COLUMBIA (SC)
Myrtle Beach Sun
By Christina Lee Knauss
Knight Ridder
COLUMBIA - Officials of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston say last week's Vatican statement banning gay men from the priesthood will not hurt the local church's ability to attract new priests or fill shortages.
The new Vatican instruction bans most gay men from joining the Roman Catholic priesthood or leading the seminaries that train future Catholic priests.
Steven Gajdosik, spokesman for the Diocese of Charleston, said the church has seen growth in the priesthood.
"Across the board, in this country, vocations are on the upswing since 2003, making up for the declining numbers that we saw during the '70s and '80s," he said.
Gajdosik acknowledged the slight increases are not enough to offset the number of older priests who die or retire each year in the United States. But, he said, it's a start.