The major problem with this proposal (besides robbing faithful African Peter to pay unfaithful European Paul) is the ratio of clergy to laity in Africa is lower than in the West:

In the United States, the number of priests per 10,000 faithful declined from 12.9 in 1965 to 9.8 in 1990. In the same period the priests per 10,000 in Africa declined from 5.4 to 2.3, and in Latin America from 2.3 to 1.4. Any gains made in recent years do not come even remotely close to closing that gap.

Generally in the Third World, there are more priests but there are much, much more laity. So to take African priests from their homes would make the relative priest shortage in Africa even worse.

JPII helped destroy the evil of Soviet communism, but the death of Christianity in Europe and the scandals in America occured on his watch. Any honest assessment of his legacy must take this into account.

oj - Great idea for a story. "Heart of Vacuousness." Kurtz gasps on his deathbed, "The ennui. The ennui."

Daniel - I think the exchange will include money going to Africa, which will help recruit more priests. And the time in the West will also be attractive to Africans, which will also help attract more priests. I think the African bishops will agree to it only if it will help their dioceses. There's already exchanges of priests-for-money between India and the West.

There is no way that any European will take religious instruction from someone he considers little better than a gorilla. Do you have any clue how racist Germans and Frenchmen are?

Daniel -- I find it hard to believe anyone would blame the decline of Christianity in Europe on Pope John Paul II.

PJ - Money is all well and good, unless it leaves the ratio of clergy to laity in Africa (or other third world locations) even lower than it already is. In effect, it would mean fewer masses and the denial of the Eucharist to belivers in Africa. I submit that this is neither a wise nor a good thing to do.

The solution is obvious: get rid of mandatory celibacy (which as Jesus said is fit only for eunuchs), recruit men who are sexually and emotionally normal, and purge the Church of the gay-old-boys network that permeates it like mold in cheese.

Randall - the death of European Catholicism in particular and European Christianity in general occured on JPII's watch and under his very nose. One thing the USAF taught me was that if it happens on your watch, you are responsible.

Didn't those ivory tower idiots in the Vatican have a clue as to what was happening? Or were they too preoccupied with the horrible evil of condoms?

Daniel:

Hasn't Europe been the most spiritually dead continent since at least, say, 1900? Certainly since 1950.

1848

Nostaligic for the Middle Ages OJ?

Mr. Duffy:

Every hour of every day.

1900, 1950, 1848?

You're both wrong. Try 1968 with the publication of Humanae Vitae and its uncompromising ban on birth control for each and every act between married couples.

HV is the Church's biggest self-inflicted wound since mandatory celibacy.

HV's ban on ABC has little or nothing to do with moral theology, and everything to do with attempting to maintain the primacy of the Pope (by not contradicting past popes on the subject of birth control). Ironically, the result is a Catholic laity with little or no respect for the Vatican on this subject (about 95% of Catholic laity reject HV ban on birth control - statistically speaking there is no support among the laity for HV).

1968 is way too late. OJ is probably more correct with the middle of the 19th century.

There are lots more rivers to choose besides the Thames. The River Cram, for example. The Seine. The Rhine. The Tiber. And so on.

The image of Conrad is a good one.