Information Needs and Behavior of Catholic Priests in Croatia

This article presents a segment of the results gathered in a doctoral study that investigated information needs and behavior of Catholic priests in Croatia. The study focused on parish priests in particular and their information needs and behavior in the liturgy and care-giving role. The research was conducted with the help of quantitative and qualitative methodology. Print questionnaires were filled out by 327 respondents, while in the follow-up interviews 20 respondents took part. Research results show that respondents, in the care-giving role and liturgy, require information about theology, general culture, psychology, and pedagogy. More than half of respondents find information for liturgy on religious websites and in their personal parish libraries. However, in their care-giving role they seek information most often from their parishers, members in parish pastoral and economic boards, and from colleagues at their regular meetings organized by the (arch)diocese. Both in liturgy and care-giving role, respondents use religious publications to a much larger degree than secular books, magazines, or newspapers. The respondents explained that in liturgy they consult colleagues and parishers in order to exchange advices and ideas, while in the care-giving role some respondents also prefer to seek an advice from an expert in specific field. The results of this study can help Catholic Church and theological faculties when preparing the information literacy courses for future parish priests.     

Self-Attributed Importance of Spiritual Practices in Catholic Pastoral Workers and their Association with Life Satisfaction

Although much is known about the frequency of the spiritual activities of pastoral workers, less is known related to how important specific spiritual and existential practices are to pastoral workers personally or existentially. This part of the German Pastoral Ministry Study analyzed (1) which forms of spiritual activities were regarded as important, (2) how the perceived importance of religious practices related to frequency of engagement in spiritual practices, and (3) how these practices contributed to the life satisfaction of ordained priests and of non-ordained pastoral workers. Participants included 1826 Catholic pastoral workers, composed of 65% priests and 35% (non-ordained) pastoral assistants and parish expert workers. Prosocial-Humanistic practices scored highest in importance, followed by Gratitude/Awe, Existentialistic practices, and Religious practices; specific forms of Spiritual Mind-Body practices were not relevant. Differences in the frequency and ascribed importance of spiritual practices between ordained and non-ordained pastoral workers were identified, as well as a surprising lack of connection between religious practices and their proclaimed importance, particularly of Prosocial-Humanistic and Gratitude/Awe practices. These findings may stimulate further research into the underlying causes of these differences between priests and other pastoral workers and between the frequency and importance of spiritual practices in all groups, which in the researchers’ opinion indicate challenging inconsistencies with regard to the ideals of religious vocations.     

A confirmatory factor analysis of the Francis Burnout Inventory: preliminary psychometric support to a replicable two factor model of the Italian version

ABSTRACT

This study set out to examine the properties of the revised version of the Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI) among Catholic priests and religious sisters in Italy. The psychometric properties of the FBI were examined in two phases. Phase 1 demonstrated the instrument's factorial validity and internal consistency of two derived dimensions (the Scale of Emotional Exhaustion in Ministry and the Satisfaction in Ministry Scale), with a sample of Catholic priests and religious sisters coming from Lazio, a region around Rome in Italy (N?=?156). In Phase 2, the FBI dimensionality was cross-validated using confirmatory factor analysis with Catholic priests and religious sisters coming from all over Italy (N?=?287). Alpha and stability coefficients computed with this sample provided further evidence for the FBI's reliability. Implications for work-related health are included.     

An investigation into the counselling-type work of Roman Catholic priests: a survey of one diocese in Northern Ireland

Professional counselling has been criticised as being the preserve of the elite, and neither available nor affordable for the vast majority of society. However, there are other sources of help which people avail themselves of in times of need. One such source has been the local clergyman. This study looked at the helping service provided by Catholic priests working in pastoral situations in a Northern Irish diocese. Based on a questionnaire survey of 32 Catholic priests (25% of the diocese) the study looked first at the types of problems being presented to clergy, and how they responded to them. It examined their training for this work, as well as their attitudes to it, support for Catholic priests in this aspect of their work and also at their referral practices. Findings in respect of problems presented and training were in line with previous research. A wide variety of problems was encountered by Catholic priests where the most common were bereavement, alcohol or substance abuse, marital disharmony, relationship problems and terminal illness. Despite very positive attitudes towards counselling-type work and its importance in their ministry, Catholic priests' initial training in this area was reported as largely irrelevant to their current needs and there was a prevailing view of dissatisfaction. A level of self-confidence was displayed that seemed incongruent with the training in this field. Responses in respect of support and referral were contrary to previous studies. Priests seemed to be engaging in referral and reported high levels of personal but mainly informal support for this work.The findings are discussed in relation to priests continuing to undertake counselling-type work.     

