c. 2006 Religion News Service

U.S. Catholic Population Dropped in 2005 (Embargoed against use before Friday, Aug. 11)

(RNS) While the number of Roman Catholics worldwide has increased in recent years, the U.S. Catholic population dropped in 2005, according to researchers at Georgetown University.

The U.S. Catholic population was about 67 million in 2005, a decline of more than 300,000, according to figures scheduled for release on Friday (Aug. 11) by the Official Catholic Directory and Georgetown’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

Reported figures from U.S. dioceses and overseas territories show a drop of 800,000 _ though that number is skewed by the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ inability to provide data because of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans reported nearly 500,000 members in 2004.

Worldwide, however, the number of Catholics increased by 6 percent between 1999 and 2004, to almost 1.1 billion, according to a new CARA report. The largest gains were in Africa, where the Catholic population rose by 20 percent to almost 149 million, CARA reported.

By the end of 2004, 6 percent of the worldwide Catholic population was in the U.S., according to CARA.

_ Daniel Burke

Poll: Four in Ten Americans Admit Prejudice Against Muslims

(RNS) Almost 40 percent of Americans acknowledge having some prejudice against Muslims, but those with Muslim acquaintances are more likely to show favorable attitudes, a new USA Today/Gallup Poll shows.

Thirty-nine percent of Americans asked to “honestly” assess themselves said they have “at least some feelings of prejudice against Muslims” while 59 percent said they did not.

Respondents were fairly evenly divided about whether Muslims are respectful of other religions, with 47 percent agreeing and 40 percent disagreeing. There was clear disagreement about whether Muslims are too extreme in their religious beliefs, with 44 percent saying yes and 46 percent saying no.

A substantial minority _ 39 percent _ of Americans favor more strict security measures for Muslims than other U.S. citizens, such as requiring Muslims to carry a special ID; 59 percent said they would oppose such a requirement. Forty-one percent favored Muslims undergoing more intensive security checks at U.S. airports, while 57 percent opposed such action.

When comparing feelings based on whether respondents personally know a Muslim, pollsters found dramatic differences. Forty-one percent said they personally knew a Muslim.

Nearly a quarter of those who said they know a Muslim _ 24 percent _ favored a special ID for Muslims; 50 percent who do not know someone of that faith favored the special ID. Ten percent of those who know a Muslim said they would not want a Muslim as a neighbor, compared to 31 percent of those who did not know one.

Some of the findings were based on interviews of a random national sample of 1,007 adults between July 28-30 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Others were based on a “half-sample” of 500 national adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

_ Adelle M. Banks

Coast Guard Changes Rule, Will Allow Some Religious Headgear on Duty

(RNS) The U.S. Coast Guard has changed its rules and will now permit some religious headgear to be worn on duty.

Chief Petty Officer Daniel Tremper said the Coast Guard has made a “verbal” commitment to enact the change, which aligns it with other U.S. military services. He said a written policy should be released soon.

The rule changes will permit the wearing of a yarmulke, worn by some Jews, but will not allow the hijab worn by Muslim women.

“It must be of a style and size that it can be completely covered by and not interfere with the wearing or appearance of any uniform military headgear,” said Tremper, a Coast Guard spokesman, in a Thursday (Aug. 9) interview.

Permitted apparel cannot cover the face or forehead or “interfere with the proper wear or functioning of protective clothing or equipment,” he said.

For example, religious headgear could not be worn by firefighting team members who wear masks on Coast Guard cutters. “We’re talking about safety concerns there,” Tremper said.

The policy comes after a meeting of the guard’s Uniform Board, which recommended the change to Admiral Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard. Allen agreed to the revision.

Some individuals and an Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization had sought the revision. Jack Rosenberg, a Hasidic Jewish member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary from Silver Springs, N.Y., had lodged a complaint, along with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

“There’s nothing more American than freedom to worship and volunteering to serve in our armed forces,” Kerry said in an Aug. 4 statement after learning of the rule change. “No one should ever have to choose between honoring their religion and keeping their job, especially our servicemen and women.”

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations also welcomed the revision.

“Other branches of America’s armed services accommodate servicemen and women wearing religious clothing so long as it does not interfere with their duties, and we are heartened that the Coast Guard now provides for similar accommodations,” said Nathan Diament, the umbrella organization’s director of public policy.

_ Adelle M. Banks

Quote of the Day: Johnny Hunt, spokesman for Muslim Bible Day

(RNS) “The terrorists sent bombs and bullets. … Let’s respond with Bibles.”

_ Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., and a national spokesman for Muslim Bible Day, a project that distributes Bibles in Muslim countries. Quoted on the Muslim Bible Day Web site (http://www.muslimbibleday.org), Hunt said his church will collect an offering for the project on the second Sunday of September to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

KRE/JL END RNSEditors: The first item about the U.S. Catholic population is embargoed for publication until Friday, Aug. 11.