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	Tending to the Flock The Georgetown Voice [United States] October 27, 2005 Whatever your creed, or lack thereof, it is not hard to appreciate the basic moral teachings of the Church. We embrace many of the Catholic and Jesuit aspects of our university, especially the progressive teachings of the New Testament. That is why we are saddened by the Church's failure to seek positive change at the recent Synod of Bishops, the first of newly elected Pope Benedict XVI's reign. The Synod, a meeting of more than 250 Bishops to debate and propose Church policies, came to an end on Saturday. Though it acknowledged the shortage of priests, it failed to approve priestly marriage and did not even discuss the possibility of ordaining women. Further, it reaffirmed its decision to deny communion to divorcees. It did, however, give local Bishops the authority to deny or allow Catholic politicians who disagree with certain Catholic teachings-read John Kerry-communion. The threat facing the church is a very real one. According to the Vatican, the ratio of priests to Catholics in America is 1 to 1,200. This speaks to a very real failure by the Church to tend to the spiritual needs of the faithful, as well as provide the Sacraments of their faith. "Some men are called to celibacy, some to the priesthood, but to be a priest today you need both vocations," Professor Chester Gillis, the chair of Georgetown's Theology Department, said. "I see many students on campus who would make good priests but who also want to get married." Besides today's more secular, sexual culture, Gillis credits the lack of prestige associated with the priesthood to generational changes and the recent sexual abuse scandals. He also said that the celibacy requirement arose in the 12th century with the Monastic movement, not in the original church, he noted. Even Christ's apostles were married. We tend toward rejecting traditions that are held merely for traditions' sake. Is there a real, scriptural and theological reason for having only celibate, male priests? The Church should follow the example of Christ and forgive divorcees, allowing them to rejoin the Catholic community. Further, we believe that it is possible to be both Liberal and Catholic. The Church should stop threatening Catholic politicians who are faithful but also believe in the separation of Church and state. Today, the Church is being strangled by its devotion to unnecessary, human doctrines. Busy persecuting homosexuals within and without, covering up its past sins of child molestation and contributing to its own shortage of priests, the church has failed to remember its primary mission: to advance the moral teachings of Jesus Christ, beginning with love thy neighbor as thyself. If it does not remember soon, it will lose more than just priests.
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