Vocation for travel. Catholic priestly training in Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT

Catholic priests and advanced seminarians in Sri Lanka often describe their entrance to the seminary as the response to a strong spiritual calling that they could not ignore. Young seminarians offer more ambiguous narratives, where a combination of material anxieties, local cultural traditions and individual aspirations, encourage them to consider joining the clergy. This article examines how seminaries highlight aspects of religious formation where vocational discernment and the authenticity of one's calling are left for later stages of formation. Emphasizing aspects of career mobility, graduate studies overseas and missionary work, seminaries provide an attractive alternative for prospective priests in Sri Lanka. I argue that there is no contradiction between the spiritual dimensions of religious vocation and the material aspirations of seminarians. Although ethical dispositions emerge and replace the mundane impulses that initially attract young men to the seminary, material incentives are never completely eliminated from the vocational map of seminarians.     

Investigating attitudes of Catholic priests toward the media and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Response to the Sexual Abuse Scandals of 2002

Since 2002, researchers have investigated the incidence of clergy sexual abuse and the perceptions and attitudes of non-ordained Catholics toward the responses of the U.S. Catholic bishops. The perceptions of functioning Catholic priests were investigated in 2002. There has been little follow-up research about priests who have never been accused of sexual misconduct. Using non-probability sampling techniques, this study employed a structured format to confidentially interview 22 Catholic priests in 2006 and 2007. The interviews yielded themes around the reporting of the events of 2002 by the media, and the response of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to the crisis and the media. Findings suggest that most priest-respondents believed that the media had accurately reported that the bishops had engaged in a cover-up. Most respondents believed that the media had portrayed all priests as pedophiles. Most priest-respondents believed the response of the USCCB was inadequate, poorly conceived, and generated to satisfy public pressure. Most respondents believed that bishops had abandoned their priests and compromised the canonical rights of priests. Finally, several priest respondents identified a double standard in the process and outcome by which allegations against priests and bishops are handled.     

Is the Catholic Church in America Experiencing Internal Secularization? Priests’ Assessments of Pope Francis and the Condition of the Church

This study addressed internal secularization in the Catholic Church by testing the role of several factors in priests’ assessments of the state of the Church in the United States, priests’ views of whether the Church's situation is getting better or worse, and their attitudes toward Pope Francis. Comparisons with identical questions fielded in 2002 revealed a striking pessimistic turn among priests over the last two decades. In addition, regression analyses using the 2021 Survey of American Catholic Priests revealed that “in-house” factors—namely, attitudes toward Pope Francis and perceptions of how well bishops have restored confidence in the Catholic Church following the sexual abuse crisis—most powerfully predicted priests’ current pessimism. On top of this, politically conservative priests and priests ordained more recently tended to be most critical of how Francis is handling his duties, signaling a pronounced tension inside the Catholic Church over religious authority, a defining feature of internal secularization.     

Healing the Healers: A Profile of Strengths and Weaknesses of Catholic Priests in Gozo,Malta

This exploratory study of Roman Catholic secular priests examined their psycho-spiritual well-being and vocational challenges. With a 52% response rate, this population study indicated that most respondents had a balanced ministry life and healthy spirituality. However, pastoral and vocational satisfactions, together with mandated celibacy, remain contentious issues. An initial instrument was developed to discern what contributes to priests’ vocational satisfaction. Psycho-spiritual well-being, intrinsic religion, vocational frustrations, and celibacy emerged as four key domains. Results were scrutinized to determine how they could serve as a platform for a future and more robust scale. This paper also contains a discussion of the pastoral implications of this study, and how the church could be more true to its calling.     

Burnout and Depression Among Catholic Priests in India

This study examined burnout and depression among Catholic priests in Southern India using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (Robinson, Shaver, & Wrightsman, 1991). Additionally, a demographic survey assessing four predictor variables was administered. Participants were 50 secular priests and 51 religious priests randomly selected from two dioceses. The study found that diocesan/secular priests experienced significantly more burnout and depression than did religious order priests. This indicates that structural and administrative systems can lead to burnout and depression. The findings of this investigation would be of help for priests in both the United States and in India to identify problems, to encourage reorientation of their lives towards the spiritual, and to promote emotional maturity. Fr. Antony Raj is currently a graduate student in Pastoral Counseling at Claremont College in Claremont. He is an Associate Pastor at All Souls Catholic Church in Alhambra, CA.     

