Catholic population in Canada up 4.8 percent

By ART BABYCH
Canadian Catholic News
Ottawa

In releasing the information , Statistics Canada said the proportion of Protestants, the second largest religious group in Canada dropped from 35 per cent of the population to 29 per cent, or about 8.7 million people.

One of the reasons for the increase in the Catholic population was immigration, said the federal agency. "Of the 1.8 million immigrants who came to Canada between 1991-2001, Roman Catholics accounted for near one-quarter (23 per cent) of this total, the highest proportion for any major religion among these recent arrivals," it said.

Msgr. Peter Schonenbach, general secretary of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, wasn't surprised at the census figure on the Catholic population. He said it confirms what some of the bishops and provincial data had already indicated.

"The census information is valuable," Schonenbach said. But, pointing out the impact of immigrants on the increase in the number of Catholics, he added, "I don't think we should go around waving flags because to some extent it has to do with immigrants, rather than 'great conversions.'"

Schonenbach also said that in a few weeks, Statistics Canada is expected to provide the CCCB with figures showing the number of Catholics in each diocese. Currently each diocese is taxed on a per capita basis to help support the CCCB.

"I don't think we should go around waving flags because to some extent it has to do with immigrants, rather than 'great conversions'." - Msgr. Peter Schonenbach

However, a plan is now being studied that would have the contributions of the dioceses based on their offertory collection over the previous three years. That money would go toward the CCCB's secretariat, administration, the marriage tribunal and members' expenses, "which means the richer you are the more you pay of that fundamental package of activities," said Schonenbach.

Seven out of 10 Canadians in the census identified themselves as Roman Catholics or Protestants. Together, they represent 72 per cent of the population in 2001, compared with 80 per cent in 1991.

Statistics Canada said much of the shift in Canada's religious make-up over the past several decades is the result of changing sources of immigrants, which, it said, has contributed to a more diverse religious profile.

Those Canadians who reported simply that they were "Christian," rather than specifying which denomination, increased by 124 per cent - or more than double - during the decade to 780,400, or 2.6 per cent of the population. As well, 16 per cent of Canadians said they had no religion at all, compared to 12 per cent a decade earlier.

The number of Pentecostals dropped 15 per cent to almost 369,000, the United Church witnessed an eight per cent decline to over 2.8 million, the number of Anglicans fell seven per cent to about two million and the Lutherans' numbers dropped by five per cent to 606,000.

However, some of the smaller Protestant denominations showed moderate to large gains in membership. They included the Evangelical Missionary Church, up 48 per cent, to 66,700, Hutterites up 22 per cent to 26,300, Adventists up 20 per cent to 62,900 and Christian and Missionary Alliance, up 12 per cent to 66,300.

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