Pope blames church for Catholic exodus

Pope Francis issued blunt, soul-searching criticism Saturday of the Brazilian church's failure to stem the "exodus" of Catholics to evangelical congregations, challenging the region's bishops to be closer to the people to understand their problems and persuade them that Catholicism is not "barren, fruitless soil."

In the longest and most important speech of his four-month pontificate, Francis drove home a message he has emphasized throughout his first international trip to World Youth Day: the need for Catholics, lay and religious, to shake up the status quo, get out of their stuffy sacristies, and reach the faithful on the margins of society or risk losing them to rival churches. Read more

Also read
Pope Francis 'Will Not Judge' Priests for Sexual Orientation, Reaffirms Catholic Stance on Homosexuality, Women, Abortion and Sin
Pope Francis: Gays Shouldn't Be Marginalized, Ban on Women Priests 'Definitive'