For a long time I didn't want married priests. Now I don't know. We aren't supposed to talk about it ;-). But I suppose we must.
Someone made a good point. If the priesthood were opened to married clergy, it would attract better candidates.
It wouldn't have to be an all or none deal. God could still call single men to the priesthood. Why must we make His work so hard by tying His hands so?
Does anyone know why Rome is so against relaxing the "discipline" of celibate priests? Stupid question and I suppose I'll get a stupid answer.
It seems to me that other countries have had their share of scandals of one sort or another, so it isn't just America.
Well, He does, but we often reject it. Grace is a free gift, but we still need to accept it.
>>>>Does anyone know why Rome is so against relaxing the "discipline" of celibate priests? Stupid question and I suppose I'll get a stupid answer.
I absolutely can't speak for Rome, but I can offer my impressions. First, the celibate priest is dedicated to his parish, not to his family. His attention isn't divided, etc. For the vast majority of faithful priests, celibacy is a holy and a helpful thing. Second, married priests bring in a whole new host of issues that need to be addressed. Divorce and things like that, family maintenance in rectories and the like would in some instances prove interesting, what happens if the priest dies with young children, where does his wife go, all that. There are clearly pluses and minuses to each approach, and neither will solve the age old problem we see here.