Study sheds light on generational divide among US priests
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A major new study of U.S. priests by the Catholic Project at The Catholic University of America has highlighted sharp differences in the outlook and experiences of older and younger clergy.
The 2025 National Study of Catholic Priests, the results of which were released Oct. 14, found that younger clergy were more likely to describe themselves as theologically orthodox and politically moderate, to think access to the Traditional Latin Mass should be a priority, to feel lonely, and to believe they are expected to do too many things beyond their priestly calling.
Younger priests were also less likely to think that synodality should be prioritized and less concerned about the question of women’s influence in the Church than their older peers, according to the study.
The 2025 report follows the groundbreaking 2022 National Study of Catholic Priests, the largest study of U.S. priests for more than 50 years, which concluded that clergy were largely flourishing, despite a deep mistrust of bishops and fears of being falsely accused of abuse.
Further analysis of the results in 2023 found that the share of new U.S. Catholic priests identifying as theologically “progressive” had declined dramatically compared with preceding generations.
The 2025 report offered further evidence of a theological gulf between older and younger priests. While more than 70% of priests ordained before 1975 described themselves as theologically progressive, only 8% of those ordained after 2010 did so.
More than 70% of the youngest priests said they were either “conservative/orthodox” or “very conservative/orthodox,” according to the survey conducted by Gallup in May and June 2025, completed by 1,164 priests.
The report said also that priests’ political outlooks “showed a clear generational shift away from liberal self-identification, with moderates now making up a large share across most recent cohorts.”
While only 25% of clergy ordained before 1975 identified as politically moderate, 37% of those ordained after 2010 did so.
More than 61% of the pre-1975 cohort described themselves as “somewhat” or “very” politically liberal, and less than 15% as conservative. In contrast, only around 10% of the post-2010 group identified as liberal and 51% as “somewhat” or “very” conservative.
Yet the study also highlighted concern across the priestly political spectrum about Trump administration policies. Two-thirds of priests who identified as “very conservative” said they were at least somewhat concerned about the administration’s policies, while 83% of “conservative” priests said the same.
An age gap was also evident in the priests’ priorities. Only 11% of priests ordained before 1980 said access to the Traditional Latin Mass should be a priority, compared with 20% among those ordained between 1980 and 1999, and 39% among those ordained in the 21st century.
Many U.S. diocesan bishops curtailed celebrations of Mass according to the 1962 Missal, also known as the Tridentine Mass, following the publication of Pope Francis’ 2021 document Traditionis custodes, which effectively reversed his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI’s liberalization of the older form of the Mass.
Younger priests were also more likely to cite Eucharistic devotion as a priority and less likely than older clergy to emphasize climate change, immigration, the LGBT community, poverty, racism, and social justice.
The report found marked generational differences over synodality, a neologism coined by Pope Francis to describe a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform enabling the Church to be more participatory and missionary.
Only 29% of the post-2000 generation of priests named synodality as a priority, compared with 57% for the 1980-1999 group, and 77% for the pre-1980 cohort.
The report also asked priests how concerned they were about the topic of women’s influence in the Church, one of the central themes to emerge from the 2021-2024 global synodal process overseen by Pope Francis.
More than two-thirds of priests ordained before 1980 said they were “extremely concerned,” compared with almost half of the 1980-1999 group, and only one in five of the post-2000 cohort.
The report suggested that U.S. priests as a whole felt disconnected from the synodal process — a phenomenon highlighted during the initiative itself. Asked if the synod on synodality was a waste of time, 37% of clergy agreed, while 39% disagreed. Only 28% said they felt fully included in the process, while 36% disagreed, and just 25% said the process was helpful for their ministry, while 42% said it wasn’t.
Although the 2025 study found that priests generally continued to report high levels of personal flourishing three years after the initial report, loneliness was more evident among the new generation of priests.
Only 27% of clergy ordained before 1975 were classified as lonely, compared with 34% in the 1980-1999 cohort, and 40% of those ordained after 2000. The report’s authors concluded that “priests who have been serving longer are much less likely to indicate that they are lonely.”
A clear divide also emerged when priests were asked whether they were expected to do many things that went beyond their priestly calling. Only 13% of the pre-1980 group agreed, compared with 38% in the 1980-1999 cohort, and 45% for post-2000 priests.
“This generational difference points to growing concerns about sustainability in ministry, especially as parish demands increase,” the report said. “It may also point to differences in generational understandings regarding what a priest’s calling means. Are these men being asked to do things that were not asked of previous generations of priests, or is it just that they do not see those things as a priest’s responsibility while previous generations did?”
“One explanation could be that priests ordained more recently are tasked with greater responsibilities than previous generations.”
Since the year 2000, many U.S. dioceses have closed and merged parishes amid demographic changes. The report found that while most priests are only responsible for one parish, 23% oversee two, and 17% three or more.
“Younger priests reported burnout and loneliness to a higher degree than older cohorts, and a higher percentage of them considered that they are being asked to do more than they ought to be,” the report concluded.
“As the older generation of priests retires, it is to be expected that these younger priests will be asked to carry even more responsibilities in the years to come. It is not hard to see how burnout may continue to increase as fewer and fewer priests serve in active ministry.”
The study suggested that overall, U.S. priests’ mental health was good, though it noted that 11% of priests said they were receiving treatment or therapy for a mental health condition.
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