Church suffers from bishops choosing ill-suited priests, pope says

[JimR-OCDS]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Many of the problems in the church today come from accepting men who are unsuitable for the priesthood, Pope Francis told the Congregation for Clergy.

The vocations crisis and lack of priests have meant that “we bishops are tempted to take in, without discernment, the young men who present themselves. This is bad for the church,” he told those taking part in the congregation’s plenary assembly meeting at the Vatican.

“We have to think of the good of the people of God,” which means taking the time to screen and “study” those seeking a vocation, he said Oct. 3 catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1404090.htm

I believe that had the Church allowed married men into the priesthood, the Bishops wouldn’t have been so open to accepting men who were not suited for the priesthood.

It may be that there were some who were not suited to be raised to the level of Bishop as well, because of the shortage of priests.

Jim

 

[McCall1981]

I believe that had the Church allowed married men into the priesthood, the Bishops wouldn’t have been so open to accepting men who were not suited for the priesthood.

It may be that there were some who were not suited to be raised to the level of Bishop as well, because of the shortage of priests.

Jim

In this article the Pope lists “being capable of forming a family and turning that down in order to follow Jesus” as an important qualification for a prospective Priest.

 

[ProVobis]

It may not be my place to say it, but the Pope has the power I believe to do something about it, as well as who is allowed in seminaries for that matter.

 

[getysbg]

I believe that had the Church allowed married men into the priesthood, the Bishops wouldn’t have been so open to accepting men who were not suited for the priesthood.

It may be that there were some who were not suited to be raised to the level of Bishop as well, because of the shortage of priests.

Jim

While I am in favor of married clergy, it hasn’t been that much of a benefit to our Protestant brethren. They suffer the same shortages, falls from grace and burn-out that we do.

 

[Weejee]

While I am in favor of married clergy, it hasn’t been that much of a benefit to our Protestant brethren. They suffer the same shortages, falls from grace and burn-out that we do.

Yep. You need people who know how to sacrifice to enter the clergy.

Look at how the seminaries were run for so long. During the anything goes era. Now they are turning out good priests again, but that won’t last for long. Our good leaders who got things into shape are gone. It’s back to the days of limp washrags, my friends.

What’s all this obsession about reproduction, being capable of? It’s 2014. We got enough people on this earth by now. We just have to redistribute them. I’m sure refugees would volunteer to go somewhere else. We have to help the people who are already born and here!

 

[Flagstone]

In this article the Pope lists “being capable of forming a family and turning that down in order to follow Jesus” as an important qualification for a prospective Priest.

Why isn’t that important for eastern-rite and former Episcopal priests?

 

[McCall1981]

Why isn’t that important for eastern-rite and former Episcopal priests?

I’m just quoting what Francis said.

 

[runningdude]

Why isn’t that important for eastern-rite and former Episcopal priests?

It is important.

 

[gracepoole]

Attracting men in the first place and helping them to seriously consider a vocational calling to the priesthood has to be a top priority. We haven’t had a Lu, Italy in…forever. And we need one far more than we did in 1881. Our crisis is not simply ill-suited priests – it’s a drought of men who heed God’s calling.

 

[Miserissima]

Is there really a lack of [religious] vocations, or can we say that people are not * responding* to calls to religious vocations (based on the high divorce rate)?

 

[FollowChrist34]

While I am in favor of married clergy, it hasn’t been that much of a benefit to our Protestant brethren. They suffer the same shortages, falls from grace and burn-out that we do.

Yes, exactly. Married clergy have all the same trials in marriage that normal couples do, plus trying to run a ministry. It’s an incredible demand on the man’s time and emotions. Many, many don’t do well at it.

I do think it’s a larger issue of finding men who are willing to sacrifice their lives to serving the Gospel. And stick to it until the end. It’s not surprising to me that our culture doesn’t produce a lot of these individuals, but the numbers are decreasing, no doubt. And we can’t deny the problem of unsuitable men coming in to take their place. That doesn’t do the Church any favors either. I am glad to hear the Pope talk about this - Pope Benedict was concerned with this as well.

 

[Holly3278]

I kind of agree with what Pope Francis said in a way. I am not sure if most priests are ill suited to be priests or simply ill trained.

That said, the one thing I don’t like about the priesthood nowadays is that it seems like there is a taboo on mentioning any sort of controversial topic like “gay marriage”, abortion, euthanasia, contraception, etc. I think that those are the very issues that need to be discussed. I feel like people need to be better catechized on those issues and hearing it from the pulpit is about the only catechism they’re going to get.

