The gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church, that we know. But there is a rather bleak picture of how the Church is faring in the present cultural milieu. Take, for example, the recent Pew Research Center survey showing a decline in self-identified Christian believers, including Catholics; or, if you believe that this survey is an outlier, consider that many--a majority, in fact--of Catholics do not seem to take seriously the full teaching authority of the Church. Certainly if these polls and surveys are to be believed, there aren't many orthodox Faithful in the Church, as the great bulk have one (or several) doctrines or even dogmas which they outright reject.
Might it have something to do with the lack of leadership from the bishops on matters of moral teaching (usually one of the first things to be openly jettisoned in this age)? Even otherwise good Church leaders (such as our pope) make the mistake of allowing softened rhetoric to seem like softened doctrine. Is it any wonder, then, why there are so few people who bother with forming their beliefs according to the fullness of the Church's teachings?
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