Economics Paper Suggests Mass Decline Tied To Vatican II Implementation

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According to the researchers, attendance rates declined significantly faster in historically Catholic countries than in Protestant ones in the years after Vatican II. The trend began immediately after Vatican II and was not ongoing when the council began in the early 1960s.

Beginning in 1965 and through the 2010s, monthly attendance in Catholic nations decreased by an average of 4 percentage points more than Protestant countries in every decade.

Dismissing the claim that attendance rates only went down due to broader secularizing trends globally, the report asserted: "The decline in attendance is specific to Catholicism, to which Vatican II would directly apply."

Harvard economics professor Robert Barro , one author of the study, told CNA the findings show "a substantial reduction in attendance" in Catholic countries relative to Protestant countries.