12/18/2007 9:54 AM
A not often considered reason for the shortage of priestly vocations
The Church in the
The answers I have heard focus on three things: the requirement of celibacy, the expectation that the vocation is for life, and the restriction of ordination to men. All three of these factors go against powerful currents of thought in our culture. But there is another factor that may lie behind the reluctance of men (and women) to choose the calling: the gap between official Church teaching and the sense of morality of the ordinary U.S. Catholic.
The "sensus fidelium" is part of our Catholic heritage, and means that the feelings and thoughts of ordinary Catholics can be guided by the Holy Spirit. It is a dangerous concept—the majority is not always right, and the Church is always in need of prophetic voices, whether those voices come from below or from its leaders. Certainly the Catholic faithful have gone for centuries living with less than healthy ways of practicing the Faith.
The only way to get the sensus fidelium is to ask people--lots of people--about their beliefs and practices. This means surveys, which means sociology, which is the poster child of evil for Church leaders. The magisterium speaks, and the matter is closed. But in many areas the faithful see things differently. Here are some examples.
Confession (the sacrament of Penance or
Reconciliation). It is obvious that the Catholic faithful do not see this
sacrament the way they did fifty years ago.
"Life" issues: abortion, stem cell research, the "morning after" pill. The Church has forcefully stated its position on these issues, to the point where it has entered (in my opinion much too forcefully) into politics. Years of Church preaching on this issue have not changed Catholic opinion on the abortion issue one bit. Catholics approve of some forms of legal abortion at the same rate as the general public (80 to 90% approval), and disapprove of other forms at the same rate as the rest of the country (50-60% disapproval). These numbers have not changed for thirty years. I have not seen survey data on stem cell research or the morning after pill, but the fact that politicians can lose elections depending on whether they favor or oppose these practices points to trends in public opinion.
Contraception. In spite of the teaching of Humanae Vitae, the Catholic birth rate has dropped at about the same rate as the birth rate of the rest of the country. Catholics, regardless of what they say, are not following Paul VI's teaching on this matter.
Men considering priesthood know that they will be expected to publicly defend the Church's teaching on these issues. If they share the sensibilities of the majority of the faithful, they will either have to change their thinking, or they will have to submerge their personal judgments and speak only what they are required to say. The latter course of action can perhaps be excused when men are already committed to a Church vocation; most people have to accept some things in life that they do not agree with. But when you have not yet chosen the calling, why should you voluntarily put yourself in such a position? The only people who can enter such a calling with integrity are those who are intellectually convinced of the truth of the positions. Such people are admirable, but they are a minority.
The vocation problem will not be addressed effectively until the Church faces up publicly to the gap between its official teachings and the public opinion of the Catholic faithful. This means allowing discussion, and listening to the sincere thoughts and feelings of all the faithful.