Considering the Catholic hierarchy’s widespread dereliction of duty, is anyone honestly surprised by the laity’s staggering apostasy?
[N]early seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) say they personally believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine used in Communion “are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.” Just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31%) say they believe that “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.”
Because it still apparently needs to be said in an age when official Catholic doctrine can be readily accessed by anyone at any time, whoever receives the Most Holy Sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist receives the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, truly present under the accidents of bread and wine.
There is an accurate, venerable, and useful word for Christians who deny the Real Presence in the Eucharist. That word is Protestants.
You would think that Catholic clergy, of all people, would take pains to prevent such an error from spreading.
Now, when I first heard of this survey, I immediately said, “I bet that heretical majority disappears if you correct for weekly Mass attendees.”
Three interesting points jump out from this chart:
- A clear majority of weekly Mass attendees hold correct Catholic Eucharistic dogma.
- More weekly Mass attendees hold the correct teaching than know it is the correct teaching. That’s the power of ritual. They’re picking up the truth via other means than verbal instruction, because we can be damn sure their pastors aren’t preaching the doctrine.
- Because they’re not hearing it preached, a disgraceful number of Catholics who attend Mass weekly are formal heretics.
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