A Francis (George) Generation?

Stephen White of Catholic University reflects on the National Study of Catholic Priests and the likeness of the younger generation of priests to the philosophy of Cardinal Francis George, OMI.

“Here, our study shows a significant (and I think, encouraging) deviation from the common narrative of liberal collapse and conservative advance among priests. While younger priests are much more likely to see themselves as politically conservative than their older peers, the youngest cohort of American priests is also the most likely of all the cohorts we surveyed to describe themselves as politically ‘moderate.’ A plurality of priests (44 percent) in the youngest cohort describe themselves as politically moderate. If politics were a significant driving force behind ‘conservative’ priestly vocations, one would expect the data to look quite different.”

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