I'm amazed that Dark Shadows was given any press at all in that publication, given the statements in a couple of published histories about various Christian activist groups' dislike of the series. Looks as if the Church took a more lenient view than some others...
As would still seem to be the case in other circumstances, I think the most vocal opposition to DS came from the Evangelical Protestants rathar than the Catholics. (Though I do seem to recall at least one Catholic group rallying to have DS removed from the Boston ABC affiliate - and for a time in the second half of '68 they were actually successful.
)
As far as the Young Catholic Messenger goes, it wasn't exactly a conservative publication - at least not the issue that the TV poll appears in because there were a few anti-Vietnam War articles. I can't say I can honestly remember if the Church as a whole was opposed to the war in '68, but I know several factions of the Church were, like the Jesuits, and a few Jesuits would appear to have been on the magazine's staff because I can tell from the intials after their names. So, perhaps my grammar school was already grooming some of us for our high school experiences (I went on to attend a high school that was run by radical Jesuits
).
Also, we should probably remember that February of 1968 wasn't all that long after Pope John XXIII had passed away - and he had been one, if not THE most progressive Pope ever, decreeing all sorts of what were then considered radical Church reforms - and in '68 Pope Paul VI was following through with those decrees. In many ways, the Catholic Church was far different then than it is today. (I wouldn't be surprised if the current Pope wouldn't seriously consider excommunicating Catholics who read Harry Potter!
But I suppose we should really stay off the topic of the current state of religion...)