Two interesting pieces of news. Pope Francis-speaking to his own priests as Bishop of Rome-
suggested,possibly in two different ways, that the traditional secular priesthood
need not be the only way of giving the Eucharist to the world.
Firstly, he said that the issue of ordaining married men to be priests is “in his diary”.
He may also have said “I would not store this question in an archive”.
It is obvious that the issue of altering the traditional position of the secular priest
is still very much part of his thinking. Some of these days his bishops will accept this.
The second thing is about Archbishop of Edinburgh and St Andrew’s Leo Cushley.
No, I don’t mean he acknowledged a letter about something he didn’t like. No, come on !
Let’s be reasonable ! You’ll be suggesting that the Papal Delegate, Archbishop Mennini
should be doing this next !
Anyway, he has worked out that in 2035 he could count on having 30 or so diocesan clergymen in 2035.
(He didn’t say what age they might be. But consider investing in zimmers).
It was pointed out in a letter to “The Tablet” that,in the last five years alone there have been
unprecedented changes in world affairs, like the Arab Spring, an increase in militant Islam,
the emergence of a belligerent Russia, the resignation of a new pope and the election of a new dynamic one.
Not to mention the reappearance of Ebola, and the constant possibility of something like it or worse.
And are there any of us who can be sure what our lives will be like at 20.35 pm any day next week,
never mind 2035AD ?
With the Archdiocese’s decline in church attendance , of course, in 2035 there may well
therefore be one priest per parishioner.

What can one say? Well, we know, but we’ll leave it at that- just now.