Study compares priestly models
Catholic and Orthodox clergy surveyed on morale, support
By PATRICIA LEFEVERE
Washington

Are American Orthodox and Catholic clergy content with their life choices to enter the priesthood? What are the chief sources of satisfaction in their priestly work and what major problems do they encounter on a daily basis? How does the decision to marry or remain celibate affect their priesthood?

These are among topics probed in a 2006 study published in two papers, titled: “Comparing the Models: Orthodox and Roman Catholic Clergy in America” and “Satisfaction and Morale Among Parish Clergy: What American Catholic and Orthodox Priests Can Learn from Each Other.”

The papers emerged from random sample surveys of both clergies conducted by sociologists Dean Hoge of The Catholic University of America and Alexey Krindatch, of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute/Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. Anton Vrame, director of religious education for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, coauthored the study.

In the wake of the priest shortage in both churches, “we did this research to clarify what has been called the ‘Orthodox model’ of having married parish priests,” Hoge told NCR. While the two models have much in common, he found they also have important differences. The authors give more attention to the Orthodox model as it is less widely known.
The study surveyed only married Orthodox parish priests and celibate Catholic diocesan priests. No Catholic religious order priests or Orthodox celibate priest-monks were polled. Orthodox priests who marry -- some 98 percent of all Orthodox clergy -- must do so before they are ordained as deacons. Only clergy who choose celibacy or have lost a wife through death can become Orthodox hierarchs.

Ninety percent of Orthodox priests named their wife their greatest support and 79 percent of them saw their spouse as “a partner sharing my ministry.”

Catholic priests indicated their family was a source of strong support, but the numbers fell from 72 percent among priests under age 45, to 57 percent for those ages 45-64, indicating that once a priest’s parents die, he may have to look elsewhere for support, the survey concluded. The study found that 52 percent of Catholic priests compared to 31 percent of Orthodox call their “non-priest friends” their chief source of support.

A vast majority of Orthodox (91 percent) and Catholic (85 percent) clergy would again select priesthood if faced with the decision today. Only 5 percent of each group would “probably not” or “definitely not” repeat their initial choice.
Both Orthodox (98 percent) and Catholic (95 percent) priests found their greatest source of joy in celebrating the liturgy and administering sacraments. Preaching the Word proved a close second in terms of job satisfaction. More than half of each group found fulfillment in the “opportunity to exercise intellectual and creative abilities” that the priesthood affords, and from the challenge of leading a Christian community.

But only 23 percent of Catholic priests found joy in the respect that comes from the priestly office,” compared to 33 percent among Orthodox clergy -- likely reflecting the loss of morale and prestige in the wake of the Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis.
Eleven percent of Orthodox clergy said they felt supported by their national church headquarters versus only 3 percent of priests who indicated support from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Priests noted support from the Vatican (11 percent), their presbyteral council (6 percent) and the National Federation of Priests’ Councils (2 percent).

Both clergies found 50 percent or more support from their parishioners, yet Catholic priests indicated far less support from their bishop -- 29 percent -- compared to 50 percent among the Orthodox. The study concluded that the disparity might owe more to church structure and parish size than to personal relationships between priests and bishops. The surveyed Orthodox parishes averaged some 650 members, while Catholic congregations averaged 3,100 members.

The decline in priestly vocations in both churches may have been the reason why both Orthodox (25 percent) and Catholic (22 percent) clergy listed “too much work” as the chief problem they face on a daily basis. Both expressed similar rates of concern with “the way authority is exercised in the church.”

The overall greatest worry of 37 percent of Orthodox clergy is how to provide financially for their families. Two-thirds of the Orthodox indicated that their ministry would be enhanced had they more time to spend with their families.
The survey disclosed that salary and housing allowances for Orthodox priests in 2004 -- based on years of service -- ranged from $41,000 to $101,000 with a theoretical mean salary of $76,141.50. It noted an argument against a married Catholic clergy is “it would cost more.” Based on Greek Orthodox archdiocesan figures, the 2006 study infers that the cost of hiring Orthodox priests today would be twice that for Catholic clergy.

Both Orthodox (79 percent) and Catholic (67 percent) priests counted “more opportunity for personal spiritual development” as the one change that would most help their ministry.
Both expressed a wish for greater fraternity among their fellow priests.
On issues of more democracy and openness in the church, 46 percent of each clergy thought it “a good idea if the priests in a diocese were to choose their own bishop.” Catholic priests (23 percent) favored letting parishes select their own priests from available clergy, versus (19 percent) among Orthodox priests.

A great majority of Catholic clergy (72 percent) said their church needed to “move faster in empowering laypersons in ministry,” compared to the Orthodox at 56 percent. Orthodox churches have long engaged the laity as volunteers, but have recently realized the need for trained and salaried lay ministers, much like those employed in Catholic parishes.
Four out of five Catholic priests saw themselves as “different from the laity” by virtue of ordination, compared to two out of three Orthodox priests. Catholic priests said that ordination conferred a new status or permanent character on them.
The survey found a clear majority of both clergy who view themselves as “men set apart,” who favor the “cultic model” of priesthood over the “servant-leadership model.”

The strongest argument against considering the Orthodox model, the survey found, is that it makes a distinction between married secular priests and celibate monks, which Catholics fear would create a two-tier priesthood, producing conflicts between the two.
The issue is worsened by the Orthodox rule that only celibates are eligible to be bishops.
Catholics also see the deployment of married clergy to be far more difficult, as it would need to accommodate the ages and education of children and employment of the spouse.

As such, bishops would have much less freedom in moving married priests, it concluded.
Catholics fear that optional celibacy for diocesan priests would put pressure on all diocesan priests to marry. Orthodox clergy agree, noting the laity prefers married pastors because they are more acquainted with marriage and family life.
Patricia Lefevere is longtime contributor to NCR.

National Catholic Reporter, February 23, 2007