Wednesday, February 12, 2020

No To Married Priests in the Amazon Region Where Desperately Needed

I'm disappointed in Pope Francis' decision to not follow the guidance and wishes of bishops of the Amazonian region of the world who wanted and needed,  men of excellent virtue for a married clergy, for the sake of giving the people there better access to the sacraments. No to a married clergy in neglected areas of the world, no to making Eucharist more readily available to the poor people of the Amazon.
The Protestants in the Amazon region, must be thrilled..... more Catholics poorly served in that area of the world, will just join the Protestant churches where they are being "fed." This is already happening.....and will sadly continue.
I cannot believe this is what the Holy Spirit wants. ...for poor, marginalized people to be deprived of the sacraments, especially Eucharist. Does the hierarchy of the Church believe that the bishops and priests of the Amazon have made this request lightly or do they live everyday with the reality of Catholics lacking access to the sacraments and pastoral care?
Very sad to me...the Church seems out of touch with realities in the modern world. Young people (the nones) are leaving the church in record numbers. They are distancing themselves from all institutions, not only the Catholic Church......As the elderly die in our church, who will take their place?
There are real problems in our Church and giving in to the request of bishops in the Amazon, who are on the ground, who know the needs of their people and saying "no" we can't help you, is not forward thinking or compassionate, in my humble opinion.
NJA