Seminarians greet the Pope last year at New York's St. Joseph's Seminary. (CNS)

The scandal involving Florida priest Father Alberto Cutié has many in the secular media and some within the Church clamoring for the ordination of married men.

Proponents claim this change could ease the burden of remaining sexually chaste for those priests who falter as celibate men, as well as help address the priest shortage.

Regarding the first point, the large number of men and women who commit adultery should serve as sufficient proof that simply getting married isn’t a guarantee of fidelity in sexual matters.

And as for the second point, a recent study found that a lack of encouragement of priestly vocations has more do with the shortage of new Catholic clergy than many other factors. No less than 45% of priests planning to be ordained this year reported they were discouraged from considering the priesthood, according to a survey commissioned by the U.S. bishops.

One can only assume that the figure is just as high, or even higher, for those who seriously considered a priestly vocation but didn’t pursue it.

So if you want to help the Church find more faithful priests, offer encouragement to those who are discerning vocations instead of pointing out the possible pitfalls. A vocation to serve the Church in religious life is always a generous gift of self, and this kind of generosity is less likely without the support of others.