Pew Research releases new study about Catholics

Study reveals how many are open to non-traditional families

Chase and Brandi Defelice hold their 5-month-old son, Cooper, at a family conference July 11
to prepare people for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in September.
(Photo: Emily M. Albert / The Catholic Witness / CNS)

The Pew Research Center has published a new study that shows many people who consider themselves Catholics don't exactly line up with Church teaching.

"Nine-in-ten U.S. Catholics say a household headed by a married mother and father is an ideal situation for bringing up children. But the survey shows that large majorities think other kinds of families - those headed by parents who are single, divorced, unmarried, or gay - are OK for raising children, too."

It also shows that Catholics who attend Mass regularly are more inclined to hold to Church teaching about marriage and family life.

This study comes just weeks before Pope Francis visits the U.S.A. and joins the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.