(ZENIT News / Washington, DC, 07.05.2024).- The conservative tendency in the Catholic Church in the United States was the object of an extensive analysis by the Associated Press news agency, which highlighted the generational change in the clergy and its implications for the institution’s future.
The Report, entitled “A Step Back in Time,” highlights how progressive priests that dominated the Church in the United States after Vatican Council II, are being replaced by a new, more conservative generation. This change has generated mixed reactions among the older members of the clergy, many of whom feel disappointed or even angry in face of which they perceive as a setback in the “progress” achieved in previous decades.
However, this phenomenon isn’t new or exclusive to the Catholic Church. For decades, sociological studies have pointed out how conservative religious denominations have experienced sustained growth, whereas the progressive have seen a decrease in their membership. This tendency has also been reflected in the Catholic Church, as several reports and recent surveys demonstrate.
For instance, sociologist Mark Regnerus has observed a significant increase in the number of young priests who identify as conservative, as compared with previous decades. Moreover, a Report of the Catholic University of America revealed that progressive priests are almost absent among the more recent generation of clergymen.
This change in the clergy’s composition has sparked debates inside the Church, but it also poses question on the institution’s future. Does this conservative tendency represent an anticipated vision of what the Church will be like in the future? Or is it simply an answer to the demographic and social realities of the present?
Regardless of the divergent opinions, the fact is that the Catholic Church in the United States is experiencing a significant change in its structure and pastoral focus. This phenomenon, far from going unnoticed, is being the object of an in-depth analysis by sociologists, religious leaders and the media.
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