Podcast by Claire Lehane and Dahianna Murillo | March 7, 2022

Pope Francis encouraged nuns to speak up against sexism in the Catholic Church in early February. “I invite them to fight when, in some cases, they are treated unfairly, even within the Church; when they serve so much that they are reduced to servitude — at times, by the men of the Church,” he said in a prayer intention video posted on his Twitter account, @Pontifex. For many, the Pope’s critiques of the Church were too little, too late. 

Church attendance and religious affiliation have been decreasing for the past two decades. As US church membership fell below 50% during the Covid-19 pandemic, reporters Claire Lehane and Dahianna Murillo explore how this national trend is affecting local Catholic communities in Queens.

Listen to the podcast below: