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The Results of the Vatican II Reforms
Very few Catholics realise the extent of the crisis in the Church which was brought about by the changes that were imposed after the Second Vatican Council which closed in 1965. As a result, every area of Catholic life that can be subject to statistical analysis has shown a steep decline, resulting in:
* Not enough priests to minister to the faithful
* lack of vocations to the priesthood and religious life
* seminaries closing permanently
* churches being closed and sold off
* priestless parishes run by lay people
* Mass attendance in free fall
* a declining number of Catholics frequenting Confession
* far fewer baptisms, confirmations and marriages
* failure to teach the authentic Catholic Faith in Catholic schools, resulting in a staggering 90% lapsation rate among school leavers
* widespread lack of belief in and reverence for the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
A survey conducted by Gallup Poll in the United States between December 1991 and January 1992 indicated that 70% of the Catholics polled held a heretical belief in the Doctrine of the Holy Eucharist. A later poll released by the same organization indicated that weekly Mass attendance by Catholics in the U.S. dropped from 75% in 1958, down to 50% in 1971, and down to only 19% in 1999.
There is every indication that this situation is mirrored in the Catholic population of the UK. |
The Official Statistics
| Year |
Catholic population |
Mass attendance |
| 1954
|
2,939,900 |
(not available) |
| 1959
|
- |
1,886,600 |
| 1964
|
3,827,000 |
- |
| 1966
|
- |
2,114,219 (Mass attendance numbers peak at end of Vatican II.) |
| 1974
|
4,162,942
|
1,752,730 |
| 1984
|
4,220,262
|
1,512,553 |
| 1990
|
4,248,346
|
1,292,312 |
| 1991
|
4,280,180
|
- |
| 1992
|
4,526,873 ("Catholic" population peaks)
|
1,277,617
|
| 1993
|
4,413,165
|
1,226,197 |
| 1994
|
4,404,690
|
1,190,307 |
| 1995
|
4,404,056
|
1,135,047 |
| 1996
|
4,134,040
|
1,111,077 |
| 1997
|
4,174,418
|
1,086,268 |
| 1998
|
4,189,550
|
1,056,027 (Mass attendance half of 1966)
|
| 1999
|
4,155,262
|
1,041,728 |
| 2000
|
4,121,004
|
1,005,522
dropped by almost 300,000 in decade from 1990.
|
| 2001 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
52,563 (statistics supplied by the Northern Catholic Calendar) |
| 2002 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
50,952 |
| 2003 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
48,841 |
| 2004 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
47,155 |
| 2005 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
45,824 |
| 2006 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
44,747 |
| 2007 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
43,820 |
| 2008 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
40,229 |
| 2009 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
39,216 |
| 2010 |
Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle |
38,485 |
Ordinations, Marriages and Baptisms
| |
1944 |
1964 |
1999 |
| Ordinations |
178 |
230 |
43 |
| Marriages |
30,946 |
45,592 |
13,814 |
| Baptisms |
71,604 |
137,673 |
63,158 |
Reason for the Decline
It is undeniable that the catastrophic decline set in just when the Reforms of the Second Vatican Council began to take hold and spread to every single parish, engulfing the whole of Catholic life.
The most significant change was to the Mass which was replaced in 1969, not just by an English version, but by a completely new rite tailored to fit in with a new and worldly religion, changing to suit the times. This is the new Mass which the majority of Catholics attend. The result was that what was understood as Catholicism was changed out of all recognition, and knowledge of the Faith declined.
How could all the negative changes of recent decades have happened so fast? Why are they being allowed to happen? Why are our bishops, educational institutions, the media and even Vatican so powerfully behind destructive policies against the traditional Latin Mass and Sacraments, the priesthood, the traditional religion and even certain freedoms? These questions are being asked now more than ever. |
Recent Ordinations
| |
Recent Ordinations |
| 2001 |
34 |
| 2002 |
63 |
| 2003 |
44 |
| 2004 |
18 |
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