Posted on 06/06/2019 7:17:37 PM PDT by marshmallow
Cardinal John Dew said the change would help combat clericalism
New Zealand Cardinal John Dew has said it is time to stop calling priests “father.” In an April newsletter, Dew said that ending the use of the title “father” could be “the beginning of the reform in the Church” in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal.
Since then, Dew told New Zealand media outlet Stuff that he would no longer like to be referred to by his title and encouraged priests to do the same.
Dew suggested that this could be one way to respond to Pope Francis’ call to combat clericalism in the Church. He said his effort “is part of a package of changing the whole clerical attitude.”
In his letter, Dew summarized three main points from an article written for La Croix International by French priest Jean-Pierre Roche titled “Stop calling me Father.”
Roche first pointed to the Gospel, in which Jesus says “And do not call anyone on earth ‘Father,’ for you have but one Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). Although Dew admits that the passage is “difficult to interpret and understand, “ he said “the meaning is clear. Jean-Pierre Roche says that to be called “Father” is to usurp the place of God.”
Second, Dew drew attention to the power dynamics of referring to priests as “father.” Dew said “It is not possible to have equal relationships between adults who are brothers and sisters if we call one of them “Father.”
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicherald.co.uk ...
What about “Rev.” ?
Amen. I ask people to use Brother; not Reverend. Of course, I don’t want to be irreverent.
Wait, what?
My experience is that those priests who avoid the externals of the priesthood—such as being called Father, or wearing clerical clothing—are actually the most authoritarian. This is just a false modesty, a form of virtue signaling.
What good does it do to complain about anything unless you have something better to replace it. I saw no alternative mentioned in the article. Personally, this smells of window dressing to me.
I’ve always liked pastor
Calling Elsie... made for you
As a kid who attended Catholic schools, we always called the priests “Father this”, or “Father that”. I think we would have gotten in trouble with our teachers if we didn’t.
Let’s ignore the priest bit for a moment... It is kind of a weird passage if you consider that we all have parents.
Watch out for any that prefer “Ai Papi!”
He says the passage “Do not call anyone on Earth father, for you have but one Father in Heaven” is difficult to understand.
No it isn’t.
And his claim that calling priests ‘father’ needs to stop is something the Protestants were arguing for centuries ago.
What took Cardinal John Dew and others so long to figure this out and catch up?
LOL. I agree. What?????
Not difficult at all to understand.
People have been arguing against calling priests father for centuries now in the Protestant Revolution and this Cardinal is just now figuring this out?
Most Holy Father; Your Holiness
Archbishop of Wellington: His Eminence Cardinal John Atcherley Dew DD
Guess they haven't quite made the changes "John" advises. How will this affect what the fellow in the white cassock is called?
Even when I was a Protestant, I never took the use of "father" to refer to Catholic, Orthodox, and some Anglican and Lutheran clergyman to be a violation of Jesus' teachings. I saw it based in what Paul wrote:
“I am not writing this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
I don't have to listen to a cardinal anyway, so I will gladly refer to my Orthodox priest as "father," out of respect for his office, and acknowledging him as my "father through the gospel."
Here in California, “Padre” is a kind of hip way in getting around the awkwardness.
I see. So the sexual abuse scandal happened because we call priests father? Anything to shift the blame I guess.
Apologies for the double post. It was accidental.
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