Posted on 05/09/2009 7:10:56 AM PDT by IbJensen
Ordained, married, Anglican Priests who convert and qualify to be ordained Catholic Priests are done so under Pope John Paul IIs 1980 Pastoral Provision. Ordained, married pastors from other protestant denominations who convert to Catholicism and seek ordination are ordained with a dispensation; issued by the Holy See, from the discipline of celibacy. In both instances, if the spouse precedes her husband in death then he must adopt the discipline of celibacy for the remainder of his life. That is a condition of ordination. Also, the total number of these ordinations, in the Latin Rite, is minuscule.
why,at least,are not Catholic men allowed to marry and *then* seek ordination with the understanding that they cannot be elevated to the office of Bishop and must,if their wife pre-deceases them,live a celibate life?
They can. 21 of the 22 Churches sui juris which comprise the Catholic Church ordain, as a norm, married men. The Latin Rite does not. If a man seeks both marriage and ordination, a man has options. Also, married men in the Latin Rite can be ordained as Deacons.
You wouldn't happen to be one of those suckers who helped line Dan Brown's wallet are you?
This would make a great movie. Maybe they could get Richard Chamberlain to play the lead.
"Have we not power to carry about a woman, a sister, as well as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?" 1 Corinthians 9:5 (emphasis added for your edification)
"A woman, a sister. Some erroneous translators have corrupted this text by rendering it, a sister, a wife: whereas it is certain, St. Paul had no wife (chap. 7, ver. 7, 8) and that only he speaks of such devout women as, according to the custom of the Jewish nation, waited upon the preachers of the gospel and supplied them with necessaries." St. Jerome, commentary on 1 Corinthians 9:5, circa 400 AD.
“vile comments”
Since you posting to me, might I ask, What vile comments?”
As Christ said there are a lot of goats among the sheep.
Suggesting that some believe that Christ was married and had children is silly.
“Celibacy is a discipline. The Latin Rite prefers to adhere more closely to the teaching and examples of Christ, the Apostles and St. Paul. The 21 Churches in the Eastern Rites do not. Bishops are chosen exclusively from celibates in the Eastern Rite Churches and while the norm is to ordain married men, once ordained a single Priest may not then marry. Also, if the spouse of a Priest precedes him in death, he must then adopt the discipline of celibacy for the remainder of his life. “
OK, this makes my head hurt.
We don't share your assertion of *silliness* and believe it a relevant topic for discussion..
Oh for heaven's sake! Get a life!
LOL! Father Cutie? Sounds like an SNL skit. But his attitude toward his own sexual desires is very ‘European’. They think themselves so much more sophisticated about sexual matters than we silly Americans.
If one is not willing to abide by the teachings of the Catholic Church then by one's actions, one excommunicate one's self.
He clearly cannot possibly believe in the True Presence.
There are *some* that believe the earth is flat.
He sounds like a brave and caring soul and so do you.
My uncle recently died, in his youth he wanted to be a priest, but didn’t become one.
His entire life he was celibate, practiced poverty, and devoted himself to the church in ways that were inspirations to generations of Catholics he taught.
I can only assume they lowered the bar far enough so that someone with such little faith in himself and God could become a priest.
I’m sorry, I wasn’t specifically referring to you. You were the random reply post. And maybe vile isn’t the right word. But the underlying message is there. This man doesn’t expect to stay a Priest, does he? So why is this even a story?
That is your cross to bear.
It’s relevant only to the snakeoil salesmen who peddle the silliness and the suckers who enable them.
I have no problem with a Roman Catholic Priest who decides the calling he once accepted is after all not the calling he can honestly commit to, and in good faith, 1st resign and, afterward, seek a relationship he believes is honest and right for his life.
For me, it is not a matter of the historical rights or wrongs of the unmarried priesthood or the vows of celibacy.
It is the priest who has