Posted on 04/12/2008 12:10:45 PM PDT by Choose Ye This Day
right.. no latin-rite priests can marry.
Can they marry if they are already priests?
Or do you have to be married first in another denomination, and then convert to Catholicism?
You are sorta right, but they aren’t called “pastors.” When a parish has no priest or religious to serve as its pastor, the highest-ranking person in the parish is called a “parochial administrator,” but by “highest-ranking,” I mean purely in an administrative role, not a spiritual role. Even if the parochial administrator happens to be an ordained deacon, he is still not called a pastor.
Thanks for the info.
That's been happening a lot since the whole sexual abuse of minors crisis began. If there is ANY accusation, the priest is relieved of duty until a full investigation is done. No Diocese wants to be accused of covering up, again.
There have been some false accusations, and the priests have had to deal with the blast of negative media, then be left with a shredded reputation when the investigation is over, because the media might report he was cleared, but always with an overlay of "how can we ever trust him again?"
Nah, they just need to leave the door open, so that others in the office can see, but not hear, what's being discussed.
Most towns only have a YMCA. Some don’t even have YWCAs anymore, because anyone can join the YMCA.
Sometimes that’s easier said than done...but you still need someone else there in the office to “witness” that nothing happened.
No, same as the Greek Orthodox Church.
Or do you have to be married first in another denomination, and then convert to Catholicism?
A very limited number of Anglican priests, ~1000 worldwide, have converted to Catholicism and been ordained as Priests in the Latin Rite under Pope John Paul II's 1980 Pastoral Provision. Ordination is not automatic and the individual must agree, prior to ordination, that should his spouse precede him in death that he will then adopt the discipline of celibacy for the remainder of his life. His career potential as a Catholic Priest, if for instance he aspires to have his own parish, become a Bishop, etc., is limited as well.
Other protestant ministers have converted and been ordained as Catholic Priests; most notably Richard John Neuhaus who was a Lutheran, but not under the Pastoral Provision. They are granted a dispensation from the discipline of celibacy and just like the Anglican converts must agree to adopt the discipline of celibacy if their spouse dies. Other Protestant ministers have converted and not sought ordination; Marcus Grodi and Scott Hahn are but two examples.
21 of the 22 Churches sui juris that comprise the Catholic Church ordain, as a norm, married men. However, once ordained, a single Priest may not then marry and remain in the clerical state. Also, just as with the converts, if their spouse dies they must then adopt the discipline of celibacy. In addition, Bishops are chosen exclusively from amongst celibates.
If there is a clear understanding that wrongdoing took place, I agree. I don’t like the idea of Priests being subject to railroading anymore than anyone else, but I don’t think that’s what we’re seeing here.
Thanks for the comments.
Well, that’s unfortunate, the part about innocents being forever tarnished because charges like this were lofted at all.
Some folks simply can’t comprehend that there are people out there that make false accusations. It’s sad but true.
Actually, I know a case where the bishop overreacted - in the case of a conservative priest who was later proven innocent of any approaches to an adult mentally disturbed woman who worked for him - and then refused to remove another priest (very liberal) even though there was a police report filed by the family of the teenage girl he was harrassing.
Dioceses do cover up still, but a lot of it has to do with the “political persuasion” of the accused. Flaky liberals get off with a wrist slap and a very cursory investigation. Conservatives are hounded out of town for having touched a little old lady on the arm when they were helping her to cross the street....
There has been a lot of over-reaction, and it’s sad, because some good men’s reputations are tarnished for a long time, if not forever, because the media doesn’t want to let go of the story, even when there isn’t one.
An old family friend is going through this right now, because of the fevered imagination of a woman in her 60's who believes she 'sinned' with this man, when she was a teenager. Thing is, my sister and her best friend know the woman, and remember her as a 'religious groupie' in high school, and know for a fact that nothing ever happened. But the Bishop, in response to the accusation, removed the priest from his ministry, anyway.
That’s a shame. Sorry to hear it.
I would just like to inform you and everyone else that Father Murd was also caught before doing this. In Seneca County when he was with St. Mary’s Church he was caught 2 times. Once trying to pay for Oral Sex from an adult and Second in a near by Fremont Park with an adult doing sexual activities. This was not brought up by many or any articles because the Church asked that it not be put on record and that he was to be sent to perrysburg/maumee area and wouldn’t be in the seneca county area. So the courts filed it and basically lost it type deal.
Just thought you should know.
Also my cousin is a pastor and he is married for those posting about that..I think it just all has to do with what type if church your looking at.
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