Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Why Are They Leaving? A Response to the USCCB

Why Are They Leaving? A Response to the USCCB

Last updated on: June 12, 2019 at 2:19 am by Mary Pezzulo

Why Are They Leaving? A Response to the USCCB 2019-06-12T02:19:29-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I am watching the Twitter feed of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the USCCB, as they conduct their 2019 General Assembly in Baltimore.

I am talking back to the tweets, as one does, but I can’t get my answers down to the Twitter word limit. I’ll have to write them here.

50% of Catholics 30 and younger have left the Church. 1 out of 6 millennials in the US is a former Catholic. For every 1 joining, 6.45 are leaving. When are they leaving? 79% leave before the age of 23. The median age of those who leave is 13.

They left because you hurt them, Fathers. Don’t you remember? You participated in physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse of your flock. Some of you abused them yourselves. Most all of you protected abusers from being stopped, at one time or another. You coddled abusers. You sent them away for counseling instead of exposing and stopping them. You transferred them to different parishes so they’d do it again. At every time you could have made your flock your priority, you made abusive priests your priority instead. You gaslit victims. You lied to and about victims. You threatened victims. You re-traumatized them. You emotionally abused people who had already been sexually abused, to make them shut up and go away. You killed people– you forced abortions, which is killing, and you drove victims to suicide. Their blood is on your hands.

The only mystery is why the number isn’t higher. By the grace of God and not by your efforts, some of us are still here.

Bishop Barron now talks about what he says is most important – the issue of the rise in religiously unaffiliated young adults.

Why are they leaving? Bishop Barron presents data: 1. They no longer believe (doctrine). +Barron says this is “a bitter fruit of the dumbing down of our faith.”

No one dumbed down the faith for us, Fathers. I had a good preparation in my confirmation classes. I can still name the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Ghost: charity, joy, peace, patience, forbearance, goodness, benignity, mildness, faithfulness, modesty, continence and chastity. I did that off book without looking. I can name the Seven Gifts as well: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The cardinal virtues are prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude. The theological virtues are faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.

They left because you didn’t love us.

If you had loved your children– us, your flock, the people who fill your churches hungry for the Word of the Lord– you would have valued us more than the reputations of abusive priests. You would have valued prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude more than comfort, luxury and a good reputation. And you did value luxury– immensely. You lived in more luxury than most of your flock will ever see. You didn’t use your wealth for our benefit. You used it to pamper yourselves and cover up your crimes. And then you had the gall to ask for more from us, every year, appeal after appeal.

That isn’t love.

That isn’t a father.

That’s a parasite.

“Few of the “nones” are anti-religious – they’re more “blandly indifferent” or “ambivalent” – +Barron

Of course they’re indifferent, Fathers, because you were indifferent to them.

Of course we don’t seek another faith. To whom should we go? Christ has the words of everlasting life, but Christ left Himself in your hands. Whoever’s sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whoever’s sins you hold bound are held bound. He broke the bread, blessed it, gave it to His holy apostles– to you, to everyone who succeeds the apostles. He said “Do this in memory of Me.”

We have never seen Christ as the apostles did. We see you. What you did to us, you claimed was in memory of Christ. You broke us, divided us among your priests and abandoned us.

The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is indifference. You were indifferent to us when we were helpless. If these things were done when the wood was green, what should we do now that it’s dry?

When you were created bishops, you were left stewards of the household while the Master was away. But you abused the other servants and set yourself to feasting and drinking. The Master will return and find you this way. You were created shepherds, after the heart of the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. But you betrayed the Good Shepherd and scattered the flock.

If you repent, if you turn back to the Master and the Good Shepherd, you will get up from your luxury and your riches and take care of the Master’s house. You will attend to the wounds you inflicted and you will beg our forgiveness. You will leave your mansions and go find the sheep that have run away from your abuse. You will get on your knees and beg their forgiveness as well, and if any of them can be moved to return with you, you will bring them back. Then you will turn your attention to us, to all of us who have tried to remain faithful, and you will prove your repentance by your dedication to justice.

Or you can continue the way you are, Fathers. It’s your choice. And the consequences will be yours to bear on the Last Day. In the meanwhile, of course, they’ll be ours. We are the ones who will suffer until the Master returns.

“We need to be bold” in the proclamation of the kerygma.

No. You need to be humble.

Humble yourselves, and repent.

I know you’re not listening, Fathers. My heart is broken because you will not listen. You will not listen because you do not care.

There is a God in Heaven who cares, but with you as His representatives, who will think to cry out to Him?

I will.

Drop dew, ye Heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain justice.

(image via Pixabay)

Interpretation of Scripture

Public face of Catholicism

Previous Post

June 10, 2019

The Curious Offense of the Fat Mannequin

Next Post

June 12, 2019 An Urgent Work of Mercy for the Thirsty

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian group believes in continuing revelation from prophets?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Presbyterians Baptists Lutherans Latter-day Saints