There are even more minuses.

1. Difficulty for the bishop in assignments, degrees of freedom, ripping up families to post priests in outback parishes...favoritism.

2. Higher costs.

3. Split loyalties and difficulties (per the wise advice of St Paul).

4. More opportunity for scandal..jealous wives - oppty for adultery, children issues, divorce!

5.Taking away the example of "total gift" to God.

My experience is that most Deacons aren't all that well formed...we'd likely have "weekend seminaries" for PRIESTS not just Deacons.  

Priests need even more formation, and need to learn how to be more cheerfully sacrificing in the image of Jesus.

We need more gift from priests.

And far more gift from lay.

We don't pray enough for priests, we don't sacrifice enough for priests (fast, acts of charity, small acts of denial offered up for this or that named priest). 

The real source of the priest shortage..is the lay's lack of generosity in their own prayer and interior life.