I cannot help but wonder if there would be as great of a priest shortage if priests were allowed to get married. I have read and partially understand some of the theological reasoning behind the celibacy of Catholic priests, but I don't fully agree with it. It wasn't until the Council of Trent in the mid 1500s that celibacy became the universal rule for the church, and much of the reasoning behind that was due to the feudalism of the era and the power that the Church had gained over property and politics. Many of the Apostles were married. To me it seems like the Church is making the same error as the Jedi in the second prequel: this practice is essentially culling humanity of people genetically predispositioned to a certain area of work. Not to mention that, especially with smaller family sizes around the world, there simply are not the "surplus" sons that were present in the 1500s.
I also wonder the same thing about allowing women into the priesthood. I know that this is a MUCH more controversial issue considering that even our amazingly liberal Pope Francis has flatly stated that it isn't going to happen. I also am aware of the larger number of theological reasons behind this decision, but I can't help but feel that these are reasons created through millennia of outdated, misogynistic beliefs and practices. Beliefs and practices created by humans, not God. Sure, it would be strange to have mass said by Father Jennifer (as happens in the Spider-man 2099) comic series, but I do not believe that God truly condones shunning half of the world's population from this sacred duty.
So, why then do I stick with the Catholic Church and not join a Christian denomination that supports the above ideas? For me, it's because the Catholic Church gets so much of the rest of it right. The sacraments, the layout and presentation of the mass, even the structure of the Church itself are so amazingly constructed with solid foundations that go all the way back to the beginning of our messianic faith. Moving away from that would divorce me from so much that holds true to my core beliefs and values. I suppose, in the end, no human institution (no matter how supported by God) can ever be perfect.