UNITED KINGDOM
The Times
The number of people who attend church services in Scotland is declining at an alarming rate but that does not mean there is no need for what religion offers
These are not heartening days for the church. In Rome, Cardinal Pell, one of Pope Francis’s most senior advisers, is charged with sexual assault, bringing the aura of abuse uncomfortably close to the Holy See. In Scotland, Lady Smith’s inquiry into sexual abuse will hear evidence against institutions whose names — Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, Sisters of Nazareth, Good Shepherd Sisters, and Christian Brothers — should by rights speak of the Christian values of love and sanctuary, but will instead be explaining why children in their care may not have been safe from assault.
Against this background, a survey of religious attitudes in Scotland shows a steady decline in attendance. Whether the allegations have led to the growing disaffection among churchgoers is hard to say, but they cannot have helped.
The figures are worth closer analysis. They show a steep fall in the years between 1999 and 2016 among those who attend regularly. Only 12 per cent of the population say they go to a service once a week; it used to be 19 per cent. The number of those who never go to church has risen from 49 to 63 per cent, and here it is the younger generation which feels most disconnected: while 56 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds said in 1999 they did not attend church at all, in 2016 that figure had risen to 80 per cent. This is perhaps the most worrying figure of all because it suggests a rising generation will know or care little about the religion that has formed the country in which they live.
For the Church of Scotland, whose congregations have fallen steeply over the past 17 years, the question arises: what is the kirk for? If it is viewed with suspicion or indifference by the great majority of young people, if its sermons are not heard and its message falls on deaf ears, what then should it be doing to connect with the people it is meant to be serving? Ask any minister and the answer will probably revolve around the church’s pastoral role — the way it acts as a focus for community life, its involvement in care for the elderly or the sick, its function in conducting marriages and funerals, and the way it is frequently the first point of reference when there is an accident or disaster.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.