Researcher says only Catholic Church is losing clergy in U.S.

Published: 2003-11-10

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Among major U.S. religious bodies, the Catholic Church is the only one experiencing a decreasing number of clergy, according to Purdue University sociology professor James D. Davidson. In the current U.S. discussion over whether mandatory celibacy is a significant factor in the Catholic priest shortage, some church officials have cited clergy shortages in other denominations to argue that it is the social or cultural climate of the country that inhibits vocations, not celibacy. Davidson compared 1981-2001 trends in the Catholic Church, seven large mainline Protestant churches and three more theologically conservative churches. He found that the Catholic Church experienced a 22 percent decline in clergy, while all the Protestant churches registered gains. Even seven denominations that had declining membership in those years had more clergy in 2001 than in 1981 or 1991, he found. The CARA Report, a quarterly publication of the Washington-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, cited Davidson's findings in its fall 2003 issue.

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