Diocese publishes study on Catholics who no longer come to Church

The Diocese of Brentwood today, has published 'Believing, not Belonging', result of a research project into why so many Catholics no longer come to Church.

Last summer, Bishop Alan Williams sm, the Bishop of Brentwood, invited Catholics who no longer regularly come to church to get in touch. Bishop Alan wanted to seriously listen to their stories and experiences to understand why so many Catholics no longer feel as though they belong in the Church. The results of that research, carried out in partnership with the Margaret Beaufort Institute, have now been published.

Dr Liam Hayes, Director of The Centre for Ecclesial Ethics at the Margaret Beaufort Institute, Cambridge, undertook the research on Bishop Alan's behalf. He says: "Our research revealed that many of the 80% of baptised Catholics who no longer go to Church do not feel welcome, appreciated or even visible, for they experience a Church in which they no longer see their face, hear their voice or recognise their story in too many of the church's ethical teachings and its wider praxis.

"The Covid pandemic afforded many Catholics the opportunity to reappraise their relationship with faith and Church, and whilst faith continues to burn brightly in unrecognised ways, they have decided to no longer tolerate or collude with a Church scarred by clericalism, or a Church in which abuse is covered up, or a Church in which women have no role, or one in which accountability is a distant dream. When Catholics feel judged, unwelcome, invisible and neglected, they tend to leave and seek joy and hope elsewhere in order to make sense of the griefs and anxieties of their lives."

Believing, not Belonging, he says, presents a moving and challenging insight into how our Church and the Covid-19 pandemic have contributed to a movement away from a regular practice of faith for many Catholics and offers our Church a living repository of wisdom that might enrich and inform our ongoing journey of renewal in the diocese.

The research report can be read here: CEE-Believing-Not-Belonging-Final-Report_2023.pdf (cam.ac.uk)

The Diocese of Brentwood consists of the Administrative County of Essex, the Unitary Authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.