Posted on 04/05/2012 10:40:02 AM PDT by marshmallow
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI denounced priests who have questioned church teaching on celibacy and ordaining women, saying Thursday they were disobeying his authority to try to impose their own ideas on the church.
Benedict made the rare and explicit criticism from the altar of St. Peter's Basilica in his homily on Holy Thursday, when priests recall the promises they made when ordained.
In 2006, a group of Austrian priests launched the Pfarrer Initiative, or pastor initiative, a call to disobedience aimed at abolishing priestly celibacy and opening up the clergy to women to relieve the shortages of priests.
Last June, the group's members essentially threatened a schism, saying the Vatican's refusal to hear their complaints left them no choice but to "follow our conscience and act independently."
They issued a revised call to disobedience in which they said parishes would celebrate Eucharistic services without priests, that they would let women preach, and they pledged to speak out publicly and frequently for female and married priests.
The group now claims more than 300 Austrian priests and deacons as well as supporters in other countries, and its influence has grown to such an extent that top Austrian bishops met with Vatican officials in January to discuss how to handle them, Italian news reports said.
So far, neither the Vatican nor the archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn have imposed any canonical penalties on them.
In his homily, Benedict said the dissidents claim to be motivated by concern for the church. But he suggested that in reality they were just making "a desperate push to do something to change the church in accordance with (their) own preferences and ideas."
"We would like to believe that the authors of this summons are motivated by concern for the church, that they are.......
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Recant or excommunication.
He is the posterboy for arrogance, as are the other 300 Autrian priests and deacons (as well as supporters in other countries) who go along with him.
What happened to "obedience"?
“Rev. Hellmut Schueller, said: “We have decided to go this way because it’s the way of our conscience, as faithful, and we are expressing only the opinion of the people at the base of the church.”
translation : “ I have been having sex regularly with my girlfriend(s). I demand you approve my actions to lessen my guilt over my sins”
Where did it mention these priest wanted sex with their girlfriends? I thought this was about priest who want to become married?
“What happened to “obedience”? “
He trumped it with reasoning. There is no commandment to be celibate in the Bible.
If he were a Protestant then he would have a leg to stand on. He's a Roman Catholic and for him and other Catholics there is MORE than sola scriptura and he knows that. He is therefore using FALSE reasoning.
He might THINK he trumped it but he will go down badly...doubled and redoubled!
No commandment?
Well, Jesus’ words should count for something.
“For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
I doubt any Orthodox Church would WANT the dissident. Who needs it?
Maybe Father Schueller has an old-time girlfriend who is, um, pressuring him.
That's my read too, although I said that she might be pressuring him.
Well obviously some priests can’t accept it. Did Jesus renounce them? No. Did He declare them unfit for Heaven? No. Did He declare them unfit to preach the Gospel? No. Did He put any restraints upon their authority, duties or fitness to serve? No.
If a priest has come so far as to reason himself to marriage, then he should probably reason himself out of your church.
and here’s the thing: Benny’s dead wrong on this and has been since back when he was in charge of priestly discipline. There ALREADY ARE married Roman Catholic priests in the Eastern Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. IF we had more of them we wouldn’t have such a crisis in vocations in the US which wouldn’t have led to the relaxation of screening standards at seminaries, and we would have been able to weed out a LOT more pedophiles.
I personally believe Ratzinger’s shameful actions in the Cardinal Law case (which IMHO amounted to obstruction of justice) should have utterly disqualified him from consideration for the papacy. It shook my faith deeply when he ascended the throne of Peter, but then I remembered the church is more than the sum of its members.
-—Well obviously some priests can’t accept it. Did Jesus renounce them?-—
I don’t know, do you?
Jesus and St. Paul certainly make clear that those who can accept the teaching, SHOULD accept the teaching. When making their vows, these priests accepted celibacy. If they have changed their minds, they are free to leave the priesthood.
The Church that Christ established, the pillar and foundation of truth, certainly has the authority to prescribe the conditions for priesthood.
“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
Context matters. v36: “...he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning.” Nothing there, or related, about “...but if he does he should stop his service to the Lord.” That one situation may be preferable to another, when both are declared good, does not warrant prohibiting the latter.
Nothing in scripture construes the issue as either-or. Nary a hint of prohibition depending on circumstances: serve the Lord; better to remain single, but by all means if you wish to marry do so (with no “but you’ll have to quit that service” requirement).
But...what of the principle of papal inerrency?
No they don't. God has that authority. All we have now is the Holy Spirit to lead us. Organized churches become corrupt and apostatized over time. We have the Bible (Gods Word) and the Holy Spirit and that's enough.
But if they want to stay in the Church then they have to follow the rules.
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