Posted on 11/19/2004 11:24:44 AM PST by NYer
We have one part time priest in our parish.
Can we have one of yours?
I was just kidding around. I agree with you (I think) that confessing to a married priest is inconsequential
This is perfectly in line with the teachings of +Paul. The Orthodox Church, always applied oikonomia even in this instance -- for practical reasons lower clergy (caretakers of churches) who are really bishops' assistants, are allowed to marry prior to taking Holy Orders. Once ordained, should they become widowed, they can not marry as long as they are ordained priests.
Also, deacons can be married in the Church of the East and the West. I wish the Catholic Church would use some flexibility, as it does for priests who came from Protestant ministries who were already married. Such priests are allowed to remain married. Also the Eastern-rite Catholic priests are allowed to be married (I believe the bishops are not, but I am not sure). Flexibility would go a long way. It is not without a precedent, and it may help specific parishes.
You are right, this is not our issue to get involved in. I just wanted to clerify some of the potential misunderstandings, since Orthodoxy was brought up.
Yes, a celibate clergyman is preferable. But then who is without sin?
Is an ad hominem attack the best defense you can make?
Well, there are married clergy in ever Rite of the Catholic Church. Married priests in Eastern and Latin Rites, and married deacons (the only vocation in the Western Rite experiencing an increase).
All the arguments against optional celibacy are purely logistical and most are made by non-clergy.
Odd comment.
Is marriage for clergy somehow sinful? That's a rather archaic and very Augustinian notion.
The priest's wife would work outside the home just as about 80% of minister's wives presently do. What planet do you people live on? Minister's wives will be the ones sitting nearest the throne of Jesus in heaven. They not only are wives, mothers, and supplement the low salaries paid their husbands by working outside the home, but they are involved in practically every activity in the congregation as well. Actually, you Catholics are not getting your money's worth with an unmarried clergy. You could be getting "two for the price of one", in Billy Jeff's immortal words.
Actually, they follow the same dictates as their Orthodox brethren .... exactly! Those who wish to serve in eparchies outside of their home, must be celibate, in deference to their Latin Rite brothers. The Melkite and Ukrainian Catholic Churches have tested the waters though, when each one assigned a married priest to a US parish. So far, no comment from the Vatican. Will this 'trend' catch on? Only time will tell.
Then again, the Eastern Catholic Churches do not have the volume of congregants of the Roman churches. IMHO, it is impractical for the Latin Church to financially accomodate a married priesthood, optional or otherwise.
Are you a catholic? If so, then you know from looking at the church bulletin each week, why the RC Church can't possibly support a married priesthood.
Bump to my #69. I take it you are not a catholic; hence, you can't possibly relate to this topic.
Dear NYer,
"The Melkite and Ukrainian Catholic Churches have tested the waters though, when each one assigned a married priest to a US parish. So far, no comment from the Vatican. Will this 'trend' catch on? Only time will tell."
The last I'd read, Pope John Paul II had devolved limited authority to approve the ordination of married men to a senior Eastern Rite bishop in the United States. Cases are evaluated individually.
sitetest
Dear NYer,
Many parishes in our archdiocese could readily support married priests.
It is not a question of money.
It is a question of a worthwhile practice.
If celibacy is made entirely optional in the Latin Rite, it is likely to become rare. And the Latin Rite will have lost another treasure.
sitetest
"Those who wish to serve in eparchies outside of their home, must be celibate, in deference to their Latin Rite brothers."
Well this sort of begs the question of whether the Eastern Rite Catholics are really Churches in their own right, doesn't it, unless of course this rule is there only to keep Latin Rite priests from being envious of their Eastern brethren.
"Then again, the Eastern Catholic Churches do not have the volume of congregants of the Roman churches. IMHO, it is impractical for the Latin Church to financially accomodate a married priesthood, optional or otherwise."
As you know, I've spent a fair amount of time in both Latin Rite Europe and Orthodox Europe. The churches in the Latin Rite areas of Europe are empty, in the East, full, so your comment doesn't hold true everywhere though it may here. In any event, financial considerations should not be the determining factor in whether or not the Roman Church has married priests. Celibacy is a crowning virtue and vocation. That should be the reason to encourage it, as the Church always has, not that you can save money if you don't have to support a presbytera and children.
With 24 hours in a day, what married man can devote eight days to nothing but prayer unless he is celibate? What married man can stay focused on God and take care of his family?
What married man can stay focused on your issues if he has issues with his wife and children? Yet I have known many an Orthodox priest who would be my first choice. I don't know how they do it and how their family makes it possible, but they did.
Because it has worked in the East, and because it is not without precedent in the Catholic West, I would think married priests in certain parishes would be beneficial.
I agree. And, I think the Church should set 35 as the minimum age for ordination for married men who present themselves for ordination, with 25 the minimum age for celibates.
We've had a good experience with married deacons, but they are all over 35 when ordained.
Silverius, Saint
(slvr´s) (KEY) , d. 537, pope (536–37), an Italian; successor of St. Agapetus I. The son of Pope Hormisdas, who had been married before taking orders, St. Silverius was elected pope at the instance of the Ostrogothic king, Theodahad, although Vigilius, as Agapetus’ deacon, was the logical candidate. Failing to win Silverius over to Monophysitism, Empress Theodora intrigued to make Vigilius pope. On a trumped-up charge of treason, Pope Silverius was sent into exile; Vigilius was declared pope, and Silverius died shortly afterward. He is believed to have been murdered. Feast: June 20.
http://www.bartleby.com/65/si/Silveriu.html
I don't see a reference to St. Silverius' wife.
You are absolutely right. The New Advent Encyclopedia has the same sentence as Bartleby, which I misread. Many websites list Antonia as the wife of St. Silverius, but the more reliable sources do not mention anything about this marriage. I wonder what the source of the Antonia information is...
Very interesting. Thank you.
Do the married deacons reside at the rectory with their families or do they own their own homes? If the latter, how do they pay for them? Are they independently employed outside the diocese or do they rely on a church stipend to finance their family arrangements? How would they fund their living arrangements if they were allowed to be ordained? Would they continue to work outside the church? How would they ration their time between church requirements and those of the family?
Christ, who initiated the Sacrament of Holy Orders on His disciples, led a celibate life, as did His forerunner, St. John the Baptist. He set the example. Why should this example be broken other than to fulfill personal gratification? If the Catholic Church were to allow a married clergy, would married clergy be eligible to accept the role of a bishop?
Curious minds want to know.
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.