It's impossible to prove given the unreliability of the evidence, but I've always suspected that the percentage of homosexual clergy in the RCC has actually dropped over time due to the effect of the LGBT rights movement. I look back over all my own trajectory and strongly suspect that, had I been born a generation earlier, I might well have decided to go into the priesthood rather than marry a beard or attempt life as a "confirmed bachelor".
I am interested in the role of the catastrophic decline in vocations in all of this. They must be scraping the bottom of the talent pool these days, and that naturally increases the chances of further scandals, which further depresses the prestige of the occupation, making it even harder to recruit. And it makes the hierarchy more defensive, leading them to reiterate the indispensability of the clergy and further emphasise doctrinal purity over pastoral ministry. It's a vicious circle the RCC has got itself in and I really see no way out.
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momijizukamori
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Date: 2012-06-04 03:34 pm (UTC)I am interested in the role of the catastrophic decline in vocations in all of this. They must be scraping the bottom of the talent pool these days, and that naturally increases the chances of further scandals, which further depresses the prestige of the occupation, making it even harder to recruit. And it makes the hierarchy more defensive, leading them to reiterate the indispensability of the clergy and further emphasise doctrinal purity over pastoral ministry. It's a vicious circle the RCC has got itself in and I really see no way out.