The Shortage of Priests in the Catholic Church

According to a report published in The New York Times, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro is recruiting foreign priests to serve in a diocese that covers the western part of Kentucky.

Rev. Darrell Venters, who recruits the foreign priests, said that if he did not recruit international priests, some priests in his diocese would end up having five parishes each. He said the shortage is so severe that if one of the priests were to leave or die suddenly, he would have no one to fill some of those parishes.

According to the report,

In the last six years, he has brought 12 priests from Africa, Asia and Latin America who are serving in this diocese covering the western third of Kentucky, where a vast majority of residents are white. His experiences offer a close look at the church’s drive to import foreign priests to compensate for a dearth of Americans, and the ways in which this trend is reshaping the Roman Catholic experience in America.

One of six diocesan priests now serving in the United States came from abroad, according to “International Priests in America,” a large study published in 2006. About 300 international priests arrive to work here each year. Even in American seminaries, about a third of those studying for the priesthood are foreign-born.

Father Venters has seen lows. Some foreign priests had to be sent home. One became romantically entangled with a female co-worker. One isolated himself in the rectory. Still, another would not learn to drive. A priest from the Philippines left after two weeks because he could not stand the cold. A Peruvian priest was hostile toward Hispanics who were not from Peru.

There are several reasons for the shortage of candidates for the priesthood in the Catholic Church and for the pastorate of Protestant churches in the United States.

One problem that affects both churches is the secularism and materialism confronting church members today. Our society offers so much to so many that few are willing to abandon the lures of our society to focus on spiritual concerns as a matter of vocation and life interest. This problem, however, is as old as the church itself. Paul said of one of his co-workers: “Demas has deserted me, because he loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10).

Another reason few people are willing to enter the priesthood or the ministry is because the church believes that priests and ministers must be paid as little as possible, as if poverty produces humility and godliness. According to the report published in The Times,

The foreign priests in Owensboro earn the same amount as their American counterparts: a base salary of $1,350 a month, plus $60 for each year since ordination. (The pay scale varies among dioceses, and many pay foreign priests significantly less than Americans.) They can also earn as much as $130 a month in Mass intentions, or special requests, plus $50 for weddings and $25 for baptisms. For the African priests, it is a windfall.

$1,350 a month can be a windfall for the African priests, but it is a pittance here in America. Many Protestant churches in America do not compensate their ministers any better. Most seminary students must spend four years in college and another three to four years earning a Master in Divinity degree before they can be ordained as pastors of a local church.

After accumulating thousands of dollars in debt to finish their education, most pastors will begin their ministry making $30,000-40,000 per year, not even enough money to pay the debt they incurred in their preparation for the ministry.

The pool of priests is shrinking because of retirements, deaths, and a few who were removed from the ministry because of sexual misconduct. But, the Catholic Church faces a peculiar problem. The issue of celibacy serves as a strong deterrent to make the priesthood in the Catholic Church a viable option for most men. And since the Church also refuses to ordain women to the priesthood, it is clear that the shortage of candidates for the priesthood will continue for years to come, unless the Church is willing to change its policy, which may never happen.

One important reason the shortage of candidates for the priesthood and ministry is so acute today is that the Church has almost stopped calling people to consider the ministry as a noble vocation.

According to the report published in The Times, it has been five years since a new priest was ordained in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro. The same occurs in Protestant churches. In some Protestant churches, no one has ever been called to consider the ministry as a life vocation.

Jesus said: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). There is much work to be done in the Lord’s harvest. Those of us who are involved in the pastoral ministry must encourage a younger generation of Christians to consider the ministry as a vocation worthy of the God who loved us so much.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Catholic Church, Christian Vocation, Ministry, Priesthood, Priests

The First Pregnant Catholic Priest

Ruth Gledhill, the Times Online Religion Correspondent, is announcing in her blog that Jessica Rowley is about to become the world’s first pregnant Catholic priest.

