Where the Dallas Charter Went Wrong

The 2022 National Study of Catholic Priests (NSCP) reports the alarming finding that 82 percent of priests fear being falsely accused of sexual abuse, and that the diocesan bishop is generally the last person to whom they would turn if they were in trouble. Still, the NSCP also reports that 77 percent of American Catholic priests are “flourishing.” Thus, one important question is how these two phenomena may be reconciled. Why do so many priests, who are otherwise ­flourishing in their ministries, mistrust bishops?