Erin McCarthy ’13: In light of the Pope’s resignation and the rumors surrounding this announcement, now is the time for the Catholic Church to adopt the values of a membership that is becoming increasingly socially liberal. This controversial course of action is their only hope of regaining relevancy and reestablishing themselves as a high example of morality in a world which, now more than ever, needs such ethical guidance.
Two years ago, I penned another Scholium article about gross scandal rocking the Catholic Church. That article began, “As a product of nine years of Catholic education, I can tell you more historical facts about the Church than you would probably care to know and rattle off the Ten Commandments as effortlessly as most prepubescent girls can recite the lyrics of a Justin Beiber song. I love my faith and think its core values of love and respect will forever remain ones that all, even nonbelievers, could benefit from implementing in their lives. However, many no longer share this sentiment. In recent years the public perception of the Catholic Church has undergone a dramatic transformation, leading even some of the most devout Catholics to question those they had always been taught to trust and follow without question.”
Sadly, public opinion of the Catholic Church has not changed since I wrote that editorial in 2011. Very few priests or Church administrators muttered anything resembling an apology and, after I wrote that editorial, more priests were accused of sexual abuse, in the Philadelphia region and beyond. The pope’s resignation, an event which hasn’t occurred in 600 years, raised more than a few red flags, especially considering that, before he was pope, Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger) was responsible for dealing with church sex abuse cases under his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. To put it simply, the Church hierarchy is crumbling.
Despite these dismaying facts, I still love my faith; however, with each passing year and each new story of sexual abuse, corruption, and consequent cover-up, I find it more difficult have faith in the bureaucracy of the Catholic Church.
I’m not the only one. According to 2012 polls from Pew Research Center, the United States is comprised of 75,380,000 Catholics, which is 7 percent of the global Catholic population. While the number of American Catholics has remained at 24 percent, only 41 percent of these Catholics attend weekly mass.
46 percent of American Catholics believe that Pope Benedict XVI’s successor should take the church in a different direction, instead of clinging to conservative views the church has held since St. Peter’s time.
I agree with this 46 percent and believe that the Church hierarchy needs to reassess its beliefs on everything from priest celibacy to contraception to gay marriage. I’m not alone in these beliefs either.
A majority of U.S Catholics believe priests should be able to get married. Half of American Catholics support gay-marriage and only 15 percent believe use of contraceptives is immoral.
These numbers show a national shift in the mentality of Catholics. The Church must allow priests to marry, especially considering the number of priests has declined in recent years. Furthermore, they must reevaluate their views on women in the clergy, gay marriage, and other social issues.
If the Church fails to do so, it risks slinking further into irrelevancy and potentially crumbling altogether.

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