Some Catholics Stop Gifts Due to Scandal, Poll Finds

The clergy sexual-abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic church so far has had a limited effect on giving to the church. But that effect could grow significantly if donors find out that their gifts have been used to settle sexual-abuse lawsuits, according to a new report released by Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, in Washington.

The report, based on results from a poll of Catholic donors, found that 11 percent of lay Catholics who attend mass regularly have stopped contributing to their parishes because of priestly misconduct, and 19 percent have chosen not to donate to diocesan appeals.

The rest of the respondents reported that their giving has not changed — except for the 3 percent who are contributing more to their parishes, and the 2 percent who are contributing more to their dioceses.

One-quarter of Catholics said they had not altered their giving because of clergy sexual abuse, but that they would reduce their contributions to the church at the parish, diocese, and national levels if they found out their gifts had been used to pay for lawsuits stemming from priestly misconduct.

The study was based on a telephone poll of 1,001 lay Catholics conducted during the first three weeks of October by the Gallup Organization, in Princeton, N.J. The poll was limited to people over the age of 18 who reported that they attend mass at least three to five times per year.

To ensure that the findings reflected the views of Catholics who are involved in church life and are knowledgeable about the abuse crisis, Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities based its analysis on the responses of the 656 participants who reported that they attend mass weekly or almost weekly.

More than half of those polled said they feared that the cost of settling lawsuits brought by victims of clergy sexual abuse will negatively affect the church’s ability to fulfill its mission, including running programs that help the poor.

Copies of the report are available for $19.95 each. To order, contact Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, P.O. Box 57223, Washington, D.C. 20037; (202) 223-3550; info@fadica.org; http://www.fadica.org.