I personally don't like most of them and I keep my kids away from all of them, without exception, including the few that I like and respect. One just cannot take chances with one's children.
Good management requires at this point that we purge the ranks of the clergy of all homosexuals, jettison the celibacy requirement, and replace them immediately with married men of character. It's the only way to fix the problem, at least as far as I can see.
I would think that at this point most of the good, healthy young men who might be willing to take on the burdens and joys of celibacy would be deterred by the unavoidable suspicion that just comes with the Roman collar. Let's face it, after all that's happened in America and in Holy Ireland, being a Catholic priest is about the most disreputable thing a man could be these days. We have a terrible public relations problem that can only be addressed by radical measures.
Not that I expect our hierarchy to undertake any such action. They seem incapable of reform unless their feet are held to the fire by external forces, especially the civil authorities. Look at what just happened in Ireland with the release of that governmental report. It's only the civil authorities who can overcome the old boy network of the hierarchy and the instinctive circling of the wagons of the Catholic rank and file. History has proved that the hierarchy is capable of meaningful reform only in the face of extreme pressure.
Perhaps the greatest good fruit of the Reformation was the Counter Reformation. But note well that it took a full blown schism to induce Rome to act. It's the same with the priestly pedophile scandal.
In the meantime, the best thing we Catholics can do is to (1) keep our kids away from priests (in the sense of never letting them be alone with priests, not for a second), and (2) report to the police any hint of priestly sexual abuse. Where there's smoke there's fire. We must assume the worst of our clergy at all times, for the safety of our children. Report, report, report.
“Good management requires at this point that we purge the ranks of the clergy of all homosexuals, jettison the celibacy requirement, and replace them immediately with married men of character. It's the only way to fix the problem, at least as far as I can see.”
I don't think so. I have an advanced degree in management and have owned my own businesses for 25 years, and I disagree with your assertion that this is all required by “good management.”
And frankly, permitting married priests generally in the Latin Rite might fly in some quarters, but requiring it ain't gonna fly, and neither will promotion of married men to the episcopate. Ask some of the Orthodox folks around here what they think of that idea.
“I guess all that I can say is that my experience is that American Catholic priests are, as a group, and with many very notable exceptions, perhaps the biggest group of fruits, flakes and nuts I've ever encountered.”
I think that you generalize from your own experience.
So do I. And my experience is dramatically different from yours.
But I think that the statistics support me more than you. The fact is that 96% of priests weren't homosexual perverts abusing kids.
“I personally don't like most of them and I keep my kids away from all of them, without exception, including the few that I like and respect. One just cannot take chances with one’s children.”
The problem here is that you are either maximizing the problems with priests or naively minimizing the general problem.
My sons have never been left alone, one-on-one, with any adult other than my wife or I. Ever.
“I would think that at this point most of the good, healthy young men who might be willing to take on the burdens and joys of celibacy would be deterred by the unavoidable suspicion that just comes with the Roman collar.”
You would be wrong.
Dead wrong.
My own parish never produced a single vocation in modern times up until the last decade. We have two, now. I know one of the young men, and he's not homosexual (in fact, giving up the good of marriage has been a critical issue for him in evaluating his vocation), nor is he disordered. He's a nice young man. And it looks like he will be a priest.
My Knights of Columbus Council has sponsored several local young men as seminarians. They are all great guys. For each, giving up the good of marriage was an important issue to work through, and none are disordered. They are devout and orthodox.
Of course, in some ways they are a little weird... One of them was up until this year one of my son's teachers at school. And this teacher actually would regularly assert that it is vital to be chaste, and to wait for sexual relations until married. What a strange fellow!! A thirty-something virgin!!
And a great guy, a great mentor to my son.
I look at the seminarians and young priests that I know, and I'm impressed by their maturity, their grace, their intelligence, their orthodoxy, and their personal devotion and holiness.
“Let's face it, after all that's happened in America and in Holy Ireland, being a Catholic priest is about the most disreputable thing a man could be these days.”
Yes, and the young men I know take these calumnies and wear them as badges of honor. They are as brave as medieval knights. We need such courageous and holy men, and it appears that in many places, God is granting them to us in larger numbers.
sitetest