Simple question?

Quote: Dalex64

If that policy change happens, would you remain celibate, and do you think that would have a negative impact on your or other priests ability to do their jobs?

Is it a necessary change in order to attract more people to the priesthood? Even if you became only 75% as "effective" at the job if you weren't celibate, you could make up for it by doubling the number of priests, which I understand to be rather shorthanded at the moment.

I doubt that there would be some type of retroactive application in regards to celibacy even if Pope Francis made it optional. Even if he did I have discerned a call to the priesthood as a celibate and his decision would not change my mind. In fact thinking back to my seminary days I think even if the option was given I would still choose to remain celibate. It has been a great gift to me spiritually and to my ministry.

I don't doubt that it might attract more people to the priesthood but I doubt it would come close to doubling the amount of people interested. Remember our protestant brothers and sisters allow their ministers to get married and many of them have vocation shortages as well.

Quote: FrGamble

I don't doubt that it might attract more people to the priesthood but I doubt it would come close to doubling the amount of people interested.

I'll give you this advice because you won't ever contemplate using it: give people a say in church policies.

Quote: FrGamble

I doubt that there would be some type of retroactive application in regards to celibacy even if Pope Francis made it optional. Even if he did I have discerned a call to the priesthood as a celibate and his decision would not change my mind. In fact thinking back to my seminary days I think even if the option was given I would still choose to remain celibate. It has been a great gift to me spiritually and to my ministry.

I don't doubt that it might attract more people to the priesthood but I doubt it would come close to doubling the amount of people interested. Remember our protestant brothers and sisters allow their ministers to get married and many of them have vocation shortages as well.

wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priest_shortage_in_the_Roman_Catholic_Church, which references this article from 2003,
http://americamagazine.org/issue/462/article/fewer-and-fewer
says otherwise

Quote:

Thus, whichever ratio one considers, there is a growing shortage of Catholic priests but an increasing supply some analysts say an oversupply of clergy in most Protestant denominations.

I'm not suggesting that it would double, or has to double, just that any decrease in efficiency lost to a lack of celibacy could be made up for by greater numbers of priests. The actual numbers for both of those (efficiency vs increased capacity) isn't important right now.

It also might be that for some people, their efficiency would increase by abandoning celibacy.

You got to get the Pope to read Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", change tactics a little bit, check out what's working.

Quote:

but an increasing supply some analysts say an oversupply of clergy in most Protestant denominations.

There is definitely no shortage in
the Protestant churches. In fact,
it's a booming business.

Being a minister is an easy job these
days. It can pay well and you have
to put in a small number of hours
a week. My brother in law has his
own Baptist church in Canada. He
maybe 'works' 20 hours a week. He
has always had tons of time to fish
and ride his motorcycle in the summer.

He raised 5 kids being a minister, it's
a cushy life. If you enjoy being an
ego inflated pompous full of yourself
windbag, that is.

I think if you look at the more organized major denominations you will find a shortage of ordained priests and ministers.

Quote: FrGamble

I think if you look at the more organized major denominations you will find a shortage of ordained priests and ministers.

That was true 10 years ago, not anymore.

"According to PC(USA) data, there are 532 vacancies for 2,271 ministers seeking positions. The Assemblies of God, United Methodist Church, Church of the Nazarene and other major Protestant denominations also report significant surpluses."

Quote: FrGamble

I think if you look at the more organized major denominations you will find a shortage of ordained priests and ministers.

You say this as though it were some kind of a problem.

Quote: FrGamble

I think if you look at the more organized major denominations you will find a shortage of ordained priests and ministers.

I have looked, and found EvenBob's statistics.

The only shortages I was able to find outside the Catholic church, in any denomination, major or not, is in the smaller, less than 100, down to less than 30 person churches.

The number of church members to head clergy is extremely high in the Catholic church, compared to every other protestant denomination.

I ask that you provide some citations to back your assertions.

This is the one that matches EvenBob's numbers, from 2011:
Http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/from-clergy-shortage-to-c_n_566934.html

I think I mentioned recently I've been binge-reading skeptical blogs.

As you'd expect, there are many articles concerning science and scientific explanations, mainly as regards utter nonsense like creationism, alternative "medicine," conspiracy theories, etc. Many of these deal with how proponents of these ideas twist and/or misinterpret science to their own ends.

I found these articles seemed rather familiar to me. They're almost exactly the same thing I run across when discussing the validity of religion trying to use scientific facts to back it up. Not only do claims for things like homeopathy or creationism contain the same misuse of science, but also many of the same logical fallacies, such as arguing from ignorance, false dichotomies, etc.

Now, there are two reasons I find religion undesirable. One is that three hundred years of rigorous and extensive scientific observations, experiments, theories an applications have not turned up as much as a neutrino's worth of evidence for any kind of deity. The other is more practical: the various religions I've come across have nothing to offer as far as my life is concerned.

Since the first reason is completely beyond the power of any religion to address, the second might be worth exploring.

In other words: what's in it for me?

Nice rhetorical trick, eh? :)