Posted on 07/20/2010 4:26:57 PM PDT by Dr. Eckleburg
New rules the Vatican is expected to issue soon on penalties for priests who sexually abuse children will also put the ordaining of women in the same category of the most serious crimes under church law.
Church sources told Catholic News Service that the new "norms," as the policies are called, will include the "attempted ordination of women" among the list of most serious crimes, or what are known as "delicta graviora."
Sexual abuse of a minor by a priest was added to the classification in 2001. The new norms are largely expected to codify changes made in 2001 and 2003 that were aimed at addressing the burgeoning clergy abuse scandal. But the policies expected to be issued later this month will also specifically include the abuse of mentally disabled adults as on par with abusing minors, and it will extend the statute of limitations under the Church's Code of Canon Law from 10 years after a victim turns 18 to 20 years.
Word that the Vatican will also use this opportunity to codify the attempted ordination of a woman as among the "delicta graviora" is a surprise, however, and is not likely to please either victims advocates -- who have been pushing for much more stringent and universal church policies against abusers -- or those who favor a greater role for women in the church.
"Quite frankly, it is an outrage to pair the two, a complete injustice to connect the aspirations of some women among the baptized to ordained ministry with what are some of the worst crimes that can be committed against the least of Christ's members," U.S. Catholic editor Bryan Cones wrote at the monthly magazine's web site in a blast that appears to echo the views of many.
"This decision boggles the mind: The faithful have been justly demanding for nearly a decade clear guidelines for dealing with the sexual abuse of children, along with just punishments for both offenders and bishops who have abetted these crimes. What we have gotten is half of what we have been asking for (still no sanctions for bishops), along with a completely unconnected and unnecessary condemnation of the ordination of women."
In recent years, a number of women around the world have sought to be ordained as priests, in violation of longstanding church prohibitions. In some cases male priests who were legitimately ordained have performed the ritual, which is apparently what concerns the Vatican most.
In 2008, the Vatican department overseeing orthodoxy, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- which Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger headed for 23 years before his election as Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 -- formally decreed that a woman who attempts to be ordained a Catholic priest and the person attempting to ordain her are automatically excommunicated.
The new policy would apparently make it easier for the congregation to defrock any priest who participated in such an ordination.
I am inclined to disagree that the two are of equal weight.
Something about the sexual abuse of a child seems to be worse than the idea of ordaining women as priests. Maybe it’s the SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD.
This is probably going to end up being yet another bit of ammunition for the anti-Catholic crowd.
Before we get the usual chorus of boos from various peanut galleries, we should note this article was written by a convert to Roman Catholicism.
In the article we learn that Rome believes ordaining women is worse than priests raping children.
There’s something really wrong with Rome’s concept of human sexuality and sin.
lol. Yep.
Regarding "ammunition," I say, "Thank God for ammunition."
I guess it's better to defrock the priests than to allow them to keep frocking the children.
8~)
I didn’t have a better word for it. Ammunition sounded good.
Rather than the pejorative “anti-Catholic,” I prefer the term “pro-orthodox Christianity.”
And I REALLY like your tag. 8~)
Nope. No spin zone.
I mean the article, the premise. Virtually every pronouncement from the Vatican is tossed to wire services like a frisbee on steroids.
Apparently if only Hitler had undergone a sex change operation and tried to take priestly vows, he, too, might have been excommunicated for such effrontery.
As it stands, he's still a member of that denomination.
Both are mortal sins. Only those who don’t understand - or don’ want to understand - theology would disagree with this. Come to think of it, they would have to be liberals. Only liberals would not consider it a serious offence to mock God in a “woman’s ordination” ceremony.
Protestants are, of course, liberals.
LOL, thanks on the tag. I’m just at ‘that point.’
I didn’t realize you were Orthodox. Eastern, Greek, Russian?
And YOU might not be “anti-Catholic,” but such folks do exist.
You wrote:
“Apparently if only Hitler had undergone a sex change operation and tried to take priestly vows, he, too, might have been excommunicated for such effrontery.”
Hitler was excommunicated twice. The first time he essentially excommunicated himself. The second time all nazis were excommunicated. This was lifted later on by the German bishops. Either way the German bishops knew Hitler was an excommunicant no matter what.
“As it stands, he’s still a member of that denomination.”
The Catholic Church is not a denomination and he did not consider himself a member of it. He knew of his own anti-Christian beliefs and actions after all.
Pederast priests don't get excommunicated for their repugnant sins. They get either another parish assignment or are put out to pasture in some country club-like surroundings.
But women who hope to be ordained are excommunicated. Banished.
Shows where Rome's priorities lie.
You guys write these replies for us.
“He is also sometimes criticized for not excommunicating Hitler, but Hitler was already excommunicated ipso facto for a whole range of crimes and could only have returned to the Catholic faith, even assuming that he would ever have wanted to, by having his excommunication lifted by the Pope himself. The lifting of the sentence was reserved to the Holy See, latae sententiae. Besides, the complaint assumes that Hitler took some notice of the Holy See and the Catholic Church. Insofar as he did, it was for purely political reasons, since he was forced to recognize the influence of the Catholic Church and the papacy. Hitler described himself as “a complete pagan” (see Hitler’s Table Talk) and regarded the Catholic Church as his greatest enemy, which he would destroy when he had the opportunity.”
http://www.catholicleague.org/pius/realstory.htm
It's not quite as simple as you make it out to be, of course.
Even I can see that proving and dealing with the guilt of priest is a different matter altogether then dealing with apostacy. The latter is self-condemning. The former is entitled to due process of law.
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