| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"johac" |
| Date: |
27 Nov 2004 02:36:56 AM |
| Object: |
Pope wants prayer for more priests |
Why? Are there some altar boys out there feeling neglected?
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Pope Urges U.S. National Prayer Day for More Priests
Fri Nov 26, 8:09 AM ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) on Friday
called for a national day of prayer to boost priestly vocations in the
United States, where sexual abuse scandals have hit already shrinking
numbers of priesthood volunteers.
"No one can deny that the decline in priestly vocations represents a
stark challenge for the Church in the United States, and one that cannot
be ignored or put off," the pope said in a speech to American bishops
visiting the Vatican (news - web sites).
"I would propose for your consideration that the Catholic community in
your country annually set aside a national day of prayer for priestly
vocations," the 84-year-old pontiff urged.
In a report earlier this year, the Vatican said the total number of
priests had fallen sharply in North America and Europe between 1961 and
2001. In North America, the number dropped to 57,988 from 71,725 at a
time when the population was growing.
Globally, the number of priests was slightly up due to rises in Latin
America, Asia and Africa.
On top of cultural changes in the United States that have eroded
priestly vocations, reports of widespread sexual abuse by U.S. priests
that surfaced in January 2002 have taken their toll.
While the U.S. Catholic population has swelled to over 63 million people
compared to 45 million in 1965, priests have been leaving in record
numbers and new recruits have fallen off dramatically, according to
American Catholic organizations.
As a result, there are now more U.S. priests over the age of 90 than
under the age of 30, according to the nonprofit Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate.
---
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=11&u=/nm/2
0041126/ts_nm/pope_usa_vocations_dc
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
Which raises the question: Can a people that believes more fervently
in theVirgin Birth than in evolution still be called an Enlightened
nation?-Garry Wills, New York Times 11/04/04
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| User: "Jos Flachs" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
28 Nov 2004 12:50:03 AM |
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On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 00:36:56 -0800, johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote:
As a result, there are now more U.S. priests over the age of 90 than
under the age of 30, according to the nonprofit Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate.
Oh, it is even worse, far worse in my home country, The Netherlands.
According to my sources (meaning unconfirmed but usually reliable)
about 20% of the general population claims *any* religion. The
remainder, being 80% states they don't have a religion or simply don't
bother with it.
The RCC used to recruit quite a lot of missionaries in Holland. No
longer. The few remaining active parish priests have to serve several
(up to as much as 7) parishes, simply because there aren't enough
priests. The church is considering to send Polish priests to fill in
the gap.
Far worse, from the church point of view, that is, is the general
opinion about the church. (Very low or far below sea level!) Most
catholics still consider themselves good catholics if they do not
follow all the pope's commands. Or practice birth control. Only an
insignificant minority of mainly elderly catholics follows the church
instructions for birth control.
The church simply has to accept the -shall we say- extremely liberal
attitude of the RCC population, otherwise they wouldn't be able to
register any members at all.
And the worst of all is the extremely low image the pope himself
holds: most Dutch consider him merely laughable. On his official visit
to The Netherlands, many years ago, he was completely ridiculed by a
popular duo of comedians. He is still known as 'popie Jopie'
(translate that as L'lle Johnny the pope). And that after all these
years...
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
29 Nov 2004 12:20:59 AM |
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In article <68jgq0deucdvp4eid0dd02jo6aipko7hjj@4ax.com>,
Jos Flachs <"wcruise"@ksc15.th.com> wrote:
On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 00:36:56 -0800, johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote:
As a result, there are now more U.S. priests over the age of 90 than
under the age of 30, according to the nonprofit Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate.
Oh, it is even worse, far worse in my home country, The Netherlands.
According to my sources (meaning unconfirmed but usually reliable)
about 20% of the general population claims *any* religion. The
remainder, being 80% states they don't have a religion or simply don't
bother with it.
