Catholics+in+the+Census+2011

 = CathBlog - What it means to be the Big Denomination =

Published: June 24, 2012
// BY ARCHBISHOP DENIS HART // Australians like all things big, from the Big Pineapple to the Big Merino. But what does being the “big” denomination mean? The release of the 2011 census data last week brought the news that Catholics are still the largest religious group in Australia, making up more than a quarter of the population. We're not standing still either, with our numbers increasing by more than six per cent from the last census in 2006 to more than 5.4 million faithful. The number of Catholics is increasing in every state, with Queensland having the biggest numerical increase at almost 100,000 souls, while Western Australia had the biggest percentage increase at 14 per cent. So Catholics now make up more than 40 per cent of all Christians. It is good news that more Australians are receiving Jesus' Good News. It is good news for the Catholic Church that more are finding their way to Jesus through our faith. But I think the best news is the opportunity this gives us as Catholics to bring Jesus’ message to our fellow Australians. One of the key messages of the census data was that more than 22 per cent of Australians indicated they have no religion. That's the second largest group after Catholics. These people might be atheists or it may be they just don't want to associate with an organised religion. But what the existence of this group most definitely means is that we have to grow in living and witnessing our faith, so more Australians can see the value of having a relationship with Christ. We should not assume the quarter of Australians who identify as Catholic are home and safe. In 2006 the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) Pastoral Projects Office found more than 80 per cent of Catholics were not actively living their faith. That's why the Church has called us to undertake the New Evangelisation, to be missionaries to practicing Catholics, people who are losing contact with the Church, as well as others. In August the ACBC will host Proclaim 2012, a conference in Sydney on the New Evangelisation (more information here ). I encourage Catholics to attend to be more effective at spreading God's word. The Pastoral Research Office will be undertaking more research through the National Catholic Census Project, to help us better understand the nature of today's Catholic population in Australia. // Archbishop Denis Hart is President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. //

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