Bingham is engaging in revisionst history. Although he probably wouldn't be able to comprehend it, he should read the following:
Posted on 03/31/2013 12:41:11 PM PDT by Steelfish
Catholic MPs' Plea To Pope Francis To Ease Clerical Marriage Ban In Britain Twenty one Roman Catholic MPs and peers have written to the Pope urging him to consider relaxing the rules on priestly celibacy in Britain.
John Bingham 31 Mar 2013. The group, who include the former Attorney General Baroness Scotland, say that allowing married former Anglican clergy to become Catholic priests proves that married clergy can be a “great blessing”.
It has, they say, helped soften the effects of a serious shortage of priests which is threatening the closure of local churches in the next few years.
They suggest that the “Anglican precedent” could offer a model for a relaxation of the strict ban on married priests in force across the western Catholic church.
The current situation has, they say, created an anomaly with former clergy from another church allowed to continue their ministry as Catholics while lifelong Catholics are barred from the priesthood because they are married.
Although there are references to priestly celibacy as far back as the 4th Century, priests have been formally forbidden from marrying since at least the 12th Century across the majority of the Catholic Church.
Yet the Eastern Rite strand of Catholicism does allow married men to become priests – although not bishops.
And special dispensations for former Anglican clerics to be ordained in the Catholic Church have opened the way for married priests in Britain. The MPs and peers short of calling for a full relaxation of the clerical celibacy requirement, as advocated by Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the former leader of the Church in Scotland in an interview days before his fall amid a sex scandal.
They are urging Pope Francis to consider allowing bishops in Great Britain to ordain married Catholic men who feel a calling to the priesthood
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Somehow politicians have come to believe they are the gods of the earth.
These people are “dancing on the TRAPDOOR of HELL”.
These two-bit politicians would not even have dared to raise the issue under Benedict XVI. What makes them think that Pope Francis will bend?
Somehow the pleadings of a bunch of so-so Catholics is the first thing on the Pope’s mind. Tell you you the truth, they might as well make it official and become unitarians, the official fake church or fake Christians.
After all, Anglican clergy can marry as many times as they want and the Anglican Church in Britain is thriving - almost 4% of Anglicans in Britain come to Sunday services.
And look how strongly the Anglicans in Britain hold to traditional Christian doctrine and morals!
If only MPs could run the Church and every individual family! Then everyone could benefit from their omnicompetence and omniscience!
Wow, this appeal was a really appropriate and efficient use of their time.
What fools. The country would benefit more if they encouraged lay people, of any religion or none, to get married. Then some children could have two-parent homes and there might be fewer lifelong welfare-drones.
(Hint: reducing the payoffs for unmarried motherhood has positive results.)
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
And divorces and community property litigation as well, to say nothing of visitation rights.
Married couples are much more likely to stay together than unmarried sex partners, especially if they didn’t have sex before marriage.
Bingham is engaging in revisionst history. Although he probably wouldn't be able to comprehend it, he should read the following:
Even if some of of them may have been married in the first few centuries, the practice was very restrictive. Just as in the Orthodox Church today, priests were allowed to marry only BEFORE ordination, and were not allowed to remarry after the death of their wives. Bishops could only be monks (that is, never married) or widowers.
I agree, that is where the more appropriate focus should be.
Thank You!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.