Census 2022: 10% reduction in Roman Catholic numbers

Is it though?

3.69million down to 3.51 million?

Considering all the abuse scandals, aging population (how many Catholics have literally died in the last 6 years), high levels of immigration.....

Attending mass or not has no bearing on whether someone identifies as catholic.

Was the question asked the exact same way in both years; it can have a massive influence.

The whole heaven and hell and everlasting life along with some lad sticking a red hot poker up your arse full all eternity if you don't obey this set of rules just doesn't wash with people anymore

When you die, you're worm food. People are educated now. I'm surprised the number isn't higher.

I expect people probably don't think too much about that Question on the census but I think it's a great result and trend. Hopefully we can get the church out of our schools soon. Many more parents would abandon communions and confirmations if they were told the prep had to take place outside school and they had to help out or even go to mass regularly! It's all a bit of a sham really. Time to grow up.

I am delighted with those numbers and I know the young people growing up today will have zero qualms around saying no religion...except the jedis perhaps.

Is that you Bishop O'Neill?

How many of those that tick no religion actually practice the rituals. I'd say quite a lot. That to me is being part of the religion no if it buts. Having actual faith is another question entirely.

Define regularly. I know overseas communities which expect to see people on average 1 week in 6, but still count them as members

If you are Jewish, then yes.

Hopefully, this will lead to changes across education and healthcare in Ireland. TDs shouldn't feel the need to cater to constituents who they think could have Catholic beliefs. I'm all for learning about religion (in a general sense) in school, but the fact that there is an admissions hierarchy and Catholicism is one of the considerations in the hierarchy is an absolute disgrace. Parents who choose not to baptise their children and yet pay taxes which go to the nearby school that will openly discriminate against them if the last spot is between a baptised Catholic and a non-baptised child is outrageous. Education should be universal, religion is personal.

I also reckon as the number further decreases in the coming census and it becomes clear that being Catholic is no longer in vogue, people will feel more brave and honest about how they identify leading to a much more dramatic fall in the number.

Fear of what, exactly would cause people to lie in the census?

Based on the numbers in the OP the actual number of catholics is only down 5%,

It's the percentage population that identify as catholic thats down 10% which isn't quite the same thing.

If there was a category called "Non-practicing, self identified Catholic" I think that would be more than the rest combined.

It’s a self-identifying question, not an exam.

Got me wondering now is there need for a ‘Salty AF’ option 🤔

Well that's not true.

I do not identify as a Catholic, but the Church would identify ME as a catholic.

A Catholic by definition participates in worship and must attend mass unless you've a good reason not to, such as being ill or doing charitable works. You also have to observe the sacraments, have confession, observe fasts and abstinences, observe the rules around marriage, and a good bit more. My gran and grandad are Catholic.

Some people in Ireland are Lapsed Catholics, where they did this once upon a time, but don't anymore. My mother and father are lapsed Catholics.

Now, the majority, myself included, are cultural Catholics, where your mammy made you go to mass. You got baptised because the school wouldn't take you if you weren't, you got Communion and Confirmation because the rest of your class were doing it, and it was a good way to get money.

But, the only proper way to leave the Catholic Church is either never get baptised in the first place, or get excommunicated.

Really, the census should be worded to include the word "practicing".

I agree with that but clearly a lot of people don't. If there were 3.5m practicing Catholics the catholic churches all over the country wouldn't be empty each Sunday.

For whatever reason a lot of people who don't practice are unwilling to take that step and check that "No Religion" box. Perhaps it's guilt. Perhaps it's self delusion. Perhaps it is superstition. Who knows?

It would be very interesting to see an age breakdown of each category.

it would also be interesting to see a breakdown by country of origin. (I don't think we get a lot of No Religion immigrants)

It’s a far higher figure of Catholics than the Dublin media would have us believe and didn’t drop all that much considering all the church bashing on Irish times / indo etc . From my visits to my local church plenty of Poles , far east Asia & Nigerians Catholics as well that have moved to this country .

Ireland still has one of the highest Catholic population percentages in Europe .

Dublin is the lowest Catholic county at 53% of the population but many counties in the 70 plus % bracket with Mayo highest at 80% . A lot of people may only go to mass now and again but still associate as Catholic .

It's all down to political cowardice and a small but very vocal conservative Catholic lobby. Plus the fact that most politicians went to religious order schools, some of them very exclusive ones.

The majority of parents want non-religious schools, survey after survey has shown this for years.

Using a box-tick from a pensioner in, say, Donegal to attempt to justify what type of school gets built in, say, Cork is completely mad, but that's what this box-ticking exercise for the whole population is doing.

Recently there was a count done at weekend masses . I’d guess it’s to do with lack of priests going forward and cutting back on masses where attendances are lowest .

In our town of 2000 people there was an average of 415 attending the 3 masses at the weekend over a months figures which gives you circa 21/22%. .

I’d say half of those going go every week circa 200 but of the other half there seemed to be some who go every second week or once a month or other hap hazard attendance but you could have had 30/35 % who were there at least once a month . The numbers were higher than expected but for many it’s a chance to meet a few , getaway from it all for an hour , say a few quite prayers , maybe offload their worries by lighting a candle etc .