Dallas has several priests from Africa and India. All but one of the African priests have been sent home due to their inability to work with established parish councils. It seems the best foreign priests are those from India; they are more accustomed to the give and take of working in an American parish.
10. What can a "lay run" parish or "priestless" parish do? Concentrate on social gospel stuff? How sad and fortunately, how very temporary. Maybe it is better to shutter such churches and yolk their parishioners pro tempore with parishes having priests.
Everything can happen in a priestless parish except the celebration of the Eucharist on a daily basis and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In large parishes, laymen run everything: the RCIA program, youth programs, Adult Education,baptismal and marriage preparation, all social ministries, including hospital visitations, counseling, and annulments.
Let lay people do what they can do, and priests do what they were ordained to do.
Arguing about married priests is a waste of time. Instead, the focus should be on empowering laymen to bring their time and talent to the service of the Church.
KJeep the Third World actually Catholic priests. Let them appoint new parish councils. If anyone objects, the Church door swings both ways. It isn't as though we claimed to be a democracy rather than a Church.