A new study shows that the overwhelming majority of priests in the national church believes that reforms are needed in how the church is run.
The past year has not been an easy one for priests, as several sex scandals – including one involving the former bishop’s abuse of his own daughter, and the current bishop’s cover-up of the matter at the time – have led to a mass exodus of parishioners from the church. But it has also left many priests questioning the structure of the institution itself.
A new study conducted by The Icelandic National Audit Office shows that 75% of priests surveyed believe the structure of the church needs to be simplified.
These priests believe that there is little transparency through the upper echelons of the church. They also think the bishop should be relieved of the typical daily duties of a priest, so that he can focus on farther-reaching spiritual goals for the church.
The general feeling among many priests was that they did not feel as though the office of the bishop was accessible to them, or listened to their concerns.
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