MICHIGAN
MLive
Question of the Day: Does Grand Rapids Diocese restructuring mean the Catholic Church should allow female priests, clergy to marry?
By Garret Ellison | gellison@mlive.com
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — The Grand Rapids Diocese’s plan merge, close and cluster Catholic parishes across West Michigan because of an aging priest population was met with calls by some MLive readers to change practices.
The “Our Faith, Our Future” plan, which affects churches in 11 counties, took nearly three years to draw up and involved consultation with priests from all nine deaneries of the diocese and parish lay members, according to Bishop Walter Hurley.
Hurely said fewer and older priests, stretched parish finances and aging church facilities necessitated the restructuring plan.
Some readers saw the plan as proof that the Catholic Church needs to make dramatic changes to long-standing traditions and, among other changes, ditch the ancient discipline that mandates celibacy for those who enter the clergy.
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