The sexual abuse scandal in the U.S. Roman Catholic Church that rocked Boston six years ago and rippled across the country before the latest after-shock in Los Angeles does not appear to have markedly thinned the church's ranks or the money it takes in.
"The church is much bigger than any one parish or any one diocese. It's not about the bishops. I attend because I believe," said Mike, 41, as he left a lunchtime Mass at Saint Francis Xavier church in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday.Declining to give his last name, he described himself as a lifelong Catholic who still contributes money because "it's part of being in the church."
He is not an anomaly. According to figures put together in 2006 by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, a Catholic university in Washington, there was a slight dip in Mass attendance after the Boston scandals broke.
But it said an analysis of surveys and polls since shows little evidence Roman Catholics have left the church in significant numbers or cut back what they toss in the collection baskets.
"The laity are very angry, but their anger is not leading them to diminish their contributions. Apparently they're used to having incompetents as bishops," the Rev. Andrew Greeley, a priest, author, sociologist and frequent critic of his church, told Reuters.
Mary Pat Fox, president of Voice of the Faithful, a lay group formed after the Boston scandals broke, said she found it "alarming" that some surveys show 74 percent of Catholics think their bishops are doing a good job.
While contributions may not have declined, she said, the number of contributors has, so "some major contributors are carrying the load."
Her group also says weekly church attendance has slipped to 17 percent of Catholics in some areas, compared to 34 percent estimated by the Georgetown report.
