Sweeping changes in United States demographics are transforming the fundamental makeup of the Catholic Church, as the number of Catholic Hispanics continues to climb.
But is American Catholicism prepared for this new wave of parishioners?
That question was raised by a panel of experts on Dec. 10 at “Becoming Latino: The Transformation of U.S. Catholicism,” at Fordham University.
Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, cited three factors that drive membership in religious groups: changing religious affiliation; immigration patterns; and fertility rates.
While Protestant and Jewish faiths are losing ground in the United States, said Lugo, Pentecostal and Muslim faiths are gaining. And while Catholicism has remained “incredibly stable” at approximately 24 percent of the U.S. population, the surface stability masks incredible internal changes.
“I’ve always referred to the Roman Catholic Church as a leading demographic indicator,” he added. “You want to see where the country as a whole is going to be in 40 years? Look at the church today.”
“Basically, Latinos are making up for the white cohort departing the Catholic Church,” said Lugo, who added that—given its high birth rate of 2.9 per household—the Hispanic population is expected to increase 300 percent in the next 40 years. READ FULL STORY
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