Symposium on the Greatest Threats to the Church
I was delighted to be asked to contribute to New Oxford Review’s symposium on the greatest threats facing the Catholic Church. My answer, in a word, is ecumenism. The essay was published today and may be read there freely (for now). Please note that it will be behind a paywall soon, so read it while you can. My contribution is first after the intro, though the others are fascinating reads as well.
According to a 2025 Pew Research study, for every 100 Catholics who join the Church, 840 leave. This should not surprise us, because for decades the mission of the Church has been articulated in such a way that Catholics have little reason to stay. Under the auspices of ecumenism and “interfaith dialogue,” clergy and Church leadership have taught a religious indifference that amounts to self-erasure.
The mission of the Church was once clear: the salvation of souls within the Church as the “sacrament of salvation.” Over time, teaching of that foundational maxim has become tepid and convoluted such that even though the dogma has not changed, Catholic laymen believe altogether different things about salvation than they would have in 1925 or 1425 or 925…
Keep reading at New Oxford Review (scroll past the intro and my contribution is first in the list).
Nicely articulated, Sarah. Clear, precise, and well reasoned. Thank you so much!
You like so many others, have pointed out the problems you believe exist in the Catholic Church while failing to understand the problems inherent in this church exist precisely because it is NOT the true Catholic Church.