The Catholic Church 'out of touch': MySpace poll

Melbourne, July 14 : A poll conducted by social networking website MySpace has branded the Catholic Church "out of touch" with young people, just ahead of its World Youth Day event in Sydney.

Pope Benedict XVI, who arrived in Sydney yesterday, is spending the next few days recovering from jetlag at a retreat in the city's northwest, reports News.com.au.

Speaking on the flight from Rome, the Pope acknowledged that the church faces a fight against religious indifference among young people.

And the survey appears to show he is right.

The online poll, which targeted Australians aged 14 to 24, found 77 per cent rated the Catholic Church as irrelevant to their daily lives.

More than 50 percent also said that they would not take part in World Youth Day events "because of the church's stance on sexuality".

One user wrote in a comment on the site that governments should not "waste so much money on a stupid event that could be much better spent elsewhere".

However, another MySpace user said World Youth Day was needed now more than ever. "In a world of so much pain, what is so wrong with having a bit of God's love?"

"The government is footing the bill for a lot of the stuff, but only because of the influx of revenue this will bring to its coffers through tourism and all the other related industries," the user stated.

ANI