A survey of priests, laiety and people in the pews shows Hawai'i parishioners and clergy struggle with the same questions of religious doctrine as others across the nation. Like other American Catholics, Islanders do not fall into a straight line behind the pope.

"I would assume we're as American as the rest of the country when it comes to issues of our faith," said diocese spokesman Patrick Downes.

Diocese theologian Marc Alexander said most practicing Catholics in Hawai'i look to local leadership more than to the pope to set their agenda. However, Alexander also states that Hawai'i's Catholic churchgoers don't experience a strong disconnect between the official views of Pope John Paul II, who is considered infallible in the eyes of the church, and their beliefs.

The average practicing Catholic, Alexander said, agrees that gays should not have sex with each other; that birth control treats children as a commodity; and that women's important roles in other leadership positions rather than the priesthood may suffice.

"Maybe for people in the pews," countered Helen Baroni, the chairman of the religion department at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa who was raised Catholic. "What about the people who aren't in the pews?"

That's a question to consider. The diocese figures about a quarter of Hawai'i's residents are Roman Catholic; about a quarter of those actually attend Mass every Sunday. That leaves a fairly large demographic talking with "their feet," as one Jesuit put it.

A CHANGING DIOCESE

The transition in leadership that must follow Pope John Paul II's death will inevitably prompt discussion and soul-searching about the direction of the Catholic Church among followers worldwide. In Hawai'i, that comes against a backdrop of a diocese in transition, although there are no dramatic changes at play.

The number of Catholics who attend Mass weekly has dropped slightly in the past two decades, according to diocesan figures. However, Hawai'i's overall population has increased.

No federal census data counts religious affiliation, but each weekend in October, local Catholic churches have someone in the congregation manually count the people in the pews and then calculate the average. In 1982, 60,495 attended Mass, on average. Last year, it was 56,626.

Churches are growing on the leeward side, notes Downes. Ethnic ministries for Korean, Hispanic and Filipino Americans are seeing an upswing. Anecdotally, more young people seem to be participating in youth ministries.

None of these developments offer solid evidence, however, that Hawai'i's Catholics are moving in a more conservative or liberal direction.

SPLIT ON DOCTRINE

The Rev. Chris Cartwright, a Jesuit who heads the Newman Center/Holy Spirit Church, sees a disconnect between the beliefs of the average American Catholic, who may or may not attend Mass, and the leadership.

"People's general sense of the leadership is, I'd say, benign humor," he said.

"... For birth control, clearly, people have voted with their feet on that one."

Gina Oga Smith joins in prayers for Pope John Paul II at St. Patrick's Church in Kaimuki on Thursday.

"We've grown so used to things not being dealt with," Cartwright said. "When the holy father says 'Don't talk about married clergy and women priests' — when you talk to college-educated people (about this topic), they don't take you seriously. No one else in their life says you should observe thought control."

Other faithful have hewn closely to the pope's directives. At Thursday's special Mass for the pope at St. Patrick Church in Kaimuki, for example, Elsie Chang, a senior citizen, and Leonard L. Letoto said they embrace his views. Chang is a senior citizen.

"To me, abortion is murder," said Letoto, father of 10.

Mika Moefu and his wife, Elenoa, parents of five, said being raised as Catholics influenced their way of thinking, which generally falls in line with the pope.

But two younger parishioners weren't quite so fast to agree with the late pope's views.

Janis Sanchez, mother of a St. Patrick's grade-schooler, said birth control "is a big thing."

"It's better than having children after children and not being able to afford them," she said.

Gina Oga Smith, a single mother with four kids, agreed birth control is a big issue, but said priests seem to have a variety of opinions. She wants to see the changing leadership "change with modern times, but still reflect the good beliefs."

"(Birth control) has always been the huge disconnect between (Catholic clergy) who live celibate lives and those who don't," said Regina Pfeiffer, who teaches religion at Chaminade University, suggesting that perhaps it's time to re-evaluate the 20-year-old code of canon law.

CONSERVATIVE ISSUES

John Paul II held the line when it came to divorce and remarriage outside the church, and he spoke out against birth control and abortion. The issues earned him a conservative label.

But John Paul II was not anymore conservative than his predecessors, said The Rev. Hal Weidner, pastor at Holy Trinity.

Weidner noted that John Paul II took other positions, such as an opposition to the Gulf War and the death penalty, that would not be considered conservative by Americans.

The pope made his directives according to a world view that was not centered solely on American Catholics. For instance, he paid heed to the effect of his policies on the orthodox Catholic church, with which he sought to mend ties.

"Americans have a serious agenda, but it's not the only agenda and sometimes we forget where it fits in the overall church," Weidner said. "Our issues are not necessarily the issues of the church. We have to be a little humble about that. And patient."

ClERGY NUMBERS FALL

How to grapple with the local issues? One priest offered some ideas.

Weidner, head of the Oratorian order here, said he'd like to see better coordination with youth ministries, better development of the 'Ewa plain for churches and "intellectual and emotional support for priests."

"If they took care of that, I'd be happy," he said.

If Hawai'i Catholics are looking to their parish priests to bridge the gap, however, it's important to note that the number of clergy here, as elsewhere, has plunged.

"In '93, when I came back from Rome, there were 48 active diocesan priests," said Alexander, who grew up in Hawai'i. "Now, there are 26 active diocesan priests. We've taken a huge, huge hit there."

He's not including the diocesan administrator, the Very Rev. Tom Gross, a parish priest who is filling in until a bishop is appointed. The bishop's spot has been empty since Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo left last May to take over in Richmond, Va. The number of religious orders priests has fallen, too.

Re-mapping of parishes and loans of priests from other diocese — mostly from the Philippines but also from elsewhere — has taken up some slack, Alexander said, but the leadership here is not as diverse as its community.

"The pope has tried to internationalize, but it hasn't trickled down," Alexander said. "And when it comes to women involved and minorities, they are poorly represented."

UH's Baroni is studying the island's Buddhist community's efforts to strengthen its clergy, including training local Buddhist priests. She says Catholics face the same problems when it comes to outside leadership.

"Outsiders don't really understand the issues (of the local congregations), and then there's an even larger disconnect, with people coming in not understanding the 75 percent who don't attend Mass," she said.

"It sounds like a vicious cycle to me. And I don't know if there's motivation to break the cycle, because the kinds of actions that would break the cycle would be contrary to the agenda the church has set."