The RCC used to recruit quite a lot of missionaries in Holland. No
longer. The few remaining active parish priests have to serve several
(up to as much as 7) parishes, simply because there aren't enough
priests. The church is considering to send Polish priests to fill in
the gap.
Far worse, from the church point of view, that is, is the general
opinion about the church. (Very low or far below sea level!) Most
catholics still consider themselves good catholics if they do not
follow all the pope's commands. Or practice birth control. Only an
insignificant minority of mainly elderly catholics follows the church
instructions for birth control.
The church simply has to accept the -shall we say- extremely liberal
attitude of the RCC population, otherwise they wouldn't be able to
register any members at all.
And the worst of all is the extremely low image the pope himself
holds: most Dutch consider him merely laughable. On his official visit
to The Netherlands, many years ago, he was completely ridiculed by a
popular duo of comedians. He is still known as 'popie Jopie'
(translate that as L'lle Johnny the pope). And that after all these
years...
The situation for the churches in America is pretty grim. Even before
the scandals, many had to shut their doors for lack of support.
America used to be a good recruiting ground for Catholic missionaries
too. Now, however, with the declining priesthood, it is forced to
recruit priests from many of the same countries to which we sent
missionaries. In my still Catholic brother's church they have had
priests from Viet Nam, the Philippines, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and
Nigeria.
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
Which raises the question: Can a people that believes more fervently
in theVirgin Birth than in evolution still be called an Enlightened
nation?-Garry Wills, New York Times 11/04/04
.
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| User: "wbarwell" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
28 Nov 2004 12:47:21 AM |
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Jos Flachs wrote:
On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 00:36:56 -0800, johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote:
As a result, there are now more U.S. priests over the age of 90 than
under the age of 30, according to the nonprofit Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate.
Oh, it is even worse, far worse in my home country, The Netherlands.
According to my sources (meaning unconfirmed but usually reliable)
about 20% of the general population claims *any* religion. The
remainder, being 80% states they don't have a religion or simply don't
bother with it.
I may have to start learning Dutch.
--
Kerry - two medals a silver and bronze star.
Bush? Well they don't give medals
for going AWOL, missing your medical and
getting grounded or falling off of a bar stool.
Kerry - a hero, Bush - a zero
Cheerful Charlie
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| User: "stoney" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
27 Nov 2004 08:27:26 PM |
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On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 00:36:56 -0800, johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote:
Why? Are there some altar boys out there feeling neglected?
Evidentally.
---
Pope Urges U.S. National Prayer Day for More Priests
Fri Nov 26, 8:09 AM ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) on Friday
called for a national day of prayer to boost priestly vocations in the
United States, where sexual abuse scandals have hit already shrinking
numbers of priesthood volunteers.
"No one can deny that the decline in priestly vocations represents a
stark challenge for the Church in the United States, and one that cannot
be ignored or put off," the pope said in a speech to American bishops
visiting the Vatican (news - web sites).
"I would propose for your consideration that the Catholic community in
your country annually set aside a national day of prayer for priestly
vocations," the 84-year-old pontiff urged.
In a report earlier this year, the Vatican said the total number of
priests had fallen sharply in North America and Europe between 1961 and
2001. In North America, the number dropped to 57,988 from 71,725 at a
time when the population was growing.
Globally, the number of priests was slightly up due to rises in Latin
America, Asia and Africa.
On top of cultural changes in the United States that have eroded
priestly vocations, reports of widespread sexual abuse by U.S. priests
that surfaced in January 2002 have taken their toll.
While the U.S. Catholic population has swelled to over 63 million people
compared to 45 million in 1965, priests have been leaving in record
numbers and new recruits have fallen off dramatically, according to
American Catholic organizations.
As a result, there are now more U.S. priests over the age of 90 than
under the age of 30, according to the nonprofit Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate.
---
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=11&u=/nm/2
0041126/ts_nm/pope_usa_vocations_dc
--
Contempt of Congress meter reading-offscale.
