Half of ex-priests left for love, sex
Christian Century, April 5, 2003
About half of all Catholic priests who leave the priesthood do so because they are in love with a woman or can no longer live a celibate life, says Dean Hoge, a leading sociologist at Catholic University.
Hoge found that between 20 percent and 30 percent of priests left because they fell in love with a woman. An additional 20 percent to 30 percent left because they felt "lonely and unappreciated" and could no longer abide by mandatory celibacy. His findings were published recently in his book The First Five Years of the Priesthood.
Between 30 percent and 40 percent of priests left because they were disillusioned with their fellow priests or the church hierarchy. And between 5 percent and 15 percent left because they wanted an "open, long-term relationship" with another man. The number of gay priests is not known, but some experts say it could be as high as 50 percent.
Hoge found that between 5 percent and 10 percent of departing priests left for reasons that do not fit into one of the other categories.--RNS
Most Recent Reference Articles
- ARAB EUROPEAN RELATIONS - Dec 22 - Russia Denies Selling Missile System To Iran
- EGYPT - Dec 29 - Opposition Says Mubarak Blessed Israeli Attacks
- ARAB AFFAIRS - Dec 22 - Syria Will Eventually Move To Direct Talks With Israel
- ARAB AFFAIRS - Dec 30 - GCC Denounces Massacre
- ARAB ISRAELI RELATIONS - Israel Issues An Appeal To Palestinians In Gaza
Most Recent Reference Publications
Most Popular Reference Articles
- Credit card debt on college campuses: causes, consequences, and solutions
- The Greek chorus, Jimmy the Greek got it wrong but so did his critics - Jimmy Snyder and his views on pro sports and race
- 9 questions to ask your new lover: what you were afraid to ask, but always wanted to know
- How Tyler Perry rose from homelessness to a $5 million mansion
- Living by the word



