[Tantumergo]

"we are family, doing anything might make matters worse"

This is patently crap fatherhood - they are in dereliction of their duties as fathers to God's family.

Ratzinger has said before now that the current crisis in the clergy is a crisis of fatherhood and I think he is spot on.

No natural family could hope to survive as a place of security and communion for its children if the parents did not take steps to teach, correct and discipline where necessary. The supernatural family of the Church is no different.

Sometimes I am strongly tempted to think that what we need now is men with strong natural parenting skills:

1 Tim 3,1 "A faithful saying: if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 It behoveth therefore a bishop to be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, of good behaviour, chaste, given to hospitality, a teacher,
3 Not given to wine, no striker, but modest, not quarrelsome, not covetous, but
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all chastity.
5 BUT IF A MAN KNOW NOT HOW TO RULE HIS OWN HOUSE, HOW SHALL HE TAKE CARE OF THE CHURCH OF GOD?
6 Not a neophyte: lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the judgment of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good testimony of them who are without: lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."

[american colleen]

Sometimes I am strongly tempted to think that what we need now is men with strong natural parenting skills:

Another psycological test? ;-) Lord! Spare us!

How about what we need now are men of great faith, great trust in God, honesty, integrity and bravery in the face of a culture that is fallen.

These priests and bishops didn't pop out of a vacuum, I would guess that most of them had fathers and grandfathers and uncles, family friends and blood brothers who are good and faithful fathers to their children. It seems that it is a loss of faith or a fear of fully living His word. It's hard to take a firm stand on the side of natural Law, God's Law. Just look at us! If we all embraced our faith and His Word, the culture would be in a different place than it is now.

Sometimes I think that the bishops reflect us.

[Desdemona]

Fatherhood, yes, but manlihood as well. There is a happy medium between being manly and being outright confrontational. There are men out there like that. Whether or not they are called to the priesthood is another matter.

Although, I have thought for a long time that when a lot of people were supposed to be learning how to be parents, they weren't paying attention or there weren't any younger brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and cousins to babysit and really learn how it should be done. That's part of the purpose of family and that's something, in a few strata of our society, that's been forgotten. That could be a big part of it. I know a lot of priests who are only children or one of two.

I've wondered for a while how we ended up with so many wimps in the priesthood. I'm not confrontational at all, but being a woman, that's okay. Men who aren't willing to be manly, well, that's more wimpy laziness, than anything else.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Sometimes I am strongly tempted to think that what we need now is men with strong natural parenting skills:

1 Tim 3,1 "A faithful saying: if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
2 It behoveth therefore a bishop to be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, of good behaviour, chaste, given to hospitality, a teacher,
3 Not given to wine, no striker, but modest, not quarrelsome, not covetous, but
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all chastity.
5 BUT IF A MAN KNOW NOT HOW TO RULE HIS OWN HOUSE, HOW SHALL HE TAKE CARE OF THE CHURCH OF GOD?
6 Not a neophyte: lest being puffed up with pride, he fall into the judgment of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good testimony of them who are without: lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."

Precisely. I've come to think we'd be better off by consecrating 200 random faithful lay Catholic family-men who've raised 4 or more kids on one income as our new Episcopate. They'd have to commit to celibacy, but I can't see how they could make a bigger mess of things than the present lot has.

[ELS]

No natural family could hope to survive as a place of security and communion for its children if the parents did not take steps to teach, correct and discipline where necessary. The supernatural family of the Church is no different.

Well said.

[Antoninus]

Sometimes I am strongly tempted to think that what we need now is men with strong natural parenting skills:

Forget that. What we need is FIDELITY and GUTS. Aside from Bishop Bruskewitz, how many of our other red-hats can we say with confidence have these qualities?