Thomas Griffin 7/10/25
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Let Us Begin: New Book on the Life and Power of St. Francis
The Pew Research Center recently released data from a survey among Catholics. The questions in the survey centered around some of the more challenging teachings of the Catholic Church (contraception, in-vitro fertilization, cohabitation, marriage, all-male priesthood, etc.). The results reveal that many American Catholics believe the church is not inclusive and that it needs to change.
First, let us review the findings of the study so that we can come to a better understanding of what Catholics desire from the teaching body of the church. Then we can decipher how best to respond to the desires of contemporary Catholics.
Regarding the use of birth control, 84% of Catholics believe that it should be allowed. The same percentage believes that in-vitro fertilization should be permissible. Should Catholics who are unmarried, but living together be able to receive Holy Communion? Seventy-six percent of Catholics believe that they should be able to do so. Finally, 59% of responders believe that women should be allowed to become priests.
The crux of the survey came down to the following topic: when asked if the church should become more inclusive even if that means it changes some of its teachings – 60% agreed. Doctrine that excludes people ought to be amended.
When faced with these rising statistics, how should the faithful respond? Ultimately, there is formation that is needed and there is prayer that must be entered into.
The overwhelming majority of these topics are concerned with human sexuality. Therefore, how one views the nature of the human person and the nature of love will orient how they respond to such questions. Without a proper formation in the nature of the person, we can too easily conclude that the church is not being compassionate.
Anthropology (the study and view of the human person) impacts everything.
First, men and women are equal, but they are different. This can be viewed in the simple fact that our bodies are different. This difference between male and female allows for our complementarity – we need each other and we fulfill each other. This difference also allows new life to be created. It is the male-female difference which allows for our union. Our difference binds us to the other while also enabling us to bring forth new life.
Responding to these topics also requires that we define truth and love. Truth is the conformity between one’s mind and reality. Someone’s truth can be wrong if their conception of factual reality is incorrect. Love is willing the good of the other. Love is not a feeling but a choice. Love is most powerful when it is sacrificial, placing one’s own needs in service of what will best help the other person (especially when you don’t feel like it).
Jesus only ordained men. That does not mean that he does not appreciate women, but that he desires for them to have a different role while highlighting the Church as his bride. Marriage is between one man and one woman for life because marriage is based on sexual love, and two men or two women cannot enter this type of love (that is biology not theology). Contraception is an offense against true love. It holds back one’s capacity to be mother or father from the other person – and love can never hold anything back. Love must be total.
Finally, in-vitro fertilization violates love, even though it brings about a tremendous good (the creation of new life). This process results in the death of many children and it separates the act of sexual love by bringing it outside of the relationship of husband and wife. The end does not justify the means.
If a person happens to disagree with the teachings of the Church in these areas, they are choosing to define human sexuality and worth on their own terms. In order to respond to cries for inclusivity we must know the truth about the issues above.
Second, we ought to respond to these stats by clinging to the importance of prayer (especially Sunday worship). One aspect of the study is critical to keep in mind and it was a brilliant way to gather information. There is a breakdown of the percentages for these questions based on the respondent attending Mass at least once a week versus those who attend less frequently. Inside of that breakdown there is, on average, a 20% increase among weekly Mass goers calling for the church to not change her teachings. They responded in this way, noting that the church should not change its teaching “even if that means the church gets smaller.”
For example, 31% of Catholics who attend Mass weekly believe that the church should recognize the marriages of same-sex couples. This number is still concerning but the statistics among those who attend Mass less than once a week for the same question jumps to 58%.
These statistics are not surprising. Nutritionists will tell us that, in many ways, a person becomes what they eat. When we eat fatty foods in an excessie manner, we gain weight. We also know that we tend to become like the friends that we spend the most time with. The more we surround ourselves with a certain type of person, the more likely we are to act and talk like them.
These two reasons are two of the many reasons why attending weekly Sunday Mass is critical. If Jesus is God and the Eucharist is Jesus, then receiving Holy Communion makes us one with God. He dwells within us and His desires become our desires. The more we receive Him and spend time with Him, the more we can trust that God’s commands are for our good (especially when we have a difficult time believing in a Church teaching).
In order to best respond to this latest survey, we must study the faith and know why it is true. We must also take it as an invitation to speak about the importance of Sunday worship. Because it is study and prayer that will ultimately bring about a humble heart that will bow down before the God of the universe and trust His truth – even when accepting it is challenging or against the current of the culture.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and three children. He has a masters degree in theology and is a masters candidate in philosophy. Thomas is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine. He is the author of Let Us Begin: Saint Francis’s Way of Becoming Like Christ and Renewing the World.
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