Submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, 2003. / "To penetrate the mysteries, to bless with good conscience, to be great yet empty, to return to stillness and be forgiven, to do good deeds and help people reach the other shore — these are the great benefits of our path of cultivation. To calm people in stormy times, to help them understand the nature of things, to maintain purity, to nourish all things, to respect all life, and to answer the needs of those whose beliefs come from the heart — The sun rises, the darkness is banished; and we are witness to true wonder" (The Religion of Light, 1005). Research in the area of clerical paedophilia in the Catholic Church initially focused on managing the problem at the level of treatment intervention, with treatment centres run by religious orders in the UK and USA. Protocols have been developed worldwide to deal with reports or complaints against Catholic clergy who have allegedly interfered sexually with a child. Yet consideration and evaluation of this intervention clearly highlights the 'after the fact' nature of intervention. Leaders of the Catholic Church are certainly aware of the need for the prevention of mental ill-health, and the promotion of mental health in their ranks. However, it is the negative and vast publicity given to child molestation, and the immediate damage inflicted on the Catholic Church, that has resulted in a 'mop-up operation' rather than an exploration of causes and interventions aimed at prevention and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Recently, however, psychologists and philosophers, who have been called on to evaluate the problem in the USA, the UK, Southern Africa, and Australia, have been asking questions such as: Why does this happen in the Catholic Church? Or, more to the point, what needs to be done about it? My guiding hypothesis for the research was: Do Catholic priests constitute a high-risk category for mental ill-health? As regards the second question — what is to be done? — I propose the establishment of a Community Health Centre for Catholic clergy. My research addresses both questions. As regards the first question, the evidence — gathered through interviews and workshops over a period of eight years — points to the conclusion that paedophilia is not purely a problem of intra-psychic factors but also a symptom of the closed and isolated nature of the Catholic institution, whose structures both attract and give life to, otherwise possibly latent pathology. In addition, many priests — young and old — feel unheard and misunderstood, and perceive themselves to have been inadequately trained and poorly supported and managed. It is possible that, combining both intra-psychic repression and institutional suppression, the potential for a disaster such as the crisis the Catholic Church faces today, is created. The community of Catholic priests is perhaps not conceptualized, nor cared for, as a community of male human beings. It is precisely a working model of this community care for Catholic priests, that is being explored in this thesis. This thesis presents a working model - or a work in progress — where any assessment is related to healing and therapeutic intervention, in intentionality and orientation.

The Catholic Diocese of Lismore is situated in the north-east coastal area of New South Wales, Australia. Catholic education in this diocese is based on the premise that school and parish work together in partnership for the personal and spiritual development of students. This premise relies on the assumption that teachers and clergy share a common view of the mission of Catholic schools. However, some recent studies highlight a lack of shared vision and indicate that teachers and clergy frequently have different expectations of what Catholic schools should be. This study examines similarities and differences in perceptions of the religious dimension of the mission of Catholic schools among the teachers and clergy in the Lismore Diocese. It identifies areas in which there is a significant lack of congruence. The study also explores the relationships and the quality of partnerships between teachers and clergy and identifies issues that are potential sources of tension. Furthermore, it considers implications for change. Self-completion questionnaires were given to the target population which consisted of all the full time teachers in Catholic schools and all the clergy on active duties in the Lismore Diocese at the beginning of 1997. Subsequent semi-structured interviews were conducted with all the clergy in the group and with thirty two teachers chosen through random sampling. Data yielded little evidence of sustained dialogue between teachers and clergy on issues related to the religious orientation of Catholic schools. Although there were some similarities in the teachers' and priests' perceptions of the religious dimension of the mission of Catholic schools, there was a considerable variation in their perceptions of priorities for these schools. Some of these differences could be linked to teachers' individual relationships with the institutional Catholic Church. Teachers and priests were found to differ significantly in their understanding of the effectiveness of Catholic secondary schools. The study also found that ecclesiastical language used to describe the mission of Catholic schools is not always understood by teachers who work principally out of an educational context. Moreover, the study found that relationships between teachers and clergy were often hindered by poor communication, lack of clarity with regard to roles and expectations and very different perceptions of the structures and practice of authority. Many teachers believed that clergy were 'out of touch' and unrealistic in their expectations of schools and teachers. Many priests, on the other hand, considered that teachers had generally lost a sense of 'vocation' and religious motivation for their involvement in Catholic schools. Priests were generally more interested in forming partnerships with schools than were teachers in forming partnerships with parish communities. The perception that secondary school communities did not relate to parishes as well as their primary counterparts was widespread among clergy. This study makes several recommendations for the improvement of communication and dialogue between teachers and priests. It also recommends that similar research be carried out in dioceses where the parish-school authority structure differs. As part of this study the initial findings were presented to a significant gathering of clergy and school principals. The resulting discussion led to the proposal of strategies for improvement in communication and partnership. In this way the applied research in the study became an agency of change itself, working in the direction of a better culture of communication and collaboration regarding the religious mission of Catholic schools.