To read Gledhill's blog and see the picture of the world’s first pregnant Catholic priest, click here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Catholic Church, Priest, Religion, Women Priests

The Pope and the Mob

Time Magazine has an interesting article on the “Pope and the Mob.” The article begins by introducing how Pope John Paul II dealt with the Mob. The article begins as follows:

John Paul II set a powerful precedent for how a Roman Pontiff can take on the Italian Mob. In May 1993, after a high-profile spate of Mafia killings, the Pope denounced the Mob’s “culture of death” in an emotionally charged sermon in Agrigento, Sicily, the home turf of Cosa Nostra. “I say to those responsible: Convert!” he intoned, shaking his clenched fist and index finger. “One day, the judgment of God will arrive!” Two months after the dramatic papal appeal, the Mafia bombed two historic churches in Rome.

Now, you have to read the article to find out how the present Pope, Pope Benedict XVI deals with the Mob.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Benedict XVI, Catholic Church, John Paul II, Pope, Religion

The Catholic Church and the Evangelization of Christians

Christian Today is reporting that the Roman Catholic Church is defending its right and duty to spread its message to non-believers and to welcome converts, particularly from other Christian churches.

A document published by the Catholic Church says that bringing new members into the Catholic Church through evangelism is an effort to bring new people into the gift of full fellowship with Christ.

This new effort at converting other Christians through evangelism comes after the Catholic Church affirmed in July that Christian denominations outside the Roman Catholic Church were not full churches of Jesus Christ.

If the goal of the Catholic Church is to make disciples for Jesus Christ, and, if the Church desires to be fully obedient to the Great Commission, then the Church should develop a vigorous program of evangelism to reach the five billion people in the world who are not Christians.

Instead of fighting with each other, the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations should join in a common effort to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Catholic Church, Evangelism, Great Commission

Celebrating the Latin Mass

The Catholic Church is returning to the celebration of the Mass in Latin. The New York Times has released an audio slide show of the celebration of Latin Mass and how it is beginning to attract priests and parishioners in the U.S.

Click here to view the audio slide show.

When I was living in Brazil, I grew up in a Catholic home. My family and I attended a church which celebrated the Mass in Latin. My family and I did not understand Latin, so the celebration of the Mass was mostly unintelligible to us. As the slide show demonstrates, most people are attracted to the “mystery” which they perceive is present in the Latin Mass.

The return of the Latin Mass reminds me of the words of Paul: “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (1 Corinthians 14:19).


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Catholic Church, Latin Mass, Mass

Protestants React To Vatican’s Statement

The Associated Baptist Press has a detailed article about the reaction of some Protestants to the Pope’s statement that other Christians communities are not the church. The following is an excerpt of the news release:

DALLAS (ABP) -- The document issued July 10 by the Vatican was meant to clarify its doctrine of the church. But nearly a week later, its timing and language still leaves some Protestants and Catholics feeling confused or angry.

Much of the document, entitled "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church," was aimed to clearly define “church.” The part that incited some anger said Christian denominations outside the Roman Catholic Church are not true churches. Instead only those with a direct link to the apostles and that submit to the authority of the pope are genuine. the Vatican said.

The document said Protestant churches suffer from a “profound wound,” causing them to warrant only “Christian community” status, not that of a church. The document said the Roman Catholic Church meets the criteria for a “church” because it can trace its history directly through bishops to the original apostles. It said Eastern Orthodox churches suffer from a lesser “wound” than Protestants because, while they claim apostolic authority, they don’t recognize the primacy of the pope.

“This is nothing but a naked attempt by Pope Benedict to ‘own’ Jesus by virtue of the Catholic Church considering the apostle Peter as its leader,” said American talk-show host Roland Martin. He told CNN July 13 that the Vatican document divides the community of faith rather than supports it.

There's little new in the Vatican document, however. Most of the contentious statements were also included in “Dominus Iesus,” a document issued in 2000 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became the current pope, Benedict XVI. According to Reuter’s, the purpose of July 10 document was to correct “erroneous or ambiguous” interpretations of the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, which opened the door for ecumenical dialogue with non-Catholic Christian bodies.

Some critics say the divisive nature of the latest document is ironic, since Pope Benedict has portrayed himself as a supporter of Christian unity. The day after he was elected pope, he delivered a speech in which he said God will judge him for what he does to foster Christian unity.

