A new survey shows the vast majority of Catholics [1] in the UK participated in online worship during the COVID-19 lockdown, but most are eager to return to in-person Masses.
The Coronavirus, Church & You report was commissioned by Catholic Voices, and was part of a wider survey of Christian responses in the UK to the COVID-19 crisis.
Around 93 percent of those surveyed said they participated in online worship, although the authors of the report cautioned this number was probably artificially high due to the way the participants were selected – bishops and other clergy promoted the survey, meaning the vast majority of the 2,500 people polled were regular churchgoers.
The survey also asked what might happen after lockdown when churches re-open (fully). “Well over half (61 percent) said they would revert back to services in church, but 35 percent said they would use online worship sometimes if it was available. There seemed little danger of a mass exodus to the virtual world, with only 4 percent thinking they would worship mainly or entirely online,” the report says.
Brenden Thompson, the CEO of Catholic Voices, said whilst many Catholics have been grateful for the online provision, they are on the whole “ready to get back to the real thing”.
“Many priests I am speaking to, at least anecdotally, say that as many as 30-50 percent of their parishioners have returned since churches have reopened. The results of this survey make me cautiously optimistic that, in time, many more will also return,” he said.