I think your point is irrelevant. Frankly speaking. We are a Church not a rite that has its own traditions and canonical disciplines.
And trust me the last thing we are going to do is go poaching for Latins who want to skirt their Church’s rules.
If Roman Catholics such as yourself are too insecure about Eastern Catholics acting as Eastern Orthodox Christians in communion with the Holy See then that is your problem.
There is a lot more to being a Melkite than using a different rite of Mass, and we don’t want them if they are going to come into our Church and try to be good little Roman Catholics who say Mass differently.
If they want to be fully Eastern and decide to pursue the priesthood after a decade of being a Melkite layman then that’s perfecly fine.
My parish has a married deacon who is studying for the priesthood. And we also have a married priest who was ordained in Israel.
So I fail to see what you are so insecure about. I say mind your own business, and we will mind ours.
1. I support married priests among the Melkites.
2. I have “converted” to the Melkites.
3. I would even think of being a priest, except I would not want to make it looks AS IF the Melkites poached me.
4. I think it would be wonderful if the Melkites grew exponentially in influence in the West, I am that far from being “insecure” about it.
5. The Latin Patriarch, however, does have some authority in the Latin Patriarchate, and America is within the Latin Patriarchate.
6. I would deeply hope that neither the Latin Patriarch, Benedict VXI, nor the Melkite Patriarch, nor the Melkite eparch appeals to mere authority in their actions in this matter.
7. My issue is that you seem ready for schism at the drop of a hat.
8.I would readily concur that many Americans do not recognize the existence of other Patriarchs, nor understand their independent authority. But this is not aggression, merely ignorance. Why does it make your blood boil? Take it as a reason to be interesting at the next social gathering.