Catholic editors urged to reach out to nonchurchgoing Hispanics

Published: 2004-05-27

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic newspapers must reach out to nonchurchgoing Hispanics to show that the church cares about them and offers a vision of life to help them with problems, said Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, associate director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs. "You need to reach the Catholics who are not in the pews" because most of the rapidly growing Hispanic population does not have church ties, he said May 26 to about 50 editors of Catholic publications attending the Catholic Press Association convention in Washington. Over 37 percent of the Hispanic population is 18 or younger, but "most Catholic youths do not go to Catholic schools and they do not join Catholic youth groups," he said. Aguilera-Titus spoke at a workshop on the impact of Hispanics on the U.S. Catholic media. He said Hispanics now compose about 40 percent of U.S. Catholics and, if current population trends continue, could be "an overwhelming majority by 2050."

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