Mental health issues among clergy and other religious professionals: a review of research

The authors reviewed the literature on mental health issues among clergy and other religious professionals, using electronic searches of databases of medical (Medline), nursing (CINAHL), psychology (PsycINFO), religious (ATLA), and sociological research (Sociofile). The existing research indicates the Protestant clergy report higher levels of occupational stress than Catholic priests, brothers, or sisters. Catholic sisters repeatedly reported the lowest work-related stress, whereas women rabbis reported the highest stress levels in various studies. Occupational stress appears to be a source of family stress among Protestant clergy--a factor which clergy and their spouses believe the denominational leadership should address. High levels of stress also have been found to be associated with sexual misconduct among clergy. The authors make several recommendations based on these and other findings they report in their review.     

Personality and cognitive functioning among hospitalized sexual offending Roman Catholic priests

A tremendous amount of media attention has been directed towards sexual abuse perpetrated by Roman Catholic priests in recent years. While there are countless research studies on both sexual abuse victims and perpetrators in the professional literature, very few have specifically investigated Roman Catholic priests who sexually abuse minors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of personality and cognitive variables among hospitalized sex offending Roman Catholic priests using specific MMPI-2, WAIS-R, and Halstead-Reitan measurements. Specifically, the role of defensive coping styles as measured by the L, K, O-H, and R scales of the MMPI-2 along with IQ scores from the WAIS-R and the Halstead impairment index were investigated. A total of 160 Roman Catholic priests (80 who sexually abused minors and 80 nonabusing control patients) hospitalized in a private psychiatric facility specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of clergy were evaluated. Results suggest that overcontrolled-hostility (O-H) was the most reliable predictor of group membership while Verbal IQ approached statistical significance. Implications for further research are offered.     

Pastoral theory and practice in the team approach to treatment of scrupulosity as a component of obsessive compulsive disorder

The statistical estimates of the prevalence of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the general population have increased dramatically in recent years. "Blasphemous" obsessions and religious compulsions dominate the clinical picture of many sufferers of OCD. Freud proposed that religion might be a contributing factor for many patients with mental illness. He hedged, however, that observation--something that many of his followers have not done. Others have noted the pathoplasticity of strict religious upbringing and images of God as vindictive or otherwise harsh. Only recently--since the 1970s--has much clinical attention been focused on this disorder by the other disciplines within the mental health community. The church, however, is ahead of the curve in diagnosis and treatment of scrupulosity. It has long been a concern for pastoral counselors--particularly pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic priests. Pathological religion influences OCD and pastoral counseling, the author proposes, can contributes to recovery.     

The Roman Catholic Church of Norway and migration challenges

Ever since its re-establishment in Norway in 1843, the Roman Catholic Church has grown steadily. On 1 January 2017, the church had a total membership of approximately 150,000. The reason for the latest, and certainly largest, wave of Catholic migrants to settle in Norway is labour migration resulting from the eastward expansion of the EU in 2004, when Poland and Lithuania joined. About half the Catholic population of Norway originates from these two countries. This article focuses on the following research question: How does the Roman Catholic Church in Norway, represented by sisters in religious communities, priests and ecclesiastical employees, respond to the large influx of Catholic migrants to Norway? The study is based on a qualitative survey consisting of semi-structured interviews with 10 informants, all religious sisters, priests or ecclesiastical employees. Although some informants admit that the strong growth resulting from migration has posed problems, such as tendencies to form ‘parallel congregations’ based on ethnic origin, most expressed a positive view of this influx of migrants and of the future of the Catholic Church in Norway.     

