In the last half-century, the number of Catholic priests has plummeted by 40% while the number of Catholics has skyrocketed, up 65%. The specter of a faith defined by full pews and empty altars hangs heavy over the church. The root cause of this priest shortage is the church's insistence on mandatory celibacy. Given the potential recruitment advantages of abandoning the celibacy requirement, why, Richard A. Schoenherr asks, is the conservative Catholic coalition--headed by the pope--so adamantly opposed to a married clergy? The answer, he argues, is that accepting married priests would be...
In the last half-century, the number of Catholic priests has plummeted by 40% while the number of Catholics has skyrocketed, up 65%. The specter of a ...
The Roman Catholic Church faces a huge loss of diocesan priests in the United States. Constructing a census-registry of 36,000 priests from 1966 to 1984, and using life-table techniques, the authors foretell a dramatic future loss of priests, while predicting a rise in the churchgoing population.
The Roman Catholic Church faces a huge loss of diocesan priests in the United States. Constructing a census-registry of 36,000 priests from 1966 to 19...
