Married Episcopal priest will become priest in Roman Catholic Diocese of Scanton

virtueonline ^ | Jan 4 04 | David Virtue

[wideawake]

Fr. Bergman, 34, and the father of three children said, "I think that the ordination of Robinson is the logical conclusion of the contraceptive mentality. When Lambeth approved contraception for married couples in 1930 they set the stage for the Robinson consecration in 2003. You remove the marital act from its purpose and we bless sterile intercourse. It is not a big jump to bless then sterile homosexual intercourse."

Couldn't have been said better.

Humanae Vitae BUMP.

[wideawake]

Interesting.

[Tamar1973]

Since the ECUSA doesn't want to allow conservative priests/parishes to answer to G-d fearing bishops in Africa or Asia, this kind of thing is going to happen more often.

[nuconvert]

"Diocese of Scanton"

Wanna buy an "r"?

[dirtboy]

Well, look at the Episcopalean Church in general. My mom's side of the family was Presbytarian and my dad's side was Lutheran, and I somehow ended up Episcopalean.

My ex-wife's father came from Bangladeshi muslims and her mom came from Pathan muslims ... and she somehow ended up Episcopalean.

And come to think of it, over two million English Catholics woke up one morning in the 1500s and found out that they had become Episcopaleans. Seems to come with the territory.

[eastsider]

The Rev. Eric Bergman ... renounced his orders effective December 31st and left the Episcopal Church over the church's acceptance of homosexuality and the consecration of an avowed homoerotic bishop to the episcopacy in the person of V. Gene Robinson.

Homoerotic!!! Kudos to David Virtue for an excellent choice of words.

And a big "Welcome Home," Fr. Bergman : )

[conservlib]

Married Catholic priests in the eastern rights have been approved by Rome for generations. Rome is refusing to allow the rest of its priests similar options. I think it would reduce the number of child molesters, and homosexual priests. The big idea of have celibacy is nonsense, especially in today sex obsessed Western societies.

[muir_redwoods]

The Roman priets were allowed to marry for the first 1000 or so years of the church's history. I would think it hard to support a ban that is that far removed from the original model of the church but then no one asked me.

[oldironsides]

Several of the priests from my hometown left the priesthood. They married and had children. They are good people and many regret their loss. To bad they cannot join the priesthood as this Episcopal fellow did and work for a better world. It is time to call on Rome to stop the foolish duplicity. Either you can be married or not.

[patent]

>>>I think it would reduce the number of child molesters, and homosexual priests. The big idea of have celibacy is nonsense, especially in today sex obsessed Western societies.


You would be wrong. Married clergy have just as high of an abuse rate as do celibate clergy.

[frog_jerk_2004]

I think it would reduce the number of child molesters, and homosexual priests. The big idea of have celibacy is nonsense, especially in today sex obsessed Western societies.

This makes no sense whatsoever. Priest are not forced to lives of celibacy, they know going into the priesthood that it is part of their vows. It is voluntary. If someone wishing to enter a vocation cannot take the vow of celibacy, let them enter some other vocation where it is not required.

So, in your opinion, because the West is obsessed with sex, the Church should give in to this? Anyway, there are plenty of heterosexual married men and women that are pedophiles. Just open the NY papers everyday and see how many so-called "teachers" in the public school system are caught on a regular basis. If someone is truly celibate they will not become pedophiles.

The real problem with the Church is that it was too lax in allowing homosexuals into the priesthood in the first place. Now they are reaping whay they have sown. But, I have faith and I know the Church will get through this crisis. It has gone through much worse in the past and came through.

[patent]

>>>>Several of the priests from my hometown left the priesthood. They married and had children. They are good people and many regret their loss. To bad they cannot join the priesthood as this Episcopal fellow did and work for a better world.

They made a conscious choice that the clergy was not to be their vocation. They chose marriage OVER their vocation. That is far different than what this fellow did. They can certainly work for the Church in their married state, there is no need to be a priest to make this a better world.

>>>It is time to call on Rome to stop the foolish duplicity. Either you can be married or not.

It is hardly duplicity. We also have different rites. Some attend the Maronite Rite, some the Roman Rite. Is that also duplicity? Its a discipline. The Church can adapt it to the needs of this or that community, and accordingly, it will be different in different situations.

patent

[mike182d]

I think it would reduce the number of child molesters, and homosexual priests. The big idea of have celibacy is nonsense, especially in today sex obsessed Western societies.

...yeah, I see a lot of Buddhist monks that molest children. Point being: child molestation has nothing to do with celibacy. It is completely ignorant and absurd to assume that there's any connection between child molestation and lack of sex. I didn't have sex for 22 years until I married my wife, and not once did I ever have the urge to molest a child. These heineous crimes are the product of pyschological disorders and there is absolutely no evidence to support otherwise. For every child molesting celibate "priest" you can name, I could name just off the top of my head a hundred celibate priest that aren't throughout the 1500+ years that this has been practiced.

After all, I highly doubt you'd want to suggest that Jesus and St. Paul were child molesters...they did refrain from sexual relations entirely, after all.

[jimbergin]

Even before the ECUSA's problems of the last 18 months, there were many married Episcoopal priests who swam the Tiber. I am sure there will be even more over the next few months after the February Primate's meeting where I fear nothing will really happen.

[PFC]

When Lambeth approved contraception for married couples in 1930 they set the stage for the Robinson consecration in 2003. You remove the marital act from its purpose and we bless sterile intercourse.

That's an interesting theory. I wonder how many people of faith follow the idea that birth control is wrong for married people.

[bethelgrad]

Peter (The first pope) enjoyed his wife.

[Graymatter]

He is a married priest being accepted into the Roman Catholic priesthood because he couldn't abide his church's sanction of homosexuality. Have I got that right?

Good thing he's not a woman priest. That would have complicated things.

[lightman]

The innovation of mandatory celibacy was documented and condemned in the 22nd Article of the Confession of Augsburg, A.D. 1530:

http://www.bookofconcord.org/augsburgconfession.html#article23

The most pertinent part follows:

10] It is also evident that in the ancient Church priests were married men. 11] For Paul says, 1 Tim. 3, 2, that a bishop should be chosen who is the husband of one wife. 12] And in Germany, four hundred years ago for the first time, the priests were violently compelled to lead a single life, who indeed offered such resistance that the Archbishop of Mayence, when about to publish the Pope's decree concerning this matter, was almost killed in the tumult raised by the enraged priests. 13] And so harsh was the dealing in the matter that not only were marriages forbidden for the future, but also existing marriages were torn asunder, contrary to all laws, divine and human, contrary even to the Canons themselves, made not only by the Popes, but by most celebrated Synods. [Moreover, many God-fearing and intelligent people in high station are known frequently to have expressed misgivings that such enforced celibacy and depriving men of marriage (which God Himself has instituted and left free to men) has never produced any good results, but has brought on many great and evil vices and much iniquity.]

Also worth reading : http://www.bookofconcord.org/augsburgdefense/22_marriage.html

[Amelia]

One of the best priests I've ever known left the priesthood to marry. Great loss for the Church, I think.