Not enough priests in Phl - Pope

MANILA, Philippines - Pope Benedict XVI recently said that the number of priests in the country is not enough to address the spiritual needs of the growing Catholic population in the country.

The shortage of priests was one of the issues discussed by the Pontiff in a message he sent to the bishops from the Visayas and Bicol who went to Rome for their yearly ad limina visit last Feb. 19.

Pope Benedict told the bishops that “from your quinquennial reports, it appears that in many dioceses the number of priests and the corresponding number of parishes is not yet sufficient to meet the spiritual needs of the large and growing Catholic population.”

“The pastoral care of young people, which aims to establish the primacy of God in their hearts, tends inherently to result not only in vocations to Christian marriage but also in plentiful callings of all kinds. I am pleased to note the success of local initiatives in fostering numerous vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. However, the need for ever more dedicated servants of Christ both at home and abroad is still pressing,” the Pontiff added.

He is hoping that the local Catholic Church will be able to convince more young people to take up the priestly vocation. “With you, I therefore pray that young Filipinos who feel called to the priesthood and the religious life will respond generously to the promptings of the Spirit.”

He is also hoping that those who would enter the priesthood would promote the mission of evangelization.

The 83-year-old Pope added, “In your turn, as pastors, you will wish to offer these young vocations a well-developed and carefully applied plan of integral formation so that their initial inclination towards a life of service to Christ and his faithful may come to full spiritual and human maturity.”