http://www.speroforum.com/site/article. ... 27&id=2427

State of US Catholic Church at beginning of 2006
What has clearly changed are the numbers and status of laity, religious, and clergy in the mystical Body of Christ. Related to this is the altered understanding of their roles in the Church

Monday, January 16, 2006
by Father John McCloskey


The Catholic Church in the United States is in a state of profound transition. A priest or layman transported through time from 1965 to 2005 would be astonished and most likely disconcerted by the dramatic changes that have taken place in the 40 years following the close of Vatican II.

Evaluating American Influence

Of course, the hierarchical and sacramental nature of the Church remains unchanged. What, however, has clearly changed are the numbers and status of laity, religious, and clergy in the mystical Body of Christ. Related to this is the altered understanding of their roles in the Church.

I am writing this article in the aftermath of what the well-known convert Fr. Richard John Neuhaus referred to as "the long Lent" that the Church in America has undergone. This refers to the painful unraveling of the revelation and past cover-up of thousands of accusations of sexual abuse of young people (some well-founded, others not) by Catholic clergy. Although brutally disillusioning to many of the lay faithful, these accusations were brought against less than 2% of Catholic clergy during this time period, and some of the cases even pre-dated the post-Vatican II era.

As a result, hundreds of Catholic priests have been dismissed from the clerical state and the lay faithful have been scandalized. Nevertheless, contrary to dire predictions both within and without the Church, the scandal has not seemed to lessen sacramental participation or even financial contributions to the 195 dioceses that compose the Church in America. Indeed, as we will see, statistics suggest that the situation in many areas of the Church is bottoming out. In fact, the Church in America may well be on the cusp of a more vibrant era in which the faithful become firmly rooted in the authentic teachings of the Second Vatican Council, as mediated through the magisterium of Pope John Paul and his able successor and close collaborator, Pope Benedict.

If the Church in the US is entering into a decades-long march into the New Evangelization, the United States' status as the only world power will lend tremendous importance to this development. Since Americans find themselves deeply divided on so many essentially moral issues â€â€