Posted on 05/25/2005 10:35:49 PM PDT by sinkspur
THE leader of Scotland's Catholics has risked reigniting a row over married priests by predicting the Vatican will eventually relent and allow the practice.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, said the success of married deacons in the church means the change is likely.
The church leader has upset traditional Catholics in the past with his views on celibacy, homosexuality and the priesthood.
His latest comments were made in an interview with the Catholic Times, which will be published on Sunday,
Asked if he believed married priests will become a reality, he said: "Having seen something of the apostolate of married deacons, I can foresee the day when there will be married priests."
The Cardinal has angered conservative Catholics in the past with his acceptance of gay priests, as long as they remained celibate.
However, since being elevated to the College of Cardinals he has espoused views more in line with Vatican teachings. Cardinal O'Brien's latest comments drew criticism from the right-wing Catholic Truth movement.
A spokesman for the group said: "He is trying to say that he is not necessarily personally in favour of this but we can debate it. It's a sleekit way of trying to have his cake and eat it."
However, a poll of 80 Catholic priests in Scotland conducted only last month suggested 40 per cent believed they should be allowed to marry, but the issue remains thorny to many conservative Catholics.
Cardinal O'Brien gained a reputation as a liberal after he said in 2002, before he became a cardinal, that he saw no end to theological argument against celibacy within the priesthood.
A day later he issued a joint statement with Mario Conti, the archbishop of Glasgow, in which the pair said: "While no-one would suggest clerical celibacy is an unchangeable discipline, we believe it has an enormous value."
The following year he risked angering conservatives again when he broached the subject of married priests.
He said in a thanksgiving mass that the church should have "at every level" a discussion about clerical celibacy.
He said the argument for married priests was supported by the case of married Anglican priests who have converted to Catholicism and been allowed to continue their ministries.
However, at the ecclesiastical senate in Rome in October 2003, he made a statement at the end of the Nicene Creed in which he affirmed support of the church's teachings on celibacy, contraception and homosexuality.
It was claimed at the time, but denied, that the added words were said under pressure from the Vatican.
Since then the Cardinal has been careful not to speak out on any of the issues that caused so much controversy.
A spokesman for the Church said today that the Cardinal's comments were not incompatible with his profession of faith in 2003.
He said: "It is a neutral comment on the issue, it is neither a ringing endorsement of the concept, neither is it an outright denunciation."
Agreed. And very applicable, since I do not believe in, and am apostate from, the church run by Pope Newgeezer AND the church run by Pope Biblewonk. Thus, they might reasonably feel compelled to witness to me.
But I will never follow their own personal interpretation of scripture, and they both understand that. Given that understanding, the appropriate reaction for them is to bug off.
Yet, like mosquitoes at the picnic, they keep buzzing around, looking for carrion.
Do you see Catholics jumping onto your protestant threads and hijacking the conversation? Go pretend that Pastor Billy Bob from whatever fruitcake nondenominational church you belong to has all the answers. Feel free to believe that the bible was dropped from heaven into the hands of Martin Luther. Go tell all your friends at your bible study that the "papists" are going to hell. Go do all of this.
Excellent point(s). I can't recall a Prot thread wherein we have jumped in on them, although I'm all but certain someone will find one.
Agreed. That's why I've taken to insulting them with the hope that they'll finally take the hint. You know the saying, mock the devil and he'll flee from you...
Thanks again for your thoughtful input. But, with all due respect, I couldn't care less what your kind thinks about me.
"Get behind me, pitiful picnic mosquitoes!"
:-)
Well, if they keep doing this to ours, I say it's open season. Heck, we should bring in the Eastern Orthodox folks too.
Cripes. Another soul saver? Good grief. Why not leave us Catholics to our own damnation? We can't be right... I mean who founded our Church? Oh yeah, Him.
I was just regretting not pinging you on that one.
We're in sync, baby.
(No, not in sink, in sync.) ;O)
ROTFLMAO!!!
Absolutely. Our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters might as well join in.
LOL! That's hot.
When it comes to Patristics and the history of the early Church, they're second to none! The poor prots will run screaming.
Only "hot?" Not...
"Hot hot hot!"?
Get behind me, pitiful picnic mosquitoes!"
FOTFL! What? How did I miss that the first time? LOL-LOL-LOL
That's right! LOL
You've pinged one, huh? HIGH FIVE!
LOL!! Can I hear an Amen, brother?!
*giggle* That still makes me double over in laughter.
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