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Article: Importing priests to U.S. a poor solution. (many question whether priests from other culture can understand and meet the pastoral needs of Americans)(Column)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- November 14, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Is there a shortage of priests? If so, what can be done about it? People answer the second question in a variety of ways, almost always reflecting, for good or for ill, a theology of the church and its priesthood.
For Catholics who believe that all problems can be solved by prayer (sometimes with a little fasting thrown in), the shortage is only short-term. As soon as we persuade enough people to pray harder and to make sacrifices to win God's attention and favor, an upswing of vocations is sure to follow.
Other Catholics are convinced that the vocations crisis is a blessing in disguise. Because of the shortage of priests, more and more lay people ...