F
Fidelis
Guest
Old Callahan:
Which leads to your second question: In my opinion there is a shortage of priestly vocations in the West because the priesthood is not respected as it once was here, and how it is now in areas where the Church is growing. The recent scandals are part of it, but I think they are more of a symptom than a cause. Since the late sixties, many of the clergy have been duped by the spirirt of the age into conforming to this age, becoming more liberal, soft, heterodox, and unwilling to take a stand for the hard teachings of the Gospel. As a result, no one takes them seriously. On the other hand, priests and bishops that are orthodox and unashamed of Church teaching, unafraid to go against the spirit of the age, willing to take the flak for making unpopular decisions related to Church discipline and order --in a word MANLY–these are the types of priests that attract vocations. It is the model our late Holy Father provided.
All of the young priests I know of are attracted to this model, and if you haven’t seen it in your area it’s because there are no examples for them to follow. No one wants to follow a wimp, let alone aspire to be like one. In other words, when the Church in America and other Western countries starts living a manly, sacrificial Gospel, then you won’t be able to build enough seminaries to hold all the aspirants.
And yes, we can agree to disagree.
Yes, there is no question the Church is facing a significant shortage of new priests – in the West. Meanwhile, in places where the Church is experiencing explosive growth (Africa and Asia) seminaries are bursting at the seams. It is significant that the Church in those countries is much more traditional and orthodox.
Which leads to your second question: In my opinion there is a shortage of priestly vocations in the West because the priesthood is not respected as it once was here, and how it is now in areas where the Church is growing. The recent scandals are part of it, but I think they are more of a symptom than a cause. Since the late sixties, many of the clergy have been duped by the spirirt of the age into conforming to this age, becoming more liberal, soft, heterodox, and unwilling to take a stand for the hard teachings of the Gospel. As a result, no one takes them seriously. On the other hand, priests and bishops that are orthodox and unashamed of Church teaching, unafraid to go against the spirit of the age, willing to take the flak for making unpopular decisions related to Church discipline and order --in a word MANLY–these are the types of priests that attract vocations. It is the model our late Holy Father provided.
All of the young priests I know of are attracted to this model, and if you haven’t seen it in your area it’s because there are no examples for them to follow. No one wants to follow a wimp, let alone aspire to be like one. In other words, when the Church in America and other Western countries starts living a manly, sacrificial Gospel, then you won’t be able to build enough seminaries to hold all the aspirants.
And yes, we can agree to disagree.