BishopAccountability.org
	No Choice but to Downsize The News-Democrat August 30, 2011 http://www.bnd.com/2011/08/30/1839521/no-choice-but-to-downsize.html The timing of the Belleville Diocese's announcement that it may close up to 20 Catholic parishes has some people wondering whether this is a reaction to the recent $6.33 million settlement in a sexual abuse lawsuit. But that's not the case. Different numbers are driving this decision. The diocese simply doesn't have enough priests to go around. It has 121 parishes but just 69 diocesan priests, eight of them 70 or older. It's simply not sustainable to keep all those parishes open going forward. The number of priests is expected to continue to decline. Frankly, few unmarried men in 2011 want to become priests. Years ago, parents were happy to have their sons enter the priesthood. But even before the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal, few parents encouraged their sons to choose what is a challenging, often solitary lifestyle. Allowing married men and women to also become priests would broaden the pool, but church leaders in Rome show no such inclination to do so. The difficult job of consolidating physical church locations might still be a battle despite the diocese's plan to involve local parishes in the decision-making process. The bigger challenge will be helping Catholics sustain their spiritual lives with fewer priests to say Mass, deliver the sacraments and guide people.
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