American Catholic Laity in a Changing Church

American Catholics now in their adult years began their lives in a Church in which the laity's prime role was to kneel "pray, pay an obey." Now we live in a period where more and more of the laity find that role unsatisfactory. Thus, the 1987 survey,American Catholic Laity probes the degree to which Catholics have changed their images of themselves and of their roles in the Church. It also explores changing perceptions of the moral and teaching authority of the Church and its leaders, raising issues such as: who should have the moral authority to decided whether actions like using contraceptives are sinful or not, and should the laity have the right to participate in Church decision-making that affects their lives.