Church Turns To Facebook To Find Priests

crimeandpunishment writes "The Catholic church of France isn't looking for friends on Facebook, it's looking for priests. The church has turned to Facebook as part of a campaign to attract young people to the priesthood, in an effort to combat its drastically dwindling number of priests. It may be working. The Facebook page attracted more than 1,200 fans in one week."

Comments

Really?

[jollyreaper]

I thought AOL was supposed to be more popular with the pedobear crowd.

Re:Really?

[Sir_Lewk]

Are they priests? If so, then yes I would. Mostly out of a desire to see people like you squirm. Nobody is above ridicule, get used to it.

And newsflash: not everyone who criticises the catholic church is an atheist.

Re:Please refrain from pedophile jokes...

[Anonymous Coward]

Looks like you explained it perfectly just now...

Re:Please refrain from pedophile jokes...

[jimbolauski]

Priests and/or pastors are not even the biggest threat to children it's teachers, at least once a week another teacher is in the news for molesting one of their students.

Re:Please refrain from pedophile jokes...

[Idiomatick]

I'm an atheist. We have lower levels of sexual abuse because our morals are reinforced by logic and a sense of regret rather than forgiven and cleansed by God making everything ok.

Re:Goodluckwiththat

[sznupi]

It's not a doctrine, it's an ecclesial law. Can be changed at a whim by one signature; wasn't even nearly a universal custom in the past (heck, around XIII century AFAI remember, when the Vatican envoy arrived in my area with the mission of sorting out actual introduction of celibacy...well, he did reasonably well in Czech; but in Poland he barely escaped with his life)

Not doctrine

[TheLink]

It's NOT doctrine.

If someone wants to be a priest, bishop or other "top leader of a church" I suggest they look at this first:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy+3&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%203&version=NKJV

http://bible.cc/1_timothy/3-2.htm

The requirements there for Bishops and Deacons don't mention celibacy anywhere. In fact they do even mention "husband of but one wife".

So there's above reproach, husband of but one wife, temperate, self controlled, good reputation with outsiders, etc.

So practicing polygamists/adulterers/fornicators/pedophiles/homosexuals do not meet that standard. Nor do drunkards.

You might ask why not practicing homosexuals? Because honestly if you're a practicing homosexual you would not meet the "above reproach", "blameless" and "good reputation with outsiders" requirement.

Like it or not, but It is a fact that a practicing homosexual is still not "above reproach" in the real world.

There are all sorts of outsiders you would deal with as an official representative of the church. Not meeting these requirements would reduce your effectiveness. You would be a blunt knife.

How about non-practicing homosexuals? IMO, there isn't such a vast difference to being faithful to one wife and being faithfully celibate. If you feel it's such a huge difference and you can't stay celibate, then too bad you don't meet the "self controlled" requirement.

BUT don't forget you can always serve in other ways.

There are plenty of good works still to be done, why do you need to be a priest, bishop, deacon or whatever to do it? What's your motive really?

I'm not a homosexual, but I certainly don't meet those high standards either.

Re:Not doctrine

[Princeofcups]

So there's above reproach, husband of but one wife, temperate, self controlled, good reputation with outsiders, etc.

So practicing polygamists/adulterers/fornicators/pedophiles/homosexuals do not meet that standard. Nor do drunkards.

It's a shame that those "standards" have never really been followed. I DID grow up Catholic. Baptism, communion, confirmation. I was even an alter boy. (And no I was never abused.)

Anyway, everyone knew that a large percentage of priests were gay, but it was never talked about. Instead, if a young boy preferred to play with dolls instead of toy guns, then the relatives would say "He's destined for the priesthood." No joke, fact.

I also went to Catholic high school, and one of the priests was regularly drunk when he taught class, and one was more bipolar and would only be drunk on occasion. At least two priests were outwardly gay (non-practicing of course). One, the principal of all people, was defrocked for having multiple affairs with underage students (female by the way).

There is nothing particularly "holy" about the Catholic community. It has its problems just like any other.

Re:Their own bible condems them

[bflong]

I couldn't find a Jerusalem Bible online fast enough.

Here it is:
1 The Spirit has explicitly said that during the last times some will desert the faith and pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from devils,
2 seduced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are branded as though with a red-hot iron:
3 they forbid marriage and prohibit foods which God created to be accepted with thanksgiving by all who believe and who know the truth.
4 Everything God has created is good, and no food is to be rejected, provided it is received with thanksgiving:
5 the word of God and prayer make it holy.

Here is the New American:
1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the last times some will turn away from the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and demonic instructions
2 through the hypocrisy of liars with branded consciences.
3 They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected when received with thanksgiving,
5 for it is made holy by the invocation of God in prayer.

Here is the Douay:
1 Now the Spirit manifestly saith, that in the last times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error, and doctrines of devils,
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy, and having their conscience seared,
3 Forbidding to marry, to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving by the faithful, and by them that have known the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Anything else you care to complain about?

Re:A better, more old fashioned solution

[Corporate Drone]

The Catholic Church allows African priests to marry, did you know that?

It does not! If you think you have a reasonable argument, please provide a reference -- from a Church document -- showing that this is the case. Celibacy is the norm for all Catholic priests of the Latin rite. (Is it possible that you're asserting that one of the Eastern rites allows married priests?)

There is a logical connection between forced celibacy and abuse, but I am not aware of any statistical analysis having been done, nor of any correlation found between them.

Then there's no logical connection, just a conjecture in your mind, isn't there? Now, the place that there's a "logical connection", and lots of research, is sexual abuse of children within families. And you want priests to marry? Yeah, that'll help the problem all right -- replace one statistical group that's within the societal norm for sexual abuse and place it in the group at the statistically highest risk for sexual abuse of children...!