Some political behaviour patterns and attitudes of roman catholic priests in a rural part of Northern Ireland

Abstract

The activities of churchmen in the field of politics can be approached by the political scientist on two levels. On the macro-political level, the church as a whole is taken to be the unit of analysis. This approach views the church as being one of society's many interest groups, articulating demands about subjects it deems important for the moral welfare of its members. The subject may also be approached on the micro-political level, focusing on the individual priest or group o f priests. Here, the church is v i e w e d not as an amorphous whole, a unit in space, but rather as a continuum running right through from the basic parish level, to the diocese, to the ecclesiastical province and on to the national and higher levels of church organisation. The micro-analyst cuts in on this continuum and attempts to examine the political attitudes and behaviour of the selected unit of analysis, taking account of the salient issues, individuals, circumstances, etc