[doc1019]

So, as a non-catholic, can deacons be married? If so, why not Priests? Not to push a point, but allowing Priests to be married would solve some of the problems. There is nothing Biblical that requires a leader of a church (priest) to be celibate. The Bible suggests that if a person can be celibate, be celibate, otherwise marriage is acceptable.

Educate me ... please.

[WriteOn]

It won’t happen, thank God. The priesthood is alive and well, the same can’t necessarily be said for families who attend the Catholic church and contracept and/or discourage their boys from the priesthood or parishes that encourage altar girls and are sissified in their liturgies.

A remnant will be preserved. The rest will starve for the Eucharist until they return to the faith and traditions that produce the priesthood, imho.

[Teófilo]

The Permanent Diaconate is a separate vocation from the priesthood. Decimating the deacons ranks is not an answer. Moving from the ranks of the Permanent Diaconate to the priesthood must remain the exception, rather than the rule.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Swank exposes his ignorance, yet again, of the Catholic Church and fails to acknowledge the overall shortage of ministers in protestant denominations, the Greek Orthodox Church, Jewish synagogues, etc. His piece is poorly researched and specious at best. He also fails to mention the behavior of protestant ministers, many of whom are married, sexually molesting children where a vow of celibacy isn't the "problem". Swank is, putting it charitably, disingenuous.

Also, you need to use the original publication date, not the date you finally stumble across it on a blog. Joaquin Navarro-Valls retired in July of 2006 and this piece was written in June of 2006.

[xJones]

Sinkspur, is that you?

[narses]

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[rogernz]

i read a while ago on FR about catholics in nigeria who WALK up to 8 hours one way to go to mass. If catholics can;t be bothered DRIVING a few km’s further than usual to go to mass then they deserve having nuns running their parish.

[kellynla]

I stopped reading after the first sentence.

“The number of priests is declining?”

This is inaccurate.

“According to the ("Annuario Pontificio") yearbook newly compiled stats for the years between 2004 and 2005, the number of Catholics increasing in the world from 1,098 million to 1,115 million, a growth of 1.5 percent.”

2007 edition “Annuario Pontificio,”

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=7895&t=Number+of+world's+Catholic+priests+grows+slightly

And I know I will probably be flamed for this but I am against all these “Eucharistic ministers” distributing Holy Communion. If it takes an additional ten or fifteen minutes for the priest to distribute Holy Communion then so be it.

Flame on, I have my asbestos PJ’s on. LOL

Happy Saturday, ya’ll.