This most recent study is the second of a three-part investigation that focuses on several thousand priests from 191 dioceses. The first part (published October 2022), revealed that, although fulfilled in their priesthood, many priests felt they were suffering from too much pressure and felt a distrust by their bishop, not to mention the fear of be falsely accused of misconduct.
The second part of the survey is even more interesting because it shows an erosion of the divide formerly existing between progressive and conservative priests. The proportion of priests describing themselves as “conservative” and “orthodox” in terms of Catholic theology today represents 80% of subjects ordained after 2020.
The same trend is observed at the political level: “The proportion of new priests who consider themselves politically ‘liberal’ or theologically ‘progressive’ has steadily decreased since Vatican II and now seems to have simply disappeared,” states the report.
It is a shift which, according to the survey, began at the end of the pontificate of John Paul II. Until then, a majority of priests considered themselves “progressive,” but the media coverage of abuses in the Church and meteoric rise of the secularization of American society has clipped the wings of those who announced a new springtime for the Church in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.
A new report published by a project at the Catholic University of America (Washington D.C.) highlights that aging progressive clergy, little by little, are being replaced by a majority of young priests who describe themselves as conservative. The 18-page study was conducted by The Catholic Project and challenges many preconcieved ideas.