Nearly one-third of Americans who were raised Catholic no longer describe themselves as Catholics. Overall, American Catholic churches lost 5 percent of their membership during the last decade, and the decline would have been much steeper if not for the offsetting impact of Catholic immigrants from Latin America.
The author suggests that Benedict helped drive a wedge between liberal and conservative Catholics in the US, but threw a few curve balls at conservatives:
It’s not surprising that more liberal American Catholics have kept their distance from Benedict, who was viewed on his election to the papacy as a doctrinaire conservative. But conservative Catholics have discovered, to their chagrin, that Benedict is not quite the ally they had hoped for when it comes to issues of economic justice. The pope made Catholic conservatives’ opposition to President Obama’s health care effort awkward, for instance, when he wrote in 2010 that universal health care was one of the “inalienable rights” of man. And conservative Catholics such as George Weigel bristled when the pope wrote about “an urgent need of a true world political authority” to address problems of economic inequality both within and between countries.The author argues that this split among church members weakens the impact Catholics have as a group.
The relationship between conservatives and liberals in the American community is as tense today as it has been at any point since Vatican II. As the church loses members and trust in Catholic institutions plummets, leaders fight about whether to focus the church’s public resources on the abortion issue or on an array of broader concerns—from immigration reform to budget cuts. All the while, large elephants loom in the background, as subjects such as the celibate priesthood and ordination of women go unaddressed. With his appointment of ever more conservative bishops and cardinals, Benedict has helped tilt the U.S. bishops conference rightward just as the lay Catholics in America are expressing more liberal views on gay marriage and economic issues.
When we cover party identification soon enough, we will note which groups have tended to shift alliances from one party to the other. Catholics were once a solid votng bloc for Democrats, but have split alliances more recently between the two major parties. Republicans have hoped to use their conservative positions on social issues like abortion, contraception and same sex issues to peel away some Catholic support. This has had a limited impact because other Catholics have liberal positions on poverty programs. It's open question at the moment whether this will be impacted by Benedict's resignation. The answer likely depends on who replaces him and whether he is seen as a polarizing or conciliatory figure.
