The Catholic Church, almost 2,000 years old, still follows many of the same rules and guidelines established in the early Church. One thing many Catholics are surprised to learn is that the tradition of priests and other clergy remaining celibate has not always been present in the Church. Many Catholics, clergy and non-clergy alike, believe that priests should have the opportunity to marry and raise a family. In fact, priestly celibacy is not a law of the Church, but, as Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone says, it is a “positive tradition” and not “untouchable » (France-Pressez). However, some critics of this practice would say that celibacy is not a positive tradition and, in fact, is responsible for many of the pedophilia scandals that are present in the Church today. They say that suppressing sexual instincts is not healthy. The Vatican must consider the effects of celibacy on the mental health of priests and stop requiring them to take vows. The first pope Jesus chose to lead his new church, Peter, was a married man. Throughout the second and third centuries, priests were married. Ending priestly celibacy could also help solve another major problem in the Church: the shortage of new priests. The number of Catholics worldwide is increasing, but the number of ordained priests is decreasing. In the United States in 1965 there were 58,632 Catholic priests. In 2009, there were 40,666 (often). The world population of Catholics increased from 653,500,000 in 1970 to 1,045,000,000 in 2000 (Is There). In his book The Catholic Myth, Andrew Greeley, a Catholic priest, says that many of his fellow priests gave up trying to recruit young men to the priesthood until middle of paper..... .and his father, the priest. " The New York Times. October 15, 2009. Web. May 22, 2010. .Greeley, Andrew M. Catholic Myth: The Behavior and Beliefs of. [Sl]: Macmillan, 1990. Print. "Is There a shortage of priests? World and American statistics " Beliefnet. Beliefnet, Inc. Web. May 23, 2010. .Levy, Clifford J. "A Flock Grows at a Priest's Home in Ukraine." The New York Times. March 22, 2010. Web. May 23, 2010. .Perko, F. Michael. Catholic and American: A People's History Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor Pub, 1989. Print..