The Church must address the shortage here in the states; prayer alone is not getting it done.
One needn't be married to counter the predominance of homosexual men. Merely adhering to Church teaching on the issues of homosexuality and clerical celibacy would suffice. Mr. Hand is proposing that we surrender to the imagined inability that celibacy cannot be practiced, and/or practicing self/acknowleged homosexuals cannot be weeded out. I think those goals can be achieved without having to introduce an entirely different kind of clergy, with entirely different responsibilities.
I've always admired the celibate priest, because he has given up a part of his humanity in service to his God and his Church. I think that sacrifice is a good quality for a leader to have. Without it, he is just another guy doing a job to support his family. His commitment and faith is a lot more demonstrable being a celibate.
I'm not aware that any priest shortage is having a detrimental effect on the faithful. In this extraordinarily mobile country, the sacraments are widely available, and the number of practicing Catholics who actually believe in the grace obtained by receiving the sacraments are well-served by the number of priests actually serving presently. The lack of lines to confession would indicate that there is a surplus of priests.
Additionally,as others have said,repeatedly,there is much that is wrong with the seminaries selection processes as well as the training and spirituality and catechesis and environment.
Continuing on to the newly ordained priest,if he is orthodox,they throw him in with an old fruitcake and can make his life pretty miserable. Then they have all the modernists reporting that he is harsh,rigid,mean spirited blah,blah. What a bunch of diversionary tactics. Yuk,so transparent.
Half of the priest shortage is fabricated as part of the agenda for the "new church"they are trying to "sing in".
Yesterday our new,young orthodox priest talked about taking communion unworthily. For the first time in years at least one third of the persons attending Mass did not go to communion.It was much faster than usual.