Pope Francis and reforms of the Church (2019) (SUF edition)

Full edition for scientific use. The long-term study ‘Religion in People's Lives’ has been conducted every ten years since 1970 and provides comprehensive data on the development of religion in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The 2020 study will be accompanied by this online survey to gain additional insights. The Roman Catholic Church is undergoing an epochal change, as religion is now seen as an individual choice and no longer as a cultural destiny. In the future, there will be fewer Catholics but more committed Christians. This movement will be organised in a network structure, with communities (‘hostels’) that live the Gospel and are socially committed. This change will not be controlled by centralised institutions, but will develop from the grassroots, inspired by the Gospel and the Second Vatican Council. The reforms will emerge from the dynamics of local communities.