Hello, theocracy with a fundamentalist US Supreme
Court who will ensure church and state are joined
at the hip like clergy and altar boys.
America 1776-Jan 2001 RIP
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| User: "Enkidu" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
27 Nov 2004 09:16:15 AM |
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johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote in
news:jhachm-F2CA31.00365627112004@news.giganews.com:
Why? Are there some altar boys out there feeling neglected?
---
Pope Urges U.S. National Prayer Day for More Priests
Fri Nov 26, 8:09 AM ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) on Friday
called for a national day of prayer to boost priestly vocations in the
United States, where sexual abuse scandals have hit already shrinking
numbers of priesthood volunteers.
"No one can deny that the decline in priestly vocations represents a
stark challenge for the Church in the United States, and one that
cannot be ignored or put off," the pope said in a speech to American
bishops visiting the Vatican (news - web sites).
I don't know where to begin . . . a hundred sarcastic comments leap to
mind, followed by a dozen jokes about alter boys.
--
Enkidu
"Yee-Ha" is not a foreign policy.
.
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| User: "Tom Sevart" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
27 Nov 2004 11:01:05 AM |
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"Enkidu" <enkidu@leaddogs.org> wrote in message
news:Xns95AE49F9D9506enkiduleaddogsorg@68.6.19.6...
I don't know where to begin . . . a hundred sarcastic comments leap to
mind, followed by a dozen jokes about alter boys.
Me first...
A priest was hearing confessions one day when he had the urge to go to the
bathroom. He knew people would be coming in for confessions, so he left the
confessional and found the church's custodian, whom he urged to hear
confessions in his absence. The custodian reluctantly agreed & entered the
box.
After a minute or two had passed, a woman entered the box next to him and
said "Bless me father for I have sinned, I have committed adultry by
performing oral sex three times this week."
The custodian knew he was supposed to tell the woman to say some prayers for
penance, but didn't know what to say. He opened the door to the
confessional and flagged down a passing altar boy. "Hey," he whispered,
"what does the priest give for oral sex?"
The altar boy replied, "Right now it's a couple candy bars and a coke."
Tom
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
28 Nov 2004 02:31:16 AM |
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In article <Xns95AE49F9D9506enkiduleaddogsorg@68.6.19.6>,
Enkidu <enkidu@leaddogs.org> wrote:
johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote in
news:jhachm-F2CA31.00365627112004@news.giganews.com:
Why? Are there some altar boys out there feeling neglected?
---
Pope Urges U.S. National Prayer Day for More Priests
Fri Nov 26, 8:09 AM ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) on Friday
called for a national day of prayer to boost priestly vocations in the
United States, where sexual abuse scandals have hit already shrinking
numbers of priesthood volunteers.
"No one can deny that the decline in priestly vocations represents a
stark challenge for the Church in the United States, and one that
cannot be ignored or put off," the pope said in a speech to American
bishops visiting the Vatican (news - web sites).
I don't know where to begin . . . a hundred sarcastic comments leap to
mind, followed by a dozen jokes about alter boys.
The comment that comes to mind is: "Will the last American Catholic to
leave the Church please remember to turn the lights out?"
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
Which raises the question: Can a people that believes more fervently
in theVirgin Birth than in evolution still be called an Enlightened
nation?-Garry Wills, New York Times 11/04/04
.
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| User: "Teresita" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
28 Nov 2004 12:28:45 PM |
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On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:31:16 -0800, johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote:
The comment that comes to mind is: "Will the last American Catholic to
leave the Church please remember to turn the lights out?"
