Why is the number of catholic priests diminishing in Portugal?. Analysis of the period 1960-2002

This work aims at testing a large range of hypotheses that focus on the evidence of the diminishing number of catholic priests. The data are from the Portuguese reality observed between 1960 and 2002. These hypotheses are related to the recent socio-economic evolution verified in Portugal. As main findings, it is highlighted that the strongest long-term factor is the rate of fertility. The economic growth (suggested by the real GDP per capita) is not characterized by a significant coefficient.