A lapsed Catholic is a Catholic who is non-practicing.[1][2] Such a person may still identify as a Catholic,[3] and remains one according to Catholic canon law.[4]
^Simoneau, Alan G. (5 January 1998). Metaphorically Speaking: Ethnic Analogies And The Construction of Gay Identify. Carleton University. p. 80. Roman Catholicism provides another illustration: many Catholics who no longer actively express their religious affiliation will not hesitate to identify themselves as Catholic—some do feel the need to add qualifiers such as "lapsed Catholic".
^R. John Kinkel (29 September 2008). The Story of Early Christianity. ISBN9780595624027. Retrieved 14 June 2012. In the old days (1950s) these people would be called backsliders, apostates, lapsed Christians, and now this label has emerged: FARC, ie fallen away Roman Catholic.
^Patricia Barbernitz (1993). Parish Ministry for Returning Catholics. Paulist Press. p. 3. ISBN9780809134410. Retrieved 14 June 2012. 'I'm Catholic' is also the statement frequently used by some other people — those whom others might have named 'inactive' Catholics, 'fallen-away' or 'lapsed' Catholics. For many of them, the statement remains, 'I'm Catholic'.