Majority of Catholics approve of same-sex civil unions but not
same-sex marriage; Catholics split on whether priests can marry;
majority agree with ordination of women to priesthood

As part of its ongoing polling project to track American Catholics’ views on important issues, the latest findings from the Le Moyne College/Zogby International Contemporary Catholic Trends (CCT) have been released. Results include:

SEXUALITY, HOMOSEXUALITY, AND MARRIAGE

A majority of American Catholics (74.4%) agreed that the main purpose of sex is to create a new life and that sex should occur only between a husband and wife (76%). However, 86% agreed that people who have premarital sex can be good Catholics.

On the issue of homosexuality, respondents varied widely in their agreement when asked whether homosexuality was present at birth (31.8% agreed), due to the way one was raised (5.7% agreed), some combination of genetics and raising (24.9% agreed), or was a lifestyle choice (25.1% agreed). A majority of Catholics surveyed (61%) believed that homosexual behavior is against natural law while a stronger majority (79%) affirmed that gay and lesbian people can be good Catholics. In addition, 65% of respondents agreed that gays and lesbians should be protected under the same civil rights laws that protect racial minorities and women.

When asked if an unmarried person living with a partner can serve as a positive role model for a child, 70.6% strongly agreed. Of these respondents, a majority of those between the ages of 18-29 (87.7%) strongly agreed with this statement, while only 45.8% of those 65 and older agreed. When asked if a gay or lesbian person could serve as a positive role model for a child, that support dropped to 64.4%, with the same differences across age groups showing 75.6% of those 18-29 years old agreeing while only 41% of those 65 and older agreed.

“The results suggest that while Catholics affirm the teachings of the Church, they also take a very practical approach as to how the teachings apply in their everyday lives,” said Christina Michaelson, assistant professor of Psychology at Le Moyne. “Their thinking and behavior is informed not only by the Church teachings but also by the cultural climate of the community and society in which they live. Premarital sex and homosexuality have become more acceptable in the culture at large, and this probably affects the views of many Catholics.”

On the issue of homosexuality and marriage, the definition of “marriage” used had a large impact on Catholic approval ratings. When “marriage” was defined religiously and respondents were asked whether the sacrament of marriage should be made available to same-sex couples, just over 29% agreed. When “marriage” was defined legally and respondents were asked whether same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry, 39% agreed. American Catholics showed the highest approval (62%) for civil unions, which provide the same legal rights and protections as marriage without being called “marriage.” CCT has tracked this issue in past surveys, and as the following chart illustrates, each of these three approval ratings equal their highest level over the course of our tracking:

CATHOLIC COLLEGES & SEXUALITY EDUCATION

A majority (87.5%) of American Catholics surveyed agreed that Catholic colleges should offer courses on human sexuality with 75.6% of respondents agreeing that these courses should provide research and information about homosexuality and 80.4 agreeing that information on birth control other that natural family planning should be included. In addition, 74.6% feel that classes at Catholic colleges should teach students about justice and equality for gay and lesbian people.

MINISTRY & THE PRIESTHOOD

A large majority (83%) of American Catholics agreed that baptism commits all Catholics to some form of ministry, and 75% considered their own work as such ministry. Respondents were split over whether priests should be allowed to marry. Over 47% believed that the Church’s policy of an unmarried priesthood should continue, but 49% believed that priests should be allowed to marry. On the issue of women’s ordination, almost 62% of respondents agreed that a woman who feels called to the priesthood should be ordained.

“These data reveal trends that both respect the traditional understanding of ministry but indicate a desire for innovations in Church doctrine and practice,” said Rev. Donald Maldari, S.J., assistant professor of religious studies at Le Moyne. “While respondents support the Church’s current hierarchical structure, they challenge the traditional teaching with regard to limiting ordination to celibate men and express interest in extending ordination to other types of ministry, such as people engaged in religious education and pastoral care of the sick, or even any career that promotes the Kingdom of God.”

Respondents were also asked about broadening ordination to include additional types of ministry. A majority (65%) believed that those who serve the spiritual welfare of the Church through ministries such as the Rite for Christian Initiation of Adults, religious education, spiritual direction, or teaching should be invited to ordination after sufficient preparation and approval by the appropriate Church authorities. A slightly smaller majority (63%) similarly believed that ordination should be offered to those engaged in the bodily welfare of the Church through ministries such as serving the poor and visiting the sick and imprisoned.

U.S. BISHOPS’ APPROVAL RATING

Since October 2001, CCT has tracked American Catholics’ assessment of how well the U.S. bishops are leading the American Church. In the latest survey, the bishops’ approval rating has increased substantially from the fall 2004 rating with 65% of respondents agreeing that the bishops are doing a good job. While the approval rating is not as high as it was prior to when the sex abuse scandal broke in early 2002, it does mark the first significant reversal of the decline of the past three years.

A strong majority of respondents (89%) believed that U.S. bishops need to be more accessible to ordinary Catholics. In addition, 57% of American Catholics believe that the Church should become more democratic in its decision-making. This is a slight decline from the 60% who agreed with this statement in Fall 2004.

The latest Contemporary Catholic Trends survey was conducted between March 7 and 10, 2005. The margin of error is +/- 3.2%; the MOE can be greater among subgroups of the sample of 1,000 respondents.