The effects of transformations in the cultural context on the structures of the Catholic organization and consequently on the identity and role of priests is explored in this research. The way these transformations affect clergy relationships with the church, diocesan authorities and parishioners, and ultimately the psychological wellbeing of priests, are investigated in the light of recent research and literature. Quantitative and qualitative data from the Catholic Church Life Surveys (CCLS) of 1996 and 2001 is analyzed, together with qualitative data generated through semi-structured interviews. The theoretical underpinning for the interpretation of changing clerical identity and roles and the relationship dynamics is personality theory, including a neoanalytic model (Horney, 1950), and a psychodynamic approach using an iconic reading of Freud (Cozzens, 2000). Social identity theory (Haslam, 2001), and Fowler’s (1996) theory of faith development also contribute to the theoretical framework. The NEO-FFI personality factors (Costa & McCrae, 1992) are used as covariates throughout the analysis. Four major themes are addressed in this research. First, ambiguities in the identity and role of clergy brought about through structural changes in the organization following the Second Vatican Council. Second, cultural changes which challenged the institutional hierarchical structure of the church and some of its theological and ecclesiological positions. Third, the contribution to satisfaction with ministry and personal wellbeing made by priests’ relationships with the organization, diocesan authorities, and parishioners, as well as intimacy with colleagues and friends. Finally, the impact of psychodynamic factors on the spiritual and psychological dimensions of priestly life. It was found that although the sacramental role of priests remains largely intact, their identity as religious and spiritual leaders is under challenge through greater participation in parish life by educated and theologically trained lay people. It is argued that the competence to appropriately express leadership, preach meaningful homilies and promote spiritual growth in parishioners rests on the attainment of mature psychological development and continued faith and spiritual formation. Analysis of personality factors showed that sound organizational and structural supports are needed to assist priests in their personal and professional lives. Over half the priests in the present study were found to be vulnerable to emotional and psychological distress, while others had strong resources to cope with increased ambiguity and complexity in ministry. A review of literature suggests that cultural changes over the last 30 years compound the effects of Vatican II, particularly the patriarchal hierarchical structure of the organisation and teachings on sexual morality that are under pressure from changing attitudes by both clergy and laity. Quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that there is little support by priests for the obligation of celibacy, the successful attainment of which demands a high level of mature psychosexual development. It was argued that without a strong clerical commitment to celibacy, education and training programs currently being implemented in seminaries would be largely ineffectual. Key factors impacting on the relationships of priests with parishioners were found to be first, a decline in the authority of priests, second, the revelations of sexual abuse by priests, and third, the difficulty numbers of clergy have with establishing and maintaining close, intimate relationships. The NEO-FFI factors Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Agreeableness were found to be significant predictors in the quality of relationships between priests and parishioners, with 30% of clergy experiencing difficulty in these relationships. It was argued that maturity in spiritual, psychological, and psychosexual development was found to impact significantly on clergy personal wellbeing and professional competence, which in turn contributes to satisfaction with ministry.

The purpose of this study was to seek an understanding of the problem of low morale among Catholic priests based on the principles of Individual Psychology. The relationship of Adlerian life-style and social interest to job satisfaction among 210 pastors randomly selected from 13 of the 14 Catholic dioceses in Texas was investigated. The Life-style Personality Inventory (LSPI) was used to measure the Adlerian life-style. The Social Interest Scale (SIS) was used to measure the Adlerian concept of social interest. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) was used to measure job satisfaction.

This study explores the everyday life information seeking (ELIS) behavior of Catholic clergy in Northern Nigeria and describes their information use environment (IUE). It employed a mixed-method case study using survey and episodic interview techniques of data collection. The ELIS of Savolainen, the IUE of Taylor and the small world of Chatman were theoretical frameworks that guided this study. Findings showed that the IUE of these Catholic clergy is shaped by four elements: (1) geographical location and culture, (2) the celibate clergy, (3) their information needs, and (4) the information sources used to resolve these needs. Three types of information needs were identified: essential needs, circumstantial needs and intermittent needs. There was a high interrelatedness between the effects of culture and celibacy on the information seeking of these clergy. They are not likely to cross boundaries of their world to seek particularly essential information about their ministry or private lives. The findings of this study align with Chatman’s proposition that members who live in the round will not cross the boundaries of their world to seek information. The study found problems with access and availability of information, which included lack of familiarity with electronic/online library databases among the clergy, and the lack of archives and documentation of records and historical materials. It recommended the development of an archiving and documentation plan that digitizes paper documents for electronic management, including policies on data curation for the Catholic religious institutions in Nigeria.

The thesis Bishop Antonín Podlaha and his publishing work in ČKD (Journal for the catholic clergy) in the field of catholic biblical studies brings up the summary of the articles of the biblical theme published in ČKD and analyzes this work from the point of his attitude towards the new modern approaches of the biblical work. The end of 19th century was crucial for the birth of modern methods of biblical work. Their acceptance in the Catholic Church at that time collided with the obstructions and the restrictions. Antonín Podlaha (1865-1932) was the bishop of Czech Catholic Church engaged in the new task of the Church in the modern world uniting the faith and the science. The work is supplemented by brief contents of the articles.

This paper describes nationalism as a phenomenon that has become an integral part of Czech society in the 19th century and its manifestations. It describes the main motives Czech nationalist ideology created by T. G. Masaryk. It also described the political situation during the First World War and the circumstances of the independent Czechoslovak state and its share in breaking the Austro - Hungarian monarchy. The work deals with the problem of modernism in the Catholic Church, whose adherents later became the founder of the Church of Czechoslovakia. Briefly describes the lives of the founders of the church and their relationship to nationalist political movements. The core of the work is the analysis of texts relating to the reform movement of the Czech Catholic clergy and the Czechoslovak church, from the period between 1906 - 1931, which is determined by the definition of nationalism seeks to assess its impact on the formation and other life Czechoslovak Church.