[dubyas_vision]

Allowing priests to marry and have families wouldn't be a detriment in my view. It might actually attract more men into the priesthood.

The number of young men coming forward for the priesthood has been rising, not falling, since 1978. That year there were fewer than 70,000 seminarians worldwide. Today there are about 110,000 - a massive increase.

Recruitment to the priesthood and celibacy do not appear to be linked. In the Church of Scotland, where there is no celibacy rule, the number of applicants to the ministry dropped by 70% between 1992 and 1999.

Source

[Mfkmmof4]

Personally I think the lack of vocations is because more and more being a religious is not different from everyday life. Being a religious is about sacrifices. What is the point of being a religious if it is the same life as being a lay person???

[sinkspur]

Recruitment to the priesthood and celibacy do not appear to be linked. In the Church of Scotland, where there is no celibacy rule, the number of applicants to the ministry dropped by 70% between 1992 and 1999.

How many men applied in 1992 and how many applied in 1999? Percentage figures, when dealing with small numbers to begin with, are misleading. Scotland's about the size of Dallas County, in Texas; in addition, what denomination is the Church of Scotland, or is it its own denomination?

Much of the increase in vocations (if, indeed there has been one) is in third-world countries, where the priesthood will provide a secure life and protection from starvation. In addition, there is still some prestige for the priesthood in these countries.