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To: jobim
You wrote: "Suppose I...(continuously)clamor about discontinuing the discipline of refraining from meat on Friday. I wouldn't be bucking doctrine....Where is obedience and humility to Holy Mother Church?

You're right about that. I don't think Cardinal Whatsizname or deacon Whatsizname are wise or prudent or fair or humble in pushing their opinions in a way that gives scandal.

It's particularly unfair to give the impression that "someday soon" the church is going to be recruiting married men to the priesthood, which could have the effect of (1) dismaying the men who, sometimes with great inner struggle, have already vowed themselves to celibacy, and (2) wrongly encouraging men who actually have a priestly vocation to get married now, on the assumption that the Church is going to change and they'll be able to be priests sometime in the future, anyway.

It's a bad business. But it's not heresy. That was my point.

BTW, I think the Church was very unwise to drop the abstinence from meat-eating on Fridays. It was a tiny bit of self-denial which was good for all of us; and it gave us a kind of group identity thing which reminded us who we were.

240 posted on 05/27/2005 6:07:27 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Make love. Accept no substitutes.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

The Church never dropped the obligation. At least, penance of some sort remains a requirement of Friday observance. When I learned this (relearned this, that is) a couple of years ago, my family continued this erroneously neglected practice from my youth.


244 posted on 05/28/2005 2:06:56 AM PDT by jobim
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