The Vatican is looking into bringing African priests to Europe to fill vacancies left by too few European priests. In return, some European priests would go to Africa to teach in seminaries and provide pastoral experience. (I hope that Africa changes Europe to be more orthodox and not vice versa.)
I think it may also become a more common sight in the US as well. You’re already seeing foreign-born priests filling a lot of spots in certain missionary dioceses in the US, but that may spread to larger dioceses that traditionally raised up priests from among their own people. Of course, we can’t forget that archdioceses like Boston and New York have always had foreign-born priests, from Ireland, Italy, France, and so on, brought in to serve, especially immigrants from their native lands.
We had an African priest (Nigerian, I think) for a couple months this summer. I think he came through connections with the nuns whose convent is attached to our parish (I think most of those nuns are originally from Africa).
It was really neat.
As a kid (in the early 80s), one of my parishes had a real Irish priest. We couldn’t understand a word he said, his brogue was so thick.
And my relatives’ churches (SC and FL) have had Vietnamese priests. I think it’s really interesting, and points up the true catholicity of the Church.
You’re right, meep. We just have to watch very carefully that they don’t come in and get ruined by the materialism. Some are drawn here by that.
Not to say that our home-grown clergy doesn’t have that problem too. It just looks different when you look at the two groups.
It needs to be dealt with across the board.