By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer A groundbreaking new study has found that most students on Catholic campuses reject key Catholic moral values and tenets of the faith, and significant numbers engage in pre-marital sexuality activity and the viewing of pornography. The study, conducted by the Cardinal Newman Society’s (CNS) Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education, randomly surveyed current and recent students at U.S. Catholic colleges and universities between the ages of 18-29. “Most respondents say that the experience of attending a Catholic institution made no difference in their support for the Catholic Church or its teaching or their participation in Catholic Sacraments,” said Steven Wagner, president of QEV, the firm that conducted the survey. Key findings clearly demonstrate that large numbers of students at Catholic colleges and universities are in clear conflict with the Catholic Church: ? Nearly 1 in 5 knew another student who had or paid for an abortion. ? 46 percent of current and recent students—and 50 percent of females—said they engaged in sex outside of marriage. ? 84 percent said they had friends who engaged in premarital sex. ? 60 percent agreed strongly or somewhat that abortion should be legal. ? 60 percent agreed strongly or somewhat that premarital sex is not a sin. ? 78 percent disagreed strongly or somewhat that using a condom to prevent pregnancy was a serious sin. ? 57 percent agreed strongly or somewhat that same-sex “marriage” should be legal. ? 57 percent said the experience of attending a Catholic college or university had no effect on their participation in Mass and the sacrament of reconciliation. ? 54 percent of respondents said that their experience of attending a Catholic college or university had no effect on their support for the teachings of the Catholic Church. ? 56 percent said their experience had no effect on their respect for the Pope and bishops. These findings amount to a solid clue as to why the 18-29 age group voted overwhelmingly to elect the nation’s most strident pro-abortion Senator to the presidency. It also explains how more than half of the nation’s Catholics did the same.   In April 2008 Pope Benedict XVI, recognizing the reality on many Catholic campuses, told Catholic college presidents gathered at The Catholic University of America that the Catholic faith must permeate all aspects of Catholic campus life. “Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools?” the Holy Father asked the college presidents. “Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold. From this perspective one can recognize that the contemporary ‘crisis of truth’ is rooted in a ‘crisis of faith’.” CNS commissioned the study as part of its Love & Responsibility program to encourage Catholic values on life, love and marriage on Catholic campuses. © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com