If the Holy Spirit guides the Catholic Church, how would the need for a change of direction be manifested? The question is raised by growing evidence that the institution of the male celibate priesthood is in crisis in many parts of the Catholic world. Until now, the only response of the Church’s hierarchy is to hold the present line come what may ”“ while praying intensely for an increase in (celibate) vocations. What if they do not come? What would be the meaning of a refusal to grant what the prayers are asking for? One result might be a major realignment of Catholic demographics, with Massgoing numbers heading for collapse in the West but increasing in places like Africa. Would that be the will of God?
Unless the Church is prepared to ask such questions, the situÂation can only become gradually more desperate….
[blockquote] Until now, the only response of the Church’s hierarchy is to hold the present line come what may – while praying intensely for an increase in (celibate) vocations. What if they do not come? … Meanwhile a large group of European theologians has called for an end to the celibacy rule; and a survey of Catholic priests in Australia has sent a stark warning that the present situÂation in the Catholic Church there is unsustainable, with the average age of priests approaching 70 and the number of candidates nowhere near replacement level. Of those who took part, a large majority favoured celibacy becoming optional. [/blockquote]
I am not in the RCC, but hasn’t it been this way for many decades already? In Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, most RC priests seemed to be Irish immigrants. According to my cousins, who were RC, very few priests were Australian by birth.
Now, it appears that the RCC probably won’t have an excess of Irish priests to send around the world in the near future. But it will surely still have an excess of priests from other countries, notably Latin America or Asia – so why not just send them out to Australia and Europe to do the job?
If a shortage of western priests didn’t lead to relaxation of the celibacy rules in the late C20, is it really likely that it will have that effect now?