Is a recent poll of Catholics about the Real Presence reflective of Church teaching?
By Deacon Bob Hunt
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to talk about the Eucharist. There has been lot of talk about the Eucharist over the last couple of years, with the Eucharistic Revival in full force and the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress to take place this month in Indianapolis.
There have also been innumerable polls attempting to take the pulse of American Catholics and their belief about the Eucharist. A 2019 Pew Survey reported that 69 percent of “self-identifying” Catholics believe that the Eucharist is only a symbol and not the body and blood of Jesus. A 2023 poll conducted by The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) surveyed only those who belong to a Catholic parish and found that 95 percent of Catholics who attend Mass weekly believe that the Eucharist is, indeed, the body and blood of Christ. Now there’s news about yet another survey, this one conducted by Vinea Research in 2022. Their poll reports that 69 percent of Catholics do, indeed, believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Good news, right? Unfortunately, no.
Vinea Research claims that its survey includes questions on the Eucharist that “better reflect Catholic language.” Sorry, but it doesn’t. The survey by Vinea Research gave respondents three options: “Which of the following best describes Catholic teaching about the bread and wine used for Communion? a) Jesus Christ is truly present in the bread and wine of the Eucharist; b) Bread and wine are symbols of Jesus, but Jesus is not truly present; or c) Not sure.”
I hope you see the problem. None of the three options offered by Vinea Research correctly “describes Catholic teaching about the bread and wine used for Communion.” The Catholic Church teaches, and has from the days of Sts. Peter and Paul, that the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not truly present in the bread and wine. There is nothing of bread and wine left after the priest says the words of consecration. It is all Jesus! Yes, the Eucharist maintains the appearance of bread and wine, but that is all. This is the difference between the Protestant doctrine of consubstantiation, where Jesus is present alongside the elements of bread and wine, and the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, where the elements of bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ.
Hans Plate is the founder of Vinea Research, which is described as a Catholic firm. Mr. Plate reports that his survey was conducted “with no involvement or sponsorship by the U.S. bishops or the Eucharistic Revival.” Yeah, that’s probably why he blew it so badly. Given the results of his survey, though, perhaps we need another three years of Eucharistic Revival.
Is there any good news here? Yes! The good news is found in the CARA survey, which reports that 95 percent of Catholics who attend Mass weekly believe what the Church teaches about the Eucharist: that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Christ, His body and blood. The bad news about the CARA survey? They report that only 17 percent of Catholics in America attend Mass weekly. It seems that faith in what the Church teaches about the Eucharist (as well, I suspect, about a good many other things) is directly correlated with Mass attendance, or maybe it’s vice versa. If a Catholic goes to Mass, he or she is likely to believe what the Church teaches. Or, conversely, if a Catholic believes what the Church teaches, he or she is likely to go to Mass.
The lack of knowledge among Catholics on the teachings of the Church is a serious problem, but there is a solution, and the solution has two elements to it. First, Catholic education must better educate Catholics on the teachings of the Church. That so many Catholics simply do not know what the Church teaches is a scandal. It’s one thing to know and not accept what the Church teaches. But no one can accept what the Church teaches if he or she doesn’t know what that teaching is! Second, we need to get Catholics back into Church and keep those we have. How? I’ve written about this before, but it all starts with the family. Children from intact families who go to church are far more likely to become adults who go to church. We need to work on keeping Catholic families intact, and that means ministries directed to Catholic families: those who are about to become families, those who are struggling to remain families, and even those who are doing well as families. The research is in. We know what we’re dealing with. The question is: will we do what is necessary to create a stronger, more knowledgeable, and believing Church for future generations? It’s up to us.
Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.
Deacon Bob Hunt is a husband, father, grandfather, and parishioner at All Saints Church in Knoxville. He is author of the book “Thy Word: An Introduction to the Bible for People in the Pews.”
