "old catholic families" in England & these are connected with Dioceses that have not changed since the reformation, especially Arundell & also Hexham.Picture, this, a 11th century church that is still Roman catholic; they are there!!
But if the numbers are declining in the CofE & RC church, then what about the other Denominations? Has England, sadly become a country of "Cultural Religion" or faithless? Is the country heading for Hell as Wycliffe Hall believe?
Post a Comment