But small as their numbers are, sexual abuse of children by the tiny handful of pedophilic priests has produced agonizing problems for the Church and a lingering disaster for the image and morale of clerics. The clerical culture and clericalism also are aspects of the identity issue. Despite some overlap, they are not the same. A clerical culture a network of relationships, customs, institutions, and even perks tailored to priests is, in principle, a good and necessary thing, just as similar networks are important for the emotional support of doctors, lawyers, union members, and people in other walks of life. In the case of priests, moreover, the priest-theologian insists, A clerical culture is essential if a celibate priesthood is to be sustained.
Clericalism is something else.
It is the assumption of intrinsic superiority on the part of a priestly caste. Bishops and priests often seem to think it no longer exists, but laypeople know better. They also know that members of the laity sometimes are the most egregious clericalists. Many progressives are deeply clericalistic, as their obsession with power and prerogatives within ecclesiastical structures makes clear. A layman who works as a director of religious education in a parish speaks bitterly of what he sees as the clericalism of today s young priests.