Introduction to the Special Issue: The Catholic Priesthood in Times of Change

This special issue of Review of Religious Research, titled “The Catholic Priesthood in Times of Change,” is dedicated primarily to social-scientific inquiry into the Roman Catholic presbyterate in the United States. The issue’s main focus is to analyze and discuss data from a new and original nationally representative study, The National Study of Catholic Priests. The rationale for dedicating a special issue to this topic stems from the considerable new quantitative and qualitative data made available through this study, which presents a unique opportunity for scholars and practitioners interested in Catholicism to examine contemporary issues facing the priesthood. The issue also aims to place this study within its broader context by including recent research on lay American Catholics, as well as reviewing new books on Catholicism in Europe and Asia. The issue thus comprises three original research articles, two research notes, and four book reviews.