During the kindergarten run the other day, I caught a snippet of an NPR segment that had me in stitches. The topic was the Catholic priesthood, and there was the usual discussion about the decline in numbers and the effect that rescinding the celibacy requirement might have upon the ministry.

One poor misguided soul maintained, though, that celibacy was NOT the thing keeping the young lads away in droves. The problem, he said, was that the Catholic church had grown too liberal, and this was scaring off men who might otherwise have a vocation.

Yes, you can just imagine that thought process: “Poverty, chastity, obedience….hmmm, not nearly medieval enough for me.”