Encore! Encore!

Even though I posted them last night, a particular section of the remarks of the Pope at Introd is noteworthy for its blunt, provacative commentary on the vocations crisis.

Especially considering the American situation -- where Cinderella stories abound, even to our present day -- these words deserve a re-airing. Here goes:

In these last weeks, I have had "Ad limina" visits with the bishops of Sri Lanka and from part of South Africa. Here vocations are growing, even so much so that they are not able to build enough seminaries to accommodate the young people who want to become priests. Naturally this joy also brings with it a certain sadness, since part of this, at least, comes from the hope of social promotion. In making themselves priests, they become sort of tribal chiefs, they are naturally privileged, they have another form of life, and so forth. Thus weeds and wheat come together in this beautiful growth of vocations, and the bishops have to be very attentive in discernment and not be simply content to have many future priests, but to see how many are real vocations, to distinguish the good grain from the chaff....

Note the words "in making themselves priests" -- "Facendosi sacerdoti," nell'italiano -- implying that the traditional belief that God makes a priest is, in these cases of VINO (Vocation In Name Only), not applicable.

Ergo, this line of thinking leads, the case for dismissal from the clerical state is made easier as the disposition of the one receiving the sacrament was fundamentally lacking at the time of its conferral.

Hmmmm.... Talk about fascinating.

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