Pope Reportedly Promises "Solutions" to Priestly Celibacy

Channel News Asia ^ | 7/13/14 | AFP

[marshmallow]

Pope Francis promised "solutions" to the issue of priestly celibacy in an interview on Sunday that raised the possibility the Catholic Church could eventually lift a ban on married priests, but was quickly refuted by the Vatican

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis promised "solutions" to the issue of priestly celibacy in an interview on Sunday that raised the possibility the Catholic Church could eventually lift a ban on married priests, but was quickly refuted by the Vatican.

Interviewed by Italy's La Repubblica daily, Francis also condemned child sex abuse as a "leprosy" in the Church and cited his aides as saying that "the level of paedophilia in the Church is at two per cent".

"That two per cent includes priests and even bishops and cardinals," the pope was quoted as saying.

Asked whether priests might one day be allowed to marry, Francis pointed out that celibacy was instituted "900 years after Our Lord's death" and that clerics can marry in some Eastern Churches under Vatican tutelage.

[CynicalBear]

Great post. That should put in perspective for those truly looking for truth.

[cloudmountain]

Well!! Perhaps I should direct the question to you. If scripture and tradition are in harmony would you please show where the apostles taught the veneration and assumption of Mary?

Gee, I dunno.

Since the popes, reaching back to St. Peter, the FIRST vicar of Christ, and the ensuing Catholic encyclicals did all that...you MIGHT do better to go to:

http://www.catholic.com/

Administrative Offices:

Immaculate Heart Radio
3256 Penryn Road, Suite 100
Loomis, CA 95650-8052

Toll Free: (888) 887-7120
Phone: (916) 535-0500
Fax: (916) 535-0504

or

http://www.catholic.org/

or

http://ihradio.com/

and ask your questions there. As much as you may ASSUME that we Catholics know ALL the theological questions that you Protestants might EVER come up with, I must admit, most humbly that I, for one, do NOT have all the answers to your questions.

I also may slip up and say "the" instead of "and" and you will, no doubt, accuse me of SOMETHING I said wrong.

SO, go to those websites and ask. They are fabulous! Most are Protestant converts to Catholicism (like former Baptist minister Steve Ray) and are SO knowledgeable. They often have priests there too.

They have an open question and answer Mondays-Thursdays if you want to call in for a question.

SOME days are for NON-Catholic call-in only! I listen to them when I am driving, which is every day.
They are on-line too: http://ihradio.com/

You can also listen to (radio) and/or write to:

Immaculate Heart Radio at http://ihradio.com/
Immaculate Heart Radio Educational Broadcasting operates a Roman Catholic faith network of radio stations in the western United States. It is based in Loomis, California.

[JPX2011]

Those doctrines are indeed found in scripture.

Yes they are, in a material sense, but not a formal sense. I think it would be dishonest for an individual of the 21st century to say they could arrive at the understanding of God as three persons in a Blessed Trinity devoid of 2,000 years of Church history and teaching. The same for the understanding of the hypostatic union. Which, incidentally, is a term not found in scripture (same for Trinity), but is believed. So as an aside I don't understand why Protestants gave Catholics grief over Transubstantiation. All are valid examples of doctrinal development.

Yes it does. All doctrines must be provable by scripture. Now prove the assumption and veneration of Mary from scripture and not some addition to scripture. Catholics, Mormons and Muslims start with scripture and add to it or change it.

This is still a fallacy. Divine Revelation is transmitted in two modes: Apostolic Tradition and Sacred Scripture. One doesn't exist without the other. Christ instituted a Church. A teaching Church. He did not institute a book.

I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2).

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter." (2 Thess. 2:15)

"First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:20-21).

As for Muslims, I wonder, what is the practical difference between A protestant's understanding of Scripture and a Muslim's understanding that it was dicated to Mohammed by Allah. Sure the protestant will tell you that th writers of scripture were inspired, but does that hold any practical difference for them, apart from the Muslim understanding? And how I wonder whether if Protestants worship a book as opposed to Christ.

[brooklyn dave]

true in orthodox church one has to get married before ordination. If a priest’s wife dies, he cannot get remarried.

[CynicalBear]

I’ll stick with scripture for my eternal future thank you very much. I’ve seen and heard all their “reasoning’s” and none of them comport with what scripture teaches. I’ll take Paul’s word and if they didn’t teach it I’ll consider it “accursed”.

[Mrs. Don-o]

AH! Excellent questions!

I would put it this way. Celibacy is a big deal because:

(1) It's following a way of life recommended, by Jesus and by Paul, to all who have this calling;

(2) It's giving good example to the younger generation: after all, all the singles are supposed to be celibate/abstinent until they marry, even if they don't marry until they're in their 20's, 30's, or 40's. Our society blares constantly that this is not possible. Nobody can live like that. We say "Yes, with the help of God's grace, and impelled by the love of Christ, we can."

(3) For that matter, it's a good example to those who experience same-sex attraction. Some of the public LGBT advocates are always saying it's so unfair for Christians to insist that gays embrace the "appalling" "burden" of long-term celibacy, and it's flat-out discriminatory! No, it's not: everyone is called to be celibate/abstinent unless and until they can get married to an eligible marriage partner: one who is of age, consenting, not already married to somebody else, not within prohibited degrees of kinship, and of the other sex. Same expectation for everybody. Historically, this might include scholars, soldiers, sailors, explorers, indentured servants and the like, and (in my grandmother's lifetime) even teachers.

