Comment by Tabular-Iceberg

While the decline is not universal, shrinking parishes is itself a reason to sell older and more ornate churches and either build smaller strip mall ones, or merging several parishes into big expo center ones.

Of course it only adds to the decline when the hierarchy builds as if going to Mass is no different from a trip to the mall or seeing a show.

There’s also the hypothesis that if the Church gets prestigious awards for their avant-garde architecture people will finally start liking the Church again.