Washington D.C., Nov 14, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Despite the difficult situation for the priesthood in the last few years, morale among priests in the United States is high, Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane told members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Monday at the opening of their plenary session.
The USCCB president cited statistics that more than 90 percent of U.S. priests report satisfaction with their lives as priests. In addition, 90 percent of the priests interviewed said they would make the choice of priesthood again, if they had it to do all over. “Faith and God's grace are the main energy behind our priests' good morale and their sense of service,” he said.
Still, he emphasized, priests must be continuously supported and sustained in their ministry by their bishops, priestly groups and the laity.“Our Catholic teaching consistently speaks of priests as our closest collaborators and co-workers in the Lord's vineyard. Yet we Bishops need to recognize honestly that many priests do not sense that this is true,” he said.
He pointed to studies in which more than half of the priests interviewed said the way in which the sex-abuse crisis was handled has affected their view of Church leadership negatively. “Only 42 percent believe they will be dealt with fairly if they are accused; 58 percent do not. Only 27 percent believe that accused priests have been treated fairly; the vast majority does not,” he said.Bishops must use the Church’s instruments of consultation and collaboration, as well as develop personal contact with their priests to demonstrate that they unequivocally “share in the same mission and are united sacramentally in one priesthood.”