6th August 2010
“When Ireland was poor, its main export was people. Among them were many Catholic priests. Irish seminaries produced far more priests than the country needed, and the main beneficiary of the overflow was the United States, where American Catholicism once spoke with a distinctly Irish brogue. These days Irish seminaries are nearly empty. Last year, for the first time in its history, the Dublin archdiocese ordained no new priests. Foreign priests have been brought in to fill the gap.”
Tom Hundley
August 6th, 2010 at 2:11
No comment. Tech’s issues.
August 6th, 2010 at 3:20
That has got to be good news!! For everyone, especially Ireland!! 😀 I suppose it stands to reason that the wealthier people become, the more educated they become and on the whole less ignorant!!
August 6th, 2010 at 4:31
Always talking about ignorant, never realize who is the one that is the real ignorant lot.
August 6th, 2010 at 5:19
The downfall of the Catholic church won’t be the scandals or the falling congregation numbers. It will be the lack of people willing to take on the dirty job of preaching their vile message. We should start to see this within the next 30/40 years and I hope to have front row seats.
August 6th, 2010 at 8:02
From my point of view, this is definitely good news. Unfortunately, given a normal lifespan, I won’t be around to see the rosy future that PEB hopes for.
I saw one impact of increasing secularisation recently when a local public organisation dedicated a new building. Normally, the clergy are invited to such events to perform their mystical hand-waving, water splashing and to make imprecations to their sky-fairies. They were invited this time as guests only – if they came, it was as part of the audience. The RC bishop attended and was heard to moan about there being no friendly faces around him.
August 6th, 2010 at 10:07
Unfortunately Catholicism’s losses in the west are more than made up for in poor 3rd world countries.
August 6th, 2010 at 11:10
What Braathwaat said. It illustrates the point that the way to secularism is education and economic security. This will be the route out of fundamentalism of all stripes and be the only lasting source of peace in the middle east and elsewhere.
It is good that Ireland at least is growing up. There is also evidence of a loss of Catholic congregation in Germany, mainly linked to child abuse scandal.
August 6th, 2010 at 14:21
In the Northern Ireland Troubles, Catholics and Protestants fought each other for decades. The violence has ceased. Now Catholics and Protestants are living together without fighting and the sky has not fallen. The new peace is preferable to the old Troubles. Why should a young man or woman, considering this, devote their life to the priesthood or convent?
August 6th, 2010 at 17:45
Growing up in a Catholic community, and attending Catholic catechism (up until just a few years ago) it always puzzled me why there was such a push to have young men strive to be ordained. Now I have come to realize, and take a bit of comfort in, the decline of priesthood in the faith. Priests are leaving, men are not signing up, and women, as has been the case for millenia, cannot serve. I have attended mass two times since I left the fairies behing (once for my grandfather’s funeral and once for a wedding.) Both masses called for the young men to submit to god.
The church knows it is losing its chokehold on humanity, and with every finger loosened we are able to breathe.
August 6th, 2010 at 19:51
It’s great that first world countries are slowly dumping christianity, however the same cannot be said for the filthier religion, islam. Fortunately a few of them are wising up: http://www.councilofexmuslims.com There may be hope for our resident troll yet.
August 6th, 2010 at 21:42
There are more islamic apostates than you might think. Islam does not survive exposure to rational thought anymore than other religions.
August 7th, 2010 at 2:16
Islam is different than Christianity in the sense that very few Islamic countries are democracies. Nearly all are ruled by dictators & despot’s that have zero tolerance for “dissent” & Islam it’s self will not tolerate other religions. Also the population in Islamic countries is exploding at an alarming rate.
August 9th, 2010 at 16:38
holysmokes & Braathwaat I appreciate a bunch of what you’re saying but aren’t we atheists on stronger ground if we maintain a higher level of civility than hate-filled fundamentalists. I don’t feel comfortable reading that Islam is the “filthier religion.” Both Islam and Christianity have had immeasurable harm done in their name, in both similar and different ways, I’d say.
August 10th, 2010 at 6:51
Musicnotprayer, I agree both Christianity & Islam have done immeasurable harm & I even blame Judaism for hatching them both! The difference today is that western salivation (Christianity) went through an age of enlightenment hundreds of years ago that Islam has yet to experience.