Catholic Church: Leap of Faith

By James Politi and Lindsay Whipp
Financial Time
September 17, 2015

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Pope Francis raises hopes he will reverse the decline in the US Church on his first visit to America

After mass last Sunday at St Mary’s church in Riverside, a leafy, affluent suburb west of Chicago, Kate Boharic, 66, emerged into the sunshine with her husband Bob.

The service was well-attended: the pews were three-quarters full, and the congregation spanned all generations. Ms Boharic believes Pope Francis’ impending trip to the US could encourage lapsed Catholics to return to the church.

This month, the 78-year-old Argentine pontiff took two steps that were seen by reformers as crucial to reviving the fortunes of US Catholicism, which has been shedding followers for years.