Catholic Parish Priests and Birth Control: A Comparative Study of Opinion in Colombia, the United States, and the Netherlands

Abstract

There is a lack of knowledge concerning attitudes and opinions of parish priests concerning birth control. This exploratory study was undertaken to fill this gap; findings are based on sample survey data of 500 parish priests in Colombia 1711 in the U.S. and 1500 in the Netherlands. Essentially the same questions were asked in all 3 countries. Mail questionnaires were used in the Netherlands and the U.S. Interviewers completed the questionnaire in Colombia. The study indicates that Catholic priests in all 3 countries overwhelmingly accept the idea of family limitation as necessary. Their personal views on the morality of specific birth control methods differ widely depending on the specific method. Their collective opinion revealed significant differences from official teaching particularly in the Netherlands. In Colombia and the U.S. the priests are strongly divided in their opinions. More than 2/3 of the priests in Colombia and the U.S. believed that use of contraceptives leads to a general decline in moral standards; however the Dutch priests are less inclined to have this opinion. Regarding Pope Paul VIs continued ban on contraception 1/3 of the parish priests in Colombia disagree with it and 1/2 of the priests in the U.S. are in disagreement. In the Netherlands the priests and bishops are almost unanimous in their acceptance of contraception. There is definitely a difference of opinion concerning these issues among the Catholic communities of different countries. It appears that the situation is moving toward greater permissiveness in church teaching on contraception. This change appears to be due to the fact that the younger priests are already more permissive than their elders and that this is the trend in the secular culture.