A cultural Catholic is an individual who belongs to the Roman Catholic Church but observes the religion's practices as a cultural tradition rather than a spiritual exercise. Cultural Catholics may not fully understand the theology that informs the religion's rituals, or may reject part or most of the theology. It is a term generally synonymous with Cafeteria Catholic^{[citation needed]}. Cultural Catholics may attend Mass less than several times a year, or may not practice their religion at all, but still regard their association with the Catholic Church as a defining aspect of their identity. Cultural Catholics regard the sacraments of the Catholic Church (e.g., baptism, first communion, confirmation and a Catholic wedding) as important milestones in life, without necessarily attaching much spiritual significance to the events.

Large concentrations of cultural Catholics live in cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Providence, R.I.^[1] Although the term is used mostly to describe American Catholics, many European nations, such as Spain and France, have populations that are largely Roman Catholic, but have low church attendance.^[2]

Devout, practicing Catholics who follow the Church's teachings are often chagrined by cultural Catholics' support of liberal social and economic policies.^[1] While Roman Catholic doctrine has more in common with the beliefs of the Christian Right in the United States on issues such as abortion, gay rights, and euthanasia, most cultural Catholics still vote for Democratic candidates. In the 2004 American presidential election, nearly half of self-identified Catholic voters cast ballots for Democrat John Kerry. However, the overwhelming majority of weekly mass-attending Catholics voted Republican or third party.^[3] The cultural Catholics who voted for John Kerry did this despite warnings from the Vatican that any Catholic politician who supported a pro-choice position would be guilty of mortal sin, as well as under automatic excommunication.^[4]

Although cultural Catholics are not religiously devout, they sometimes still harbor resentment and prejudice against the Protestant populations and the anti-Catholicism that has plagued the United States and the United Kingdom due to past religious disagreements, persecutions, and conflicts, such as economic discrimination suffered by Catholic immigrants in late 19th-century America or sanctions imposed against practicing Catholics in Ireland during the period of British rule.^[1] They may still object to intermarriage with Protestants and ecumenical relations with any of the various Protestant denominations.^[5]

[edit] Alternative meaning

As an alternative meaning, "Cultural Catholic" may refer to Catholics, usually of a deeply religious kind, that adhere to Catholic subculture fervently. They may include more icons, statues, and other visibly Catholic devotional images in their homes, and make their religion a large part of their personal subculture. This cultural Catholic is not to be confused with individuals who observe religious practices simply out of "tradition".

[edit] See also

• Cultural Christian
• Secularism

[edit] References