Hope for the Church? Priests ordained after 2020 are much more conservative

(LifeSiteNews) — Catholics on social media have been abuzz after a graphic that shows younger priests are more “conservative” than their older confreres has been making the rounds.

Ryan Burge, author of The Vanishing Church, seems to have been the originator of the graphic, which he posted on his X account Tuesday.

Among Catholic priests who were ordained in the late 1960s:

68% describe their theology as progressive.
16% said it was conservative.

Among priests ordained in the last few years:

2% describe their theology as progressive.
84% said it was conservative. pic.twitter.com/t4LzLEYdKR

— Ryan Burge 📊 (@ryanburge) April 21, 2026

The graphic reveals that 84 percent of priests ordained after the year 2020 identify as “conservative.” It also shows that in the 1960s following Vatican II 68 percent of U.S. clergy said they were “progressive.”

This data is actually not new. It was taken from a 2022 poll conducted by the National Study of Catholic Priests. When the data was released back then many heralded the news as “the Benedict effect,” a reference to the late pontiff’s more traditional leanings.

The 2022 study was eventually followed up with a 2025 survey that found almost the exact same results. Published on October 15, 2025, the study was commissioned by the The Catholic Project at The Catholic University of America.

“About 51% of priests ordained in 2010 or later said their political views are either conservative or very conservative. Another 37% said they were moderate and the remaining 12% were either liberal or very liberal,” National Catholic Register found while studying the data. “For priests ordained between 2000 and 2009, 44% were conservative or very conservative and 44% were moderate. Again, only 12% of priests ordained in these years said they were liberal or very liberal.”

What all this indicates, at least one would hope, is that the next generation of clergy in the United States is far less likely to be following in the footsteps of liberals like Jesuit priest James Martin, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, and Cardinal Joseph Tobin.

Last month, Pope Leo approved a letter sent to the French hierarchy written by Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. It urged them to be “generous” in their allowance for liturgies for those who are “sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo, while respecting the orientations desired by the Second Vatican Council regarding the liturgy.”

Some commentators saw the letter as a sign that Leo would liberalize the Latin Mass not only in France but across the world by scaling back Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis’ document that greatly curtailed the Latin liturgy.

But reporting this week by The Pillar suggests the opposite. “Pope Leo hasn’t given any indication that a formal, stable solution for the traditional Latin Mass is close at hand. In fact, several cardinals and curial officials consulted by The Pillar said they don’t expect a solution in the near future, at least not this year,” reporter Edgar Beltran said last Friday.

What, then, will those younger “conservative” clergy do in the years ahead? If they are inclined to the Latin Mass it seems they may have to wait until they can say it publicly. Until then, they will have to do their best to continue to live out their vocation in an orthodox way that is faithful to Christ and His Church.