One key Protestant leader added his criticism of the document, which he said "makes us question the seriousness with which the Roman Catholic Church takes its dialogues with Reformed family and other families of the church." Rev. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, offered that view in a letter to Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, according to Catholic World News.


Read the news release in its entirety by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Catholic Church, Church, Pope, Protestants, Vatican

Pope Declares: Other Christians Are Not the True Church

Pope Benedict XVI has declared in a document issued by the Vatican, that other Christians communities are not the true church. According to the Pope, Christ established only one church, the Catholic Church. The Pope said that Orthodox churches are “defective” and that Protestants and other Christian denominations are “not true churches but merely ecclesial communities” and for this reason, they do not have the “means of salvation.”

Below is the news release published by the Associated Press:

Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.

Benedict approved a document from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church.

On Saturday, Benedict revisited another key aspect of Vatican II by reviving the old Latin Mass. Traditional Catholics cheered the move, but more liberal ones called it a step back from Vatican II.

Benedict, who attended Vatican II as a young theologian, has long complained about what he considers the erroneous interpretation of the council by liberals, saying it was not a break from the past but rather a renewal of church tradition.

In the latest document - formulated as five questions and answers - the Vatican seeks to set the record straight on Vatican II's ecumenical intent, saying some contemporary theological interpretation had been "erroneous or ambiguous" and had prompted confusion and doubt.

It restates key sections of a 2000 document the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, "Dominus Iesus," which set off a firestorm of criticism among Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation."

In the new document and an accompanying commentary, which were released as the pope vacations here in Italy's Dolomite mountains, the Vatican repeated that position.

"Christ 'established here on earth' only one church," the document said. The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession - the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles.

The Rev. Sara MacVane of the Anglican Centre in Rome, said there was nothing new in the document.

"I don't know what motivated it at this time," she said. "But it's important always to point out that there's the official position and there's the huge amount of friendship and fellowship and worshipping together that goes on at all levels, certainly between Anglican and Catholics and all the other groups and Catholics."

The document said Orthodox churches were indeed "churches" because they have apostolic succession and that they enjoyed "many elements of sanctification and of truth." But it said they lack something because they do not recognize the primacy of the pope - a defect, or a "wound" that harmed them, it said.

"This is obviously not compatible with the doctrine of primacy which, according to the Catholic faith, is an 'internal constitutive principle' of the very existence of a particular church," the commentary said.

Despite the harsh tone of the document, it stresses that Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue.

"However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive, it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith," the commentary said.

The document, signed by the congregation prefect, U.S. Cardinal William Levada, was approved by Benedict on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul - a major ecumenical feast day.

There was no indication about why the pope felt it necessary to release the document, particularly since his 2000 document summed up the same principles. Some analysts suggested it could be a question of internal church politics, or that it could simply be an indication of Benedict using his office as pope to again stress key doctrinal issues from his time at the congregation.

The whole issue for the Catholic church is the issue of “apostolic succession.” If a church is unable to “trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles,” then that church cannot be considered a true church. The fact is, that it is only through some manipulation of historical facts that the Catholic church can trace itself back to Peter.

The Pope said that the Catholic church is still “committed to ecumenical dialogue.” But ecumenical dialogue must be under the Pope’s terms: “However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive, it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith.”

To the Pope and to the Catholic church, the Protestant and other Christian “ecclesial communities” reinterate Luther’s words:

“Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.”

And then, those words that made Luther famous, if he indeed spoke them:

“Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me, Amen!”

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Apostolic Succession, Benedict XVI , Catholic Church, Church, Pope

Tony Blair Prepares to Convert to Catholicism

Christian Today is reporting that Tony Blair is converting to Catholicism.

The following is an excerpt to the news release:

Tony Blair will meet Pope Benedict at the Vatican on Saturday to prepare to convert to Roman Catholicism, various newspapers have reported on Friday. Blair, who is currently Anglican, had decided to seek admission to the Catholic Church, according to unidentified sources in London and Rome.

Read the news release by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Catholic Church, Tony Blair