Significant decrease in number of Catholics practicing their faith in Philippines: Study

The latest study on nominal and lapsed Catholics in the Philippines shows that there is a significant decrease in the number of Catholics practicing their faith.

Father Jason Hubilla Laguerta, the head of the Archdiocesan Institute for Research and Development (AIRD) of the Archdiocese of Manila, spearheaded the study, and its results were presented during the 5th General Assembly of SIGNIS Philippines, the World Catholic Association for Communication, on July 15.

The event took place at the Communication Foundation for Asia, a pioneer in the development of communication and a Catholic media center established in 1968.

While Catholicism remains the dominant religion, the percentage of active members from other religious groups is more noteworthy, said Father Laguerta.

Most of the participants in the study were those who were already actively engaged in their faith (religious and lay leaders).

In the years leading up to 2021, the local Church implemented a nine-year program aimed at evangelization. It was to mark and prepare for the 500th anniversary of the establishment of Christianity in the country (1521–2021).

The nine-year journey for the New Evangelization, with a different theme for each year, was Integral Faith Formation (2013), the Laity (2014), the Poor (2015), the Eucharist and the Family (2016), the Parish as a Communion of Communities (2017), the Clergy and Religious (2018), the Youth (2019), Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue (2020), and "Missio ad gentes" (mission to the nations) (2021).

"We realize the importance of the Church delving deep into the grassroots level to be fully present and connect with the people, Father Laguerta said.

What is lacking in most Catholics is the component of witnessing their faith in their lives, he added.

One of the key observations of Father Laguerta was that most activities and services of the church seemingly indicate that Catholics are not able to see the depth of their faith in life.

One of his recommendations was that churches should not be like "We often find ourselves preaching to the choir."

According to him, more innovative ways are needed for Catholic members to translate Gospel messages into congregate actions of faith through solidarity, charity, and faith-witnessing value in society.

The Communication Foundation of Asia's Executive Director, Ms. Pie Mabanta-Fenomeno, discussed the results of the baseline study on nominal and lapsed Catholics.

In her presentation, she stressed the role of Catholic communicators and how they can scrutinize people’s behavior and their external expression of faith.

"Let us use communication and media to make sure that God’s love is manifested in us. And in turn, people will be able to use it as a bridge to express their faith throughout the world," she said.

The 5th General Assembly of Signis Philippines was entitled "Synodality: Listening with the Heart."

The chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Office of Social Communication, Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit Jr., stated in his homily that "the Pope reminds communicators to form our hearts before we communicate so that we may not contribute to the brokenness of this world."

"To form our hearts so that we may speak from the heart. That even if we express the truth, the truth is spoken with love. Not with hatred, not with judgment, but with the heart that understands and the heart that is filled with compassion," the prelate said.

Speaking about the Synod of Synodality, Father Laguerta explained, saying, "We are on a journey to becoming synodal. It will never be completed in our lifetime. Synodality is not just a one-time, big-time project of Pope Francis; it is who we are as a Church. This is our identity. This is our style of being Church."

Quoting Dan Burke (founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation), the priest said, "Love builds a bridge over which truth can pass. In the world today, the Synodal path is the way."

"As a Church communicator, it deeply saddens me to witness our failure in effectively reaching out and making a meaningful impact," said Tams Tambuyat, a lay media person who attended the presentation of the study.

He is also a member of Signis Philippines.

There are 110 million people, and Catholics make up 80% of the country’s population. There are 86 Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdictions (Archdioceses, Dioceses, Vicariates, and Prelatures), including the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines.- Santosh Digal