RNS
USA, April 20, 2009: Conversations around the kitchen table may be partially responsible for the shortage of Roman Catholic priests in the U.S. Almost 45 percent of Catholic priests planning to be ordained this year said they were discouraged from considering the priesthood, according to a survey produced by at Georgetown University for the U.S. bishops. Of those, nearly 6 in 10 said a parent or family member was the source of the discouragement. Fifty-one percent said a friend or classmate had counseled them against the priesthood, and 15 percent said a priest or other clergy had.
The percentages add up to more than 100 because respondents could select more than one category. The number of Catholic priests in the U.S. has dropped steadily since the 1970s, a worrisome trend for church leaders. In 2000, there were 45,700 priests, compared to 40,600 in 2008. The U.S. church will ordain 465 priests in 2009; 310 responded to the CARA survey.
[HPI note: Hinduism has the most populated clergy of all religions, when adding priests and sadhus. The number has been estimated at more than three million. To give it some perspective, Hinduism Today’s 2008 Hindu of The Year, Sri Swami Avdheshananda Giri, guides 500,000 sadhus in his Juna Akhara, ordaining thousands more on each Kumbha Mela.]