 

[Flagstone]

It is important.

I meant the part about turning down a family.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

While I am in favor of married clergy, it hasn’t been that much of a benefit to our Protestant brethren. They suffer the same shortages, falls from grace and burn-out that we do.

It’s a tough call, but a lot of them do it quite successfully. My old pastor (Presbyterian ex-Methodist) very successfully shepherded his flock where ever he was posted, and raised six sons into the bargain, all of whom became Christian.

But as he told me, he lived below the poverty line for years. They seem to be better paid these days, or at least in the (Australian) Baptist Union, as they adhere to an industrail award.

So it can be done. Personally I can’t see why there can’t be two orders of priests - single and married, The single ones could retain the title “Father”, while perhaps the married ones could have a different title eg. Pastor, Reverend, Whatever. If the Church is ever going to get serious about reunification, it’s going to have to compromise somewhere. There’s no way the Protestants will give up their right to married clergy.

It’s one of a number of issues that would have to be sorted out. I can think of a couple of others too.

 

[manualman]

We don’t just have a shortage of men willing to accept the call to a priestly vocation, we have a shortage of men willing to accept the call to the marriage vocation too. The statistics tell the story rather clearly.

Men aren’t what they used to be across the board.

 

[FollowChrist34]

IPersonally I can’t see why there can’t be two orders of priests - single and married, The single ones could retain the title “Father”, while perhaps the married ones could have a different title eg. Pastor, Reverend, Whatever. If the Church is ever going to get serious about reunification, it’s going to have to compromise somewhere. There’s no way the Protestants will give up their right to married clergy.

I really like this suggestion. I went to a Catholic parish for awhile where the Deacon was married - gave the place kind of a Protestant vibe in my opinion, but that actually didn’t bother me all that much (Orthodox marry too after all). He used to give homilies and talk about his family issues, experiences sometimes. I think a lot of married couples related to that. I like the idea of separating them - Fathers / Deacons or whatever. Brilliant. (Can laity make suggestions at this Synod? Can I fly to Rome and do like a 10 minute presentation? I guess I can just write the Pope.)

 

[MarcoPolo]

We know that Jesus (Mt 19) and Paul (1 Cor. 7, 9) both taught the preference of unmarried priests. Do the Orthodox, Eastern Rite, or Anglicans not have a priest “shortage”? Is there data demonstrating the significance of priests in the Latin Rite versus other high churches?

I think Miserissima raises a fair point that there could be other factors besides celibacy not considered here.

 

[FollowChrist34]

We know that Jesus (Mt 19) and Paul (1 Cor. 7, 9) both taught the preference of unmarried priests. Do the Orthodox, Eastern Rite, or Anglicans not have a priest “shortage”? Is there data demonstrating the significance of priests in the Latin Rite versus other high churches?

I think Miserissima raises a fair point that there could be other factors besides celibacy not considered here.

I honestly don’t know - do the Orthodox / Anglicans, etc. have a priest shortage? The Anglicans may also have a laity shortage for all I know.

 

[FollowChrist34]

I honestly don’t know - do the Orthodox / Anglicans, etc. have a priest shortage? The Anglicans may also have a laity shortage for all I know.

Actually, I concede your point. They both do have priest shortages. Just googled it.

 

[ProVobis]

cruxnow.com/church/2014/10/05/catholic-sisters-relocate-to-nd-to-serve-hispanics/

The Roman Catholic Church in western North Dakota is being transformed due to an influx of Hispanic parishioners who have moved to the area to work in the oil patch.

The need to better serve people in this growing community — many of whom have limited English language skills — has led to the relocation of a group of Catholic sisters from Mexico to Williston, the Williston Herald reported.

The sisters arrived two weeks ago thanks to a five-year grant provided by a nonprofit to the Diocese of Bismarck.

“This is now indeed mission territory,” said the Rev. Russell Kovash with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. “We have a need to reach out to the Hispanic faithful, many of whom speak little or no English.”

The sisters from Mexico City and the states of Coahuila and Chiapas will spend nine weeks studying English at the Mexican American Catholic College in San Antonio, Texas. They will then return to Williston to help in the church with sacramental preparation and catechistic responsibilities. They will also teach weekly classes and assist with Mass, along with the music and lectors involved.

“We want Catholics to know what it means to be Catholic,” Kovash said. “The sisters will have a tremendous impact bringing folks in on the fringe.”

The sisters will reside in Williston during their first year, but will eventually go to other North Dakota cities that need Hispanic ministry including Stanley, Minot, and Dickinson.