Religious Body Adherents (2000) Change 1990-2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latter-Day Saints 4,224,026 +19.3 %
Christian Churches
and Churches of Christ 1,439,253 +18.6 %
Assemblies of God 2,561,998 +18.5%
Catholics 62,035,042 +16.2%
Southern Baptists 19,881,467 +4.9 %
Jewish 6,141,325 +2.7 %
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared by the Glenmary Research Center from the Catholic data it
collected for the Religious Congregations Membership Study 2000 (RCMS
2000), sponsored by the Association ofStatisticians for American
Religious Bodies (ASARB). The results are reported in Religious
Congregations &Membership in the United States: 2000, published by the
Glenmary Research Center, 1312 Fifth Ave., North,Nashville, TN 37208
--
Teresita aka Ruby Redinger
http://web.newsguy.com/rubyred
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
29 Nov 2004 12:29:49 AM |
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In article <hn5kq0h34g40ek9vhks0g4g0vjsdepcclk@4ax.com>,
Teresita <teresita@dataway.com> wrote:
On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:31:16 -0800, johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote:
The comment that comes to mind is: "Will the last American Catholic to
leave the Church please remember to turn the lights out?"
Religious Body Adherents (2000) Change 1990-2000
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
Latter-Day Saints 4,224,026 +19.3 %
Christian Churches
and Churches of Christ 1,439,253 +18.6 %
Assemblies of God 2,561,998 +18.5%
Catholics 62,035,042 +16.2%
Southern Baptists 19,881,467 +4.9 %
Jewish 6,141,325 +2.7 %
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Prepared by the Glenmary Research Center from the Catholic data it
collected for the Religious Congregations Membership Study 2000 (RCMS
2000), sponsored by the Association ofStatisticians for American
Religious Bodies (ASARB). The results are reported in Religious
Congregations &Membership in the United States: 2000, published by the
Glenmary Research Center, 1312 Fifth Ave., North,Nashville, TN 37208
The apparent surge in Catholic numbers lately is largely due to
immigration from predominantly Catholic countries in Latin America and
the Philippines. How many of these people who call themselves Catholic
actually go to church and practice their religion is another matter. Why
is it that attendance, even in the cities where many of them live, on
the decline? The largest growing group is the so called evangelical
protestants, many of whom don't even belong to a specific denomination.
--
Teresita aka Ruby Redinger
http://web.newsguy.com/rubyred
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
Which raises the question: Can a people that believes more fervently
in theVirgin Birth than in evolution still be called an Enlightened
nation?-Garry Wills, New York Times 11/04/04
.
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| User: "Harry F. Leopold" |
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| Title: Re: Pope wants prayer for more priests |
29 Nov 2004 12:35:14 AM |
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On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 02:31:16 -0600, johac wrote
(in article <jhachm-7515A7.00311628112004@news.giganews.com>):
In article <Xns95AE49F9D9506enkiduleaddogsorg@68.6.19.6>,
Enkidu <enkidu@leaddogs.org> wrote:
johac <jhachm@ixpres.com> wrote in
news:jhachm-F2CA31.00365627112004@news.giganews.com:
Why? Are there some altar boys out there feeling neglected?
---
Pope Urges U.S. National Prayer Day for More Priests
Fri Nov 26, 8:09 AM ET
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) on Friday
called for a national day of prayer to boost priestly vocations in the
United States, where sexual abuse scandals have hit already shrinking
numbers of priesthood volunteers.
"No one can deny that the decline in priestly vocations represents a
stark challenge for the Church in the United States, and one that
cannot be ignored or put off," the pope said in a speech to American
bishops visiting the Vatican (news - web sites).
I don't know where to begin . . . a hundred sarcastic comments leap to
mind, followed by a dozen jokes about alter boys.
The comment that comes to mind is: "Will the last American Catholic to
leave the Church please remember to turn the lights out?"
And blow out the candles, we don't want the churches o catch fire and set the
rest of the city on fire.
--
Harry F. Leopold
aa #2076
AA/Vet #4
The Prints of Darkness
(remove gene to email)
"We've upped our standards, up yours."-EAC Department of Literary
Standards-Desdinova
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