Abstract
The year 2002 marked a significant crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States. The media was filled with stories of the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests and accusations of mishandling and cover-up by bishops. At the heart of the discussion was the issue of a loss of trust in the Catholic leadership. The researchers conducted a survey of undergraduates living in residence halls at Loyola University Chicago, a Jesuit Catholic university. The survey included twenty statements on topics currently being debated in the Church, including the statement, “I trust and respect the leadership of my religion.” Students used a Likert-type scale to express levels of agreement/disagreement with the statements. The researchers also conducted focus groups with Catholic students and university Ministry Staff. Survey results showed little difference between Catholics and non-Catholics in their responses to the item on trust and respect of leadership. Also, the survey showed a less than powerful relationship for Catholics between the trust and respect item and other items dealing with issues closely associated with the 2002 crisis (homosexuality, married clergy, and women clergy). Focus group participants expressed that trust in leadership is a fundamental aspect of religious affiliation that is not easily shakable. Also, most focus group participants saw the leadership of their religion as priests whom they know, Pope John Paul II, and God. They trusted these leaders. The researchers conclude that it seems unlikely that the 2002 priest sex scandal had any strong impact on Catholic college students' trust and respect of the Catholic leadership.