by: Vicki Yamasaki, founder and chair, Corpus Christi for Unity and Peace Contact: CUP@corpuschristiforunityandpeace.org
The U.S. Catholic Church stands at a crossroads, marked by an aging flock, a growing immigrant presence, and a devastating erosion of faith and morals. The Pew Religious Landscape Study (RLS) for Catholics from 2007, 2014, and 2023-24 offers a sobering glimpse into this crisis for traditional Catholics rooted in the Magisterium’s truths: for every 100 Catholics entering, 800 Catholics leave, prayer is declining, belief in God is plummeting, and a super majority supports issues deemed morally evil by the Church—demographically propped up by immigrants yet spiritually adrift. While the sharp declines from 2007 to 2014 have slowed by 2023-24, the downward trend persists, demanding urgent reflection.
Demographics: An Aging Church with a Growing Immigrant Base
The demographic profile of Catholics shows both continuity and change. The age distribution tilts older, with the 18-29 age group dropping from 17% in 2014 to 14% in 2023-24, while those 65 and older rose from 20% to 28%. This aging trend signals a failure to retain youth, who are bombarded by a culture hostile to faith.
It is supported by significant funding collected by the USCCB for migrants during the Biden Administration.
The U.S. Church is catering to immigrants, with 29% now foreign-born (up from 23% in 2007), a shift that challenges its ability to maintain orthodoxy amid secular pressures. This growth, largely driven by Hispanic communities, has shifted the racial makeup, with Whites now just 54% (down from 64% in 2007) and other races at 45%. It is supported by the $634 million and $1.7 billion collected by the USCCB and Catholic Charities, respectively, for migrants during the Biden Administration. (source: ccup.life/deportations-unmasking-the-usccb/) These demographic shifts raise questions about the Church’s spiritual vitality, particularly as prayer wanes.
The Dramatic Drop in Prayer: A Spiritual Catastrophe
Perhaps the most devastating finding is the collapse of prayer. In 2007, 58% of Catholics prayed daily; in 2014, 59%; but by 2023-24, it plummeted to 51%. This 8-point drop in a decade is a spiritual catastrophe—prayer is the lifeline to God, the source of grace, and the shield against sin. The rise in “seldom/never” praying (18% in 2023-24, up from 13% in 2014 and 2007) reveals a growing indifference to the divine, a rejection of Christ’s command to “pray always” (Luke 18:1). Weekly/monthly prayer rose to 31% (from 27% in 2014), but this tepid substitute cannot replace the daily intimacy with God that Catholic tradition demands. The failure to retain young Catholics (18-29 dropping to 14%) mirrors this prayer collapse.
Without prayer, the faithful are defenseless against the assaults of a godless culture and Satan himself, and the Church risks becoming a hollow shell. What is perplexing is the finding that 69% say they believe in hell, up from 63% in 2014 and 60% in 2007—why fear eternal punishment yet neglect the prayer that guards against it?
Archbishop Fulton Sheen emphasized prayer’s vital role, famously asking, ‘Could you not watch one hour with me?’ His daily Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament offers a model for resilience against a toxic culture, strengthening the Body of Christ and helping us align with God’s will.
Failure to pray distances us from God until we no longer believe in Him.
Belief in God and Importance of Religion: Startling Declines
The erosion of belief in God and the importance of religion is equally startling. In 2007, 72% were absolutely certain of God’s existence; this fell to 64% in 2014 and 62% in 2023-24. The 10-point drop since 2007 is a seismic shift—how can a Catholic, professing the Creed, waver on the reality of the Almighty? Those not absolutely certain rose from 25% in 2007 to 34% in 2023-24, signaling a creeping doubt that undermines the faith’s foundation. Worse still, the percentage who say religion is “very important” crashed from 56% in 2007 and 58% in 2014 to 44% in 2023-24—a 14-point plunge in a decade. This collapse reflects a lukewarmness condemned by Scripture (Revelation 3:16), as Catholics trade the eternal for the ephemeral. The “not too/not at all important” category doubled from 9% in 2007 to 17% in 2023-24, a grim testament to secularization’s triumph. One cannot ignore the likely irreparable harm caused by closing the churches during Covid. Closing churches during Covid, often for months, deepened this disconnect, signaling to the faithful that the Eucharist and Mass do not matter.
This spiritual decline paves the way for moral compromises.
Societal and Political Views: A Betrayal of Catholic Truth
In 2023-24, the societal and political stances of Catholics reveal a deep surrender to secular pressures.
Note the growing acceptance of non-heterosexual identities (only 89% identify as straight) mirrors the surge in support for same-sex marriage which follows.
Support for same-sex marriage has surged to 70% (up from 57% in 2014), standing in stark opposition to the Church’s firm doctrine that marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman. The blame lies squarely with the clergy, who have stayed either utterly mute on the sin of sodomy or advocated for acceptance—one of the four sins crying out to heaven for vengeance. They are leading souls astray, a grave responsibility before God.
Abortion, the most profound violation of life’s sanctity, is now supported as legal in all or most cases by 59% of Catholics (up from 48% in both 2014 and 2007), defying the Catechism’s unwavering protection of the unborn. Yet, while bishops loudly decry immigration week after week, where are the steady drumbeat of homilies, bulletin notices, texts, and emails condemning the mortal sin of abortion? Absent—and this is the gravest sin of all. Shame on the bishops for permitting this seismic shift in Catholic attitudes over the past decade.
Politically, conservatives hold steady at 36% (similar to 36-37% in prior years), but the rise of moderates to 42% (from 36% in 2014) and the drop in liberals to 18% (from 22%) suggest a muddled middle ground, unwilling to take a firm stand for truth. This is the go along to get along crowd.
While the U.S. Church is catering to immigrants, 41% of Catholics view this growth as a ‘change for the worse’ in 2023-24 (up from 33% in 2014), revealing a disconnect with the faithful—a disconnect deepened by the USCCB and Catholic Charities, who seem oblivious to frustrations over lenient border policies, illegal immigration, and the surge in child and drug trafficking worsened by their actions.
Even more troubling, 62% in 2023-24 say morality doesn’t require belief in God, a radical departure from the Catholic insistence that true virtue flows from divine grace.
On evolution, only 17% affirm humans existed in their present form since the beginning, while 55% accept a ‘God-guided’ process—a compromise with secular science that dilutes Genesis literal truth, undermining the Church’s authority on creation. These shifts betray a Church infiltrated by the spirit of the age, forsaking the narrow path for the broad road of cultural approval.
Conclusion: A Call to Repentance, Reparation and Renewal
From a traditional Catholic perspective, these results—especially the rise in imported Catholics since 2007, the 8-point drop in daily prayer, and the double-digit declines in firm belief and religious importance since 2007 and 2014—herald a Church at a crossroads. Demographics show an aging, more immigrant-driven flock, but the real crisis is spiritual and moral. Catholics are abandoning prayer, doubting God, and embracing sins like abortion and same-sex marriage, all while deeming religion less vital. Bishops and priests must lead the charge. Clearly Modernism is not working. The Church must reclaim its former beauty, reinforce daily prayer and renewed catechesis, preach orthodoxy, and guide the faithful back to tradition.
Only a radical return to Christ, coupled with steadfast preservation and teaching of the Deposit of Faith, can restore the Bride of Christ to her full glory.
Note: The 2023-24 RLS was conducted mainly online and on paper, while the earlier surveys were done by telephone. Refer for discussion for comparability to earlier years (2007 and 2014) to Appendix A.