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To: sinkspur; LurkingSince'98
I predict that, sooner or later, American Catholics, who are the financial backbone of the Church at large, will tire of supporting parishes with no resident priest.

So, according to you, inviting back those who broke their vows is the solution? Get over it already! First you chose to be a priest and entered the diaconate. Then you met a woman, fell in love, gave up your vows and married her. Celibrate that love!

Why do you harbor such resentment against an institution that simply asked if you were ready to make a vow and you said 'yes' but then changed your mind. The seminary is a time of discernment. Obviously, that discernment was towards marriage. Why can't you simply drop to your knees in gratitude to our Lord for the beautiful wife He gave you and accept that this is your calling in life?

46 posted on 02/10/2006 5:54:27 PM PST by NYer (Discover the beauty of the Eastern Catholic Churches - freepmail me for more information.)
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To: NYer
So, according to you, inviting back those who broke their vows is the solution?

That's not a bad idea, actually. Married people occasionally break their marital vows yet, within the context of marriage, they take each other back, reconcile, and move on. It's a pity that the Church won't offer that same kind of reconciliation to priests who have left.

Actually, the Church does offer it, in certain circumstances. I'm aware of at least five priests who left in the 70s and 80s, married, had kids, divorced, and are now back in the priesthood. The difference between them and me is that they never sought laicization and decided to marry while still priests, outside the Church.

So, the Church will take them back, with open arms, but will not take back anyone who did the right thing and got laicized so they could sacramentalize their marriages.

We've witnessed, over the last 30 years, Roman Catholic bishops doing whatever it took to keep alcoholics, misogynists, and child molesters in the priesthood. Just as long as they had nothing to do with a woman, they could dry out or get treatment, and be reassigned. But, if a priest leaves the priesthood, gets married, and stays married, he is anathema for as long as that woman is around. If he dumps her, as long as he didn't confect a sacramental marriage, he's welcomed back into the priesthood. And forget about ordaining older married men with stable marriages. Of course, there's always the permanent diaconate, which happens to be adding nearly 800 ordained men to the service of the Church every year, twice the number of priests who are ordained.

So, you'll forgive me if I look at the current poor mouthing by the hierarchy about not having enough priests with a somewhat jaundiced eye.

49 posted on 02/10/2006 6:28:15 PM PST by sinkspur (Trust, but vilify.)
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