Church-going Catholics rate bishops better than a year ago

Published: 2003-11-10

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A newly published poll says lay Catholics who regularly attend Mass give their bishops better marks now on their handling of clergy sexual abuse, but they are more concerned than they were a year ago about financial accountability and openness in the church. The Gallup poll, commissioned by Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, was conducted in October. Charles Zech, a Villanova University economics professor and expert in church giving patterns, reported the results in a report posted on the Internet Nov. 7 at: www.fadica.org. The new survey was directed at the 656 regular Massgoers who had responded to the same poll in October 2002, in order to track changes in attitudes and practices among the same group of people over the past year. For the 2003 survey, the pollsters were able to interview 309 of the original 656. Among the 309 interviewed twice, one of the more striking findings was a significant drop in the number who said they did not want to support an annual diocesan appeal at all or were giving money usually earmarked for the diocese to other Catholic causes.

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