Question:

Would optional celibacy help the priest shortage?

Answer:

This is a hotly debated topic. There are good arguments on both sides, and there is no clear answer that emerges. However, the shortage of clergy in denominations that do allow marriage would seem to indicate that optional celibacy is not the quick answer that some might think. No one solution is perfect. Each one has its flaws and problems that are not easily solved. While optional celibacy would open ordination to some great men who are married, it also brings the problems of family, financial support, marital problems, and issues—good and bad—of childrearing. So it would not seem that optional celibacy is a realistic solution to the shortage of clergy.

With all of the varied challenges and problems facing the Church, it is easy to forget that the Holy Spirit leads us. Openness, dialogue, and education are second to our prayers and petitions to the Holy Spirit to make clear the path the Church should follow. A response that is rooted in a culture of political correctness is almost certainly doomed; a response that is rooted in prayer and in God cannot fail.

©LPi