{"id":2607,"date":"2010-02-15T09:32:27","date_gmt":"2010-02-14T22:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/?p=2607"},"modified":"2010-02-15T09:32:27","modified_gmt":"2010-02-14T22:32:27","slug":"clergy-gods-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/imaginarydiocese.org\/bishopjohn\/2010\/02\/15\/clergy-gods-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Clergy: God’s call?"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Roman) Catholic priests in Australia are overworked and in increasingly short supply, and this has prompted some dioceses to recruit clergy from overseas. But how ethical is it to take priests from countries such as India, where they may be needed? Is it time for the Church to look at more radical solutions?<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>\u00a0Earlier this year, the Vatican proclaimed June 2009 to June 2010 as a Year for Priests<\/a>, during which time Catholics are encouraged to remember their priests through prayer, and to reflect on the role and function of the clergy. – David Rutledge (Encounter, ABC Radio National)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Encounter program reflects on,<\/p>\n

\u00a0A\u00a0problem that’s been troubling the Catholic church in the West for some years now: a drastic shortage of priests. Since around the mid-1970s there’s been a marked decline in vocations among young men, and while some say that things are improving, and that the crisis will pass, there’s no doubt that the church in the West currently has an ageing clergy, which is increasingly stressed from overwork and unable to provide the proper pastoral care that the job demands. In Australia, particularly in rural areas, priests often have to cover vast distances, and parishioners miss out on regular mass which for many is the most important aspect of Catholic life.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0Full ABC Radio National Encounter interview with David Rutledge of 17 January 2010 available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n