Lawler concluded that the central finding of the NBER study is difficult to dismiss: the Second Vatican Council marked the beginning of a significant and unexpected downturn in Catholic religious practice

Study shows Vatican II triggered a drop in Catholic practice, analyst says

By News on the Net -- CatholicVote——Bio and Archives--August 1, 2025

A recent analysis by Catholic commentator Phil Lawler points to a sobering conclusion: The dramatic drop in Mass attendance across the Western world can be traced to the Second Vatican Council.

In a July 28 article for Catholic Culture, Lawler cited new research from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) that challenges long-held assumptions in the ongoing debate over whether the Second Vatican Council or broader cultural trends caused the decline in Catholic practice. ---More...

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