Emergence of the Post-Liberal Catholic Priest

A major recent survey suggests that a new generation of Catholic priests is breaking free of the restrictive political labels of “conservative” and “liberal,” recognizing that the claims of our Faith transcend such increasingly anachronistic branding.

The study, conducted by The Catholic Project at Catholic University of America, demonstrates that newer cohorts of Catholic priests refuse to be constrained by a political regime that, in both its conservative and progressive forms, is corrosive of Catholic witness. Responses to the “National Study of Catholic Priests: Wave 2” (the “Wave Two Study” or “Study”) suggest that younger priests are resistant to the left/right continuum of American politics.