Priesterbeeld en godsdienstig-kerkelijke oriëntatie

Samenvatting

In his study: "Perceptions of the Priest" (Theological Review, 1965, 5, 259-271), O. Schreuder distinguishes 4 different images of the priest, related to 4 types of religious orientation. The priest as (1) a representative of a social-ethical tradition, (2) a militant representative of the church, (3) a prophet, and (4) a provider of religious services on an individual and social level. An effort to verify these findings has been done by the Institute for Applied Sociology together with the KSKI (Catholic Social Ecclesiastic Institute). The results were published in a report: "The Lay About the Ecclesiastic: Perception and Appeal of Status of Priest, Monk, and Nun," Nymwegen, 1967. In different church-oriented groups questioned were: (A) the most important task of the priest; (B) the SS of the priest as compared to a professor of a secondary school, a general practitioner, a director of a large corporation, and a social worker; (C) a judgment about celibacy; and (D) the attractiveness of the priesthood. The perception of the priest and the desire to enter into the priesthood will remain low as long as the present structure remains unchanged. In spite of this low appeal, priests and their work are not judged negatively. One even finds that their difficult and unappealing work provides them a certain SS. 4 Tables. K. Dillman.