Wow! I did NOT know of this....
Lowe does not represent a sea change for the centuries-old requirement that priests remain celibate. Instead, he is the benefactor of an obscure order that Pope John Paul II issued in 1980.
Maybe this is new in LA, but if my memory serves me right it's been going on for awhile elsewhere with converted episcopalian priests, although I'm not sure if they get their own parishes.
I don't have much of an opinion one way or another. Both situations present challenges.
I have a Lutheran friend who sits on her church council's finance committee.
The Lutheran minister has a decent sized family and the board is trying to figure out how to provide decent medical benefits for them. The costs are skyrocketing and they don't know how they're going to do that.
Stick a buch of nice sized catholic families in that situation where dad is a priest.
And then celibacy has its own set of problems of course.
I'm glad it's not up to me.