June 3, 2002

Survey finds Americans wary of Catholicism but changing
___By David Briggs
___Cleveland Plain Dealer
___CHICAGO (RNS)--Three-quarters of Americans believe Roman Catholics do what the pope or bishops tell them to do, according to a survey released May 24 that indicates anti-Catholic prejudices persist in the nation.
___The survey of 550 non-Catholic adults also showed a majority of Americans from other backgrounds believe Catholics are not permitted to think for themselves and the statues and images in Catholic churches are idols.
___Andrew Greeley, a Catholic priest, sociologist and the study's author, said the results demonstrate that some of the historic "damnable bigotry" against American Catholics is as alive in the 21st century as it was in the 19th century, and may intensify with the growing clergy sex abuse scandal.
___"Prejudices don't go away unless they're resisted, and this one's never been resisted,'' Greeley said in an interview.
___However, another prominent sociologist of religion said it is "absolutely false" to say there has not been vast improvement in attitudes toward Catholics in the last half-century.
___When one examines political and social acceptance of Catholics, "anti-Catholicism is way down from what it was in the 1950s--a huge change," said Dean Hoge of Catholic University of America.
___Greeley, a University of Chicago sociologist, presented his study findings at a conference on "Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice?" at Fordham University.
___Knowledge Networks of Menlo Park, Calif., conducted the interactive WebTV survey of a random sample of 550 non-Catholics in March. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.
___The United States has a long history of anti-Catholicism. At the nation's founding, most states had laws discriminating against Catholics. As the church grew with waves of immigrants in the 19th century, groups such as the Know-Nothing Party and the American Protestant Association accused the church of trying to gain control of the nation. Anti-Catholicism erupted into violence in some places.
___Many historians saw the election of a Catholic president, John F. Kennedy, in 1960, as a watershed moment. Since then, the church's opening up to the world with the Second Vatican Council and the rising income and educational levels of American Catholics have propelled them into the mainstream of American life.
___There are 64 million Catholics in the United States today.
___Hoge notes the percentage of American Protestants in surveys who said they think American Catholics are trying to get too much power declined from 41 percent in 1952 to 11 percent in 1974. More than nine in 10 said they would vote for a Catholic candidate.
___In his study, Greeley found 93 percent of non-Catholics said it is possible to be a good Catholic and a good American, and 85 percent said Catholic schools make a contribution to education in the big cities.
___But Greeley said he also found deep-seated prejudices. For example, 83 percent said Catholics do not only worship God, but worship Mary and the saints; 57 percent said the statues and images in Catholic churches are idols.
___Despite well-publicized research that shows American Catholics disagreeing with the church hierarchy on issues from artificial birth control to priestly celibacy, Greeley also found 73 percent of non-Catholics said Catholics do what the pope and bishops tell them to do, and 52 percent said Catholics are not permitted to think for themselves.
___"Anti-Catholicism is as American as Thanksgiving, apple pie a la mode and chocolate malts with two butter cookies," Greeley said.
___While his survey was taken before the abuse scandal rose into national prominence, Greeley said the church's problems are not going to help reduce anti-Catholicism.
___"The current crisis ... will strengthen the prejudices of those who already have it," he said.

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