Pierce Bush: Here are two reforms [Catholic Church "rather Talibanesque"]

Dallas News ^ | Saturday, April 23, 2005 | Pierce Bush

[Diago]

Here are two reforms

With the election of Pope Benedict XVI, Christians around the world will most likely not be able to look forward to needed reforms within the Catholic Church. There are two major areas of reform that are needed to accommodate our progressive world society.

The first change regards the treatment of women. In a religion that preaches equality among all people, the Catholic Church is locked into a stone-age mentality by not allowing women to be ordained as priests. Frankly, it is rather Talibanesque.

The other area of needed reform deals with allowing priests to marry. A lot of people naively think that celibacy is a tradition that has existed forever. In reality, priests once were allowed to marry, and this was changed during the Middle Ages.

I wish Pope Benedict XVI the best, as I am sure that he will be a wise leader, and I hope he will strive for equality. I also hope these simple reforms I suggest will be made in my lifetime.

Pierce Bush, Houston

[Pierce Bush is the president's nephew]

[Conservative til I die]

Two excellant points. and historically accurate. does anyone know why celibacy of priests came about

You haven't been here long, I'm guessing. There's not a Catholic here that doesn't know or readily agree that celibacy has not always been the case. However, that in itself doesn't prove anything. Give us a reason to not have celibacy in the Latin Rite of the Church. "It used to be that way" is not a compelling reason.

Also, the ignorant Bush nephew doesn't bother to note - and probably doesn't care since he's just being flippant - that while celibacy was not always the de jure rule, it's almost always been the de factorule in the Latin Church for priests. And of course, Bishops have always been selected from the ranks of the celibate clergy in not only both the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches and the Latin Church, but the Orthodox Church as well.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Pierce Bush is an ignoramus.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Historically inaccurate.

[A.A. Cunningham]

There is no theology behind the celebacy discipline.

Incorrect. A statement like that is proof positive of your ignorance of Scripture

[starfish923]

there are those who would argue that Jesus was radical in his approach to women in the culture that was Old testament culture. Therefore he was advocating a much more egaltarian role for women. He allowed women to listen to him along with the men, etc.

No argument from me there. I doubt, though, if he was advocating the radical social change where women would become priests. That would take them out of the home and away from the children. There aren't too many sane societies that do that. Communists do and stupid western countries do, but that isn't smart, imho.
Children are the future. Why entrust their upbring, so vital to their future mental and social health, to strangers? That makes NO sense at all.

Taking women out of the role of property (chattel) and giving them more honor and dignity STILL doesn't "equate" them.
The Catholic Church (my read) puts forth MARY as the example of womanhood. Therefore, one gets women as pure, virginal, then married with children and in the home.

[A.A. Cunningham]

One can indeed be married and celibate within said marriage.

cel·i·ba·cy
Pronunciation: 'se-l&-b&-sE
Function: noun
1 : the state of not being married
2 a : abstention from sexual intercourse b : abstention by vow from marriage

[Upbeat]

Why tell the young fellow to go to hell? Why not pray for him? Isn't that what a Christian ought to do?

[muir_redwoods]

So my statement that the eastern rite and the converted Lutheran and Episcopal clergy can be married is 100% accurate.

[muir_redwoods]

"Incorrect. A statement like that is proof positive of your ignorance of Scripture"

No, taking instruction from you would be proof positive.

[Upbeat]

Why tell the young fellow to go to hell? Why not pray for him? Isn't that what a Christian ought to do?

[Unam Sanctam]

Being a priest is not an entitlement, and it is a position of service, not power. Women are free to serve the Church in many other ways. It is not remotely like the Taliban, where fundamental human rights, as well as access to public education, were denied to women. Sheesh!

[AlaninSA]

I heard you the first time. :-)

Let's just say that I'm a little bit tired of liberals, snake handlers and atheists telling us Catholics how to run our Church.

[Upbeat]

Sorry for the double post. I'm not quite fully computer literate. I thought that his comments were out of order and offensive as you obviously did. As an Evangelical(non-snake handler) I have noted and been impressed with the Christian witness of the great majority of your fellow Catholics on this site. Your response didn't seem to fit that pattern IMHO.

[plck]

Bush's Nephew should understand Catholic rather than open mouth for nothing. Does he know 10th Commandmend? Maybe his life is nothing...pretend to speak out for nothing. May the LORD rebuke him but pray for him "...i rather see him repent and live, rather sin and die..."

[Hermann the Cherusker]

So my statement that the eastern rite and the converted Lutheran and Episcopal clergy can be married is 100% accurate.

Yes, but it is not because there is no theology behind the celibacy requirement. Eastern Rite priests are under a canonical obligation to practice periodic continence prior to ministering at the Altar. The acceptance of married Lutheran and Epicopalian clergy is an indulgence to their weakness in the interests of having them convert. They are of course free to embrace the traditional discipline of married men accepting the yoke of celibacy even while still being married.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Question: if a man and wife seperate, the wife going to live in the convent, and he as a priest in a rectory, is he considered celibate?

[muir_redwoods]

Celibacy is a discipline, not dogma. That is what is meant by the theology. The allowance for the converted clergy is not an allowance for their weakness but rather a recognition that a married priest is better than a divorced one.

There is no theological reason for celibacy, it is a discipline. St Peter, the first Pope, had a Mother-in-law

[EDINVA]

that was really uncalled-for.

[Dumb_Ox]

This is Neil's Kid? Years back he would have needed his uncle's pull to get into the letters pages, but now they print anybody.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Ignorant is no way to go through life, toots.