The majority of Catholics in the United States think the church should be more inclusive: these are the issues

For many Catholics in the U.S., the church’s message of compassion and welcome isn’t squaring with its policies. That’s the clear signal from a new Pew Research Center survey showing that a solid majority of American Catholics – about 8 in 10 – say the church should do more to include people who have historically felt excluded.

But ask what that should look like in practice, and you’ll quickly find the limits of consensus.

Who do Catholics want included?

Support for greater inclusion is strongest when it comes to divorced and remarried Catholics (83%) and LGBTQ+ people (75%). Most Catholics also think unmarried couples living together (74%) and women (71%) should be welcomed more fully into the life of the church.

But support drops when the questions get more specific. Just 38% think the church should allow same-sex marriage, for example, and only 54% say it should allow women to become priests. That’s despite overwhelming support for women taking on some leadership roles – 84% say women should be able to preach at Mass, and 81% support women as deacons.

Catholics and the generational shift

Most Catholics, says the survey, still identify with their faith and attend Mass, at least occasionally. In fact, even among those who only go a few times a year, a majority still want the church to be more open. But there’s a clear generational shift.

Younger Catholics, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are more likely to support major changes – especially on issues of sexuality and gender – compared to Baby Boomers.

Still, even among the older faithful, there’s growing unease about how exclusionary the church feels, particularly on issues like annulment and LGBTQ+ identity. And among Latino Catholics, who now make up nearly half of the U.S. Catholic population, calls for greater inclusion are just as strong, if not stronger.

Catholics and change

The question is: how much room do American Catholics believe there is for dialogue inside an institution many still view as hierarchical and slow to adapt? The Pew data suggests that the gap between the church’s teaching and the views of its flock is not just real, it’s growing.

If the church wants to hold onto the trust – and attendance – of U.S. Catholics, it may have to respond not just to calls for kindness and welcome, but to deeper questions about power, participation, and voice. Catholics aren’t asking for easy answers, but they are asking to be heard.

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