GERMAN CLERGY LOSE
PROFESSIONAL ESTEEM
Pastors Drop
from Second to Fifth Place in Prestige Charts
By Wolfgang
Polzer
Tuesday,
August 9, 2005
ALLENSBACH
(ANS) -- The clergy are still
held in relatively high esteem in Germany, but their prestige is
deteriorating. According to a representative poll by the renowned
Allensbach Institute 34 percent of the population appreciate the clergy
more than any other profession.
Pastors come out in fifth place after physicians (71 percent), nurses
(56), the police (40) and university professors (36). The clergy
dropped down three places from the number two position they held in a
poll two years ago. At that time, only physicians were appreciated more
than pastors.
The topical poll shows significant differences between East and West
Germany. 36 percent of the West Germans show high appreciation for the
clergy compared to 25 percent in the former Communist East.
Approximately two thirds of the 82 million citizens are church members.
The Roman Catholic Church has 26.2 million members, the mainline
Protestant churches 25.8 million and the Orthodox churches 1.4 million.
In addition there are approximately 500,000 members of evangelical
churches such as Baptists, Pentecostals and Methodists.
Professionals with the lowest esteem in Germany are labor union leaders
(5 percent), politicians (6) and television presenters (6).
| Wolfgang Polzer (55), is senior
news editor of the Evangelical News Agency idea, Wetzlar (Germany),
which he joined in 1981. His previous work included four years in the
editorial department of the Salvation Army in Germany. In all, he has
spent 27 years in Christian media. Wolfgang can be contacted by e-mail
at: Wolfgang.Polzer@idea.de. |
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