Burnout and Depression Among Roman Catholic Secular,Religious, and Monastic Clergy

Burnout and depression among Roman Catholic secular, religious order, and monastic (Cistercian) priests was investigated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CESD) scale. Additionally, a Self-Report-Inventory (SRI) was included requesting information on demographics as well as four categories of predictor variables (vocational satisfaction, social support, spiritual activities, and physical environment) associated with burnout and depression. All participants were randomly selected. The survey yielded a return rate of 90.67%. Secular clergy reported significantly greater emotional exhaustion than did monastic clergy. Secular priests also had significantly greater depression (72%), when compared to religious (40.8%) and monastic (39.5) clergy. Overall group comparisons revealed that secular clergy experienced the highest degree of burnout and depression, monastics the least, and religious priests falling in between. The lack of social support and sense of isolation, for secular clergy, were key elements associated with their experience of both burnout and depression. Candidate in Psychology atand a Psychology Intern at the Ohio State University     

The fear of confession? High Catholic collective narcissism and low secure identification with Catholics predict increased pedophilia myth acceptance

Over the past 30 years, the Catholic Church has been rocked by a series of child sexual abuse scandals worldwide. Some of the religious officials suggested that the children are partly to blame for being sexually abused by priests. We assumed that such convictions (i.e., pedophilia myth acceptance) should be associated with a defensive commitment to one's religious group, captured by religious collective narcissism. In two studies conducted among Polish participants (Study 1, longitudinal, n = 719; Study 2, cross-sectional, n = 357), we found that pedophilia myth acceptance was positively predicted by Catholic narcissism but negatively by secure identification with Catholics. We additionally demonstrated that the effect of Catholic narcissism on pedophilia myth acceptance was mediated by a siege mentality with respect to the religious in-group. We discuss the role of different types of group commitment in predicting in-group criticism and prejudice against underaged victims of sexual abuse.     

Apostolic Administrator Dr Mihael Toroš and his Connections with the Communist Authorities in Slovenia between 1947 and 1953

Abstract

This article presents the work of Apostolic Administrator Dr Mihael Toro? in the western border areas of Slovenia after the annexation of the Primorska region to Yugoslavia in 1947. When he became administrator his parishes were in ruins. He wanted to rebuild religious life, but this was impossible without the help of the communist authorities. However, the authorities used him to cause a rift in the Catholic Church in Slovenia. He and his priests were given material goods and other benefits to show others how profitable cooperating with the authorities was. In return Toro? had to declare his loyalty to the state in public. After a few years he realised that he was being exploited and he distanced himself from the authorities. His connections with the authorities were criticised by the Vatican, but he achieved a good deal for the Catholic Church in Slovenia (a magazine, a boys' seminary) by cooperating.     

The Information Behavior of Catholic Women Discerning a Vocation to Religious Life

Approximately 10% of Roman Catholic women seriously discern a vocation to religious life during their lifetime. Spiritual discernment is often characterized by prayer and spiritual direction, but also the acquisition of knowledge and information about religious life. No study to date has sought to understand how women seek out and retrieve information about religious life. Therefore, the current study sought to answer the following research question: “what is the information-seeking behavior (ISB) of Catholic women discerning a vocation to religious life?” using Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. A survey was administered online and yielded responses from 124 participants. Findings indicated that digital and print resources were heavily utilized. However, participants indicated that connecting with a person face-to-face and visiting religious sisters produced a kind of knowledge and information that could not be acquired online, suggesting that their ISB was an integration of digital and print resources and human connection. This study contributes to the literature by intersecting the disciplines of information science and religion to equip practitioners who seek to develop resources for them. The study introduces the concept of limited Internet effectiveness in order to understand the integration of digital versus in-person resources in spiritual religious processes.     

Catholic Priests' Knowledge of Pastoral Codes of Conduct in the United States

This exploratory study investigated Catholic priests' knowledge and perceptions of pastoral codes of conduct and their perceptions about the processes for reporting misconduct. Overall, respondents understood that they had to breach confidentiality when parishioners divulged a threat to harm self or others or when there was an allegation of misconduct involving a colleague. Fewer respondents understood that information received in spiritual counseling or spiritual direction must be maintained confidentially. Respondents were aware that their codes of pastoral conduct offered guidance about engaging in dual relationships (i.e., friendships with parishioners), but most respondents included parishioners in their circles of friends.     

Psychological type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the United Kingdom

This study explores the psychological type profile of Roman Catholic priests. A sample of 79 priests completed the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (Form G). The study shows that Roman Catholic priests tend to prefer introversion over extraversion, feeling over thinking and judging over perceiving. Near equal preferences are shown for sensing and intuition. The type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the UK are compared and contrasted with the type preferences of Roman Catholic priests in the USA and Protestant clergy in the UK. These findings are explored within the context of the role of the priest within the Roman Catholic Church.