(5) It was in this basis that Paul wrote he thought it was better not to marry, than to marry (although, better to marry than to "burn"!) If you will read the main section in 1 Corinthians 7, you will see he makes a very good case for dedicating oneself to the Lord and to the Mission of the Kingdom without competing priorities. It's a very practical and compelling argument, especially to whose who are called in this way.

(5) Jesus called it living like a eunuch "for the Kingdom of Heaven", and that suggests also the eschatological dimension. It is a powerful living witness that the time is short, this world is passing away, and bonds to this present life are tenuous.

Philippians 3:7-9
But whatever were gains to me before, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.

None of this denigrates Marriage, of course, which is a Sacrament and a living image of this Mysterium Tremendum, the union of Christ and the Church, one of the primordial blessings and commands for the species as a whole, and necessary for the continuation of the human race.

I myself have notice that social esteem for virginity and for marriage go up and down in tandem. A society which devalues virginity/celibacy, likewise devalues marriage. Modern libertines have the same, minimizing view of both consecrated celibacy and marital fidelity: namely, it's too constricting, meaningless, not to mention impossible, to live like that.

On the other hand, a society which greatly honors virginity/celibacy, also greatly honors marriage, and considers it high and holy.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Don’t make such a big friggin deal about small errors. Tagline

[CynicalBear]

>> So as an aside I don't understand why Protestants gave Catholics grief over Transubstantiation.<<

Because Christ said He was speaking spiritually and that the flesh profited nothing.

>> I think it would be dishonest for an individual of the 21st century to say they could arrive at the understanding of God as three persons in a Blessed Trinity devoid of 2,000 years of Church history and teaching.<<

Say what? One can easily come to a belief in a triune God today simply by reading scripture with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

>> So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter." (2 Thess. 2:15)<<

Now prove that the “traditions” talked about in that verse are the “traditions” taught by the Catholic Church.

>> "First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:20-21).<<

1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

>>And how I wonder whether if Protestants worship a book as opposed to Christ.<<

Would that also mean that Catholics worship the RCC as opposed to Christ?

[Iscool]

Why? Jesus and St. Paul commend the celibate state as preferable to the married state, to those who can accept it. I would think that this recommendation would be important to followers of Christ.

To only those who can handle it...And there are not many...And it doesn't apply to clergy...

[Mrs. Don-o]

What are the straight guys doing about the secret gay guys in your church?

(Simulated iscool voice) "We don't have any secret gay guys!"

(Responding Mrs Don-o voice): How would you know?

It's like the U.S. General said, when he realized the Russians had occupied the Belgrade airport during that Serbian kerfuffle: "We're not expecting any more surprises."

Or like David Rumsfeld said, "There are the known knowns, the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns."

[Iscool]

And HE, the first Protestant sure didn't compile the New Testament. He took the word of the Catholic Church as to what was Scripture.

No he didn't...A little actual research would be useful for you...You wouldn't have to keep posting false statements...

[Salvation]

What Pope Francis Meant to Say about the Origin of Priestly Celibacy

[Heart-Rest]

"SO, go to those websites and ask. They are fabulous! Most are Protestant converts to Catholicism (like former Baptist minister Steve Ray) and are SO knowledgeable."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Speaking of Steve Ray, a good place to start regarding that question about the "Assumption of Mary" might be right here, an article on Steve Ray's blog about that very subject.

[Iscool]

He says, "Those who can accept this should accept it.”

Nope...Jesus says whoever can accept it, let him accept it...Do not prevent him...

[Iscool]

You're right that it was not just spoken for the clergy.

I did not say that because that is not what scripture says...Even your own Catholic clergy...It is not for the clergy...

[Iscool]

Which one of the 41,000 denominations do YOU belong too?

Post 'em if you got 'em...Otherwise-you know the routine...

[Iscool]

Don't Isaiah 22:22, Matthew 16:19, Revelation 3:7 count as Scripture?

They don't say anything near what you want them to say...

[Mrs. Don-o]

It's like "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." This is not directed to the onlookers, as if to say, "do not prevent him from hearing," it's directed to the listeners being addressed, meaning "If you have ears to hear, listen up!"

Likewise, in this passage,the person is being encouraged to live single (like a eunuch) for the sake of the Kingdom, not just to let somebody else live that way.

[Iscool]

*counseling the despairing families, battling spouses, drug/alcohol problems, recently widowed, family deaths,

Catholic human logic is not equal to scripture...Paul says a bishop must have a wife and family to prove that he is capable of providing sufficient counseling to the flock...Why disagree with what scripture says???

[Iscool]

I think it’s completely unnecessary to pick on another’s grammar or spelling. And it’s uncharitable to do it over and over again.

I agree...Obviously the people here can spell...At least well enough to understand what is being said...That's all that matters...

There is one Catholic here who thinks she is the spelling Warden and that is just being childish...Most of us can quite handily deal with mis-spelt words...