The mission of the church moves at the speed of trust among its members. But last year, Catholic University’s National Study of Catholic Priests, based on a survey of over 1,000 U.S. priests, found that only 52 percent of diocesan priests in the United States said they trusted their own bishop. According to the researchers, this figure was slightly higher than the 49 percent in their 2022 survey, but it was “significantly lower” than what other surveys found in the 1990s and early 2000s.
This is more than a workplace issue; it is also a deep pastoral and missionary challenge. According to my own doctoral research, conducted independently from the Catholic University study, when trust between a bishop and his priests is high, the priests are more likely to describe their diocese as “vibrant” and “mission-oriented.”
My research on the bishop–priest relationship included a survey of 76 priests from six dioceses, in which they were asked to rate how well their bishop exhibited attitudes and behaviors likely to engender trust. Examples included viewing priests as collaborators, suspending judgment, being open to honest dialogue and admitting mistakes. These responses were then compared with the priest’s evaluation of the missionary nature of their diocese. Drawing on theology and early church history in addition to the testimony of current priests, I concluded that fostering the bishop–priest relationship is essential to the spread of the Gospel.
Understanding the roots of this relationship helps highlight why it matters so much today. In the earliest church communities, the members of the presbyterate were not sacramental ministers. The bishop, chosen from among the community and with responsibilities similar to those of today’s pastors, relied on the presbyterate for counsel when teaching, governing and adjudicating disputes. The bishop’s authority emerged from relational trust. This early model reveals that the mission of the church thrives when leadership is consultative and rooted in mutual care.
The Second Vatican Council sought to recover the relational nature of ecclesial leadership. Vatican II’s “Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests” (“Presbyterorum Ordinis”) describes priests as being united in “an intimate sacramental brotherhood” (No. 8). And the “Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church” (“Christus Dominius”) says that bishops are to hold priests as “sons and friends” and should “be concerned as far as possible for their welfare” (No. 16).
These are not metaphors. They describe the essential relational structure through which the church carries out its mission. Mission arises from communion, and communion is sustained through proximity, trust and shared discernment. Yet many priests today experience their relationship with their bishop as distant, managerial or opaque—conditions that hinder the missionary energy Vatican II hoped to inspire.
Through the surveys and interviews I conducted, priests provided consistent insights into factors that strengthen or weaken their relationship with their bishop. They long for a genuine sense of presence, for a bishop who knows them personally rather than only through official channels, and for attentive listening that includes a willingness to receive counsel and engage in honest conversation. They hope for greater transparency around decision-making, especially regarding assignments and major initiatives, as well as greater vulnerability in leadership. They want a bishop who can acknowledge limits, admit mistakes and invite collaboration.
One priest told me, “I don’t need my bishop to be flawless. I need him to be present. That presence is what builds trust.” Another lamented that “when the chancery replaces relationship, mission becomes maintenance.”
In dioceses where bishops embody relational leadership, priests described unity among clergy, healthier parish cultures and greater freedom to pursue evangelization creatively. Additionally, priests who perceived their bishops as highly accommodating of theological differences were also more likely to describe their dioceses as vibrant and mission-oriented. This indicates that the handling of theological diversity, rather than its mere presence, plays a decisive role in the unity of the presbyterate in a diocese.
Not clericalism, but a solution to it
Some may fear that focusing on the bishop-priest relationship reinforces clericalism. In reality, it does the opposite. Clericalism grows when the members of the clergy function in isolation from one another and from the laity. When bishops and priests strengthen their relationship, they become more accountable, more transparent and better able to exercise collaborative leadership.
High trust in the bishop-priest relationship fosters the synodal way, urged by Pope Francis and now Pope Leo, that is oriented toward meeting the pastoral challenges of our time. In this sense, prioritizing the relationship between the bishop and the presbyterate is not about privileging the clergy. It is about building a leadership culture capable of serving and empowering the entire people of God.
Strengthening this relationship does not necessarily require new structures so much as renewed habits of ministry. Several practices surfaced in support of healthier collaboration in my research:
Episcopal presence in the presbyterate’s daily life. Visits to parishes, deanery gatherings, retreats, funerals and informal gatherings are powerful moments of communion. Priests who spoke positively about the bishop-presbyterate relationship often recalled moments of pastoral care that directly affected them or another priest. Pastoral care and priestly well-being were the most frequently cited ways in which a bishop could improve trust among his priests, according to data in the Catholic University study.
Transparent leadership. Explaining decisions, especially difficult ones, reduces anxiety and invites shared responsibility. This behavior, when enacted by the bishop, ranked second among the themes identified in the Catholic University study as engendering trust. More than half the priests I interviewed discussed transparency in the relationship between a bishop and the presbyterate.
Regular, relational communication. “Christus Dominus” urges bishops to speak with their priests “not merely occasionally but…regularly.” This steady rhythm of encounter builds trust over time. Predictable, meaningful moments when the bishop can interact with his priests yielded significant relational benefits, according to my interviews.
Genuine consultation and synodal discernment. Valuing the presbyterate’s ancient advisory role honors both tradition and the theological vision of Vatican II. Consultation in a synodal key recognizes that neither the bishop nor the presbyterate should be too far ahead or behind the other. It means that the bishop respects the prayerfully discerned consensus of the presbyterate when it differs significantly from the bishop’s intent. When bishops and priests make decisions together, they model the very synodality the universal church is now learning to practice.
These are not managerial strategies. They are pastoral commitments rooted in the Gospel and in the church’s earliest patterns of life.
The church is living through a moment of profound transition. The Synod on Synodality has reawakened us to the relational nature of ecclesial life. Early Christian history and the council documents of Vatican II remind us that shared counsel and mutual affection in the bishop-priest relationship contribute to the church’s growth. And my preliminary research supports what theology has long taught: Mission grows where trust grows.
If we want to evangelize boldly, heal wounds, strengthen parish life and renew the vitality of the church in the United States, the path forward begins with relationship: with listening, mutual respect and shared discernment. When bishops and priests walk together, the entire people of God is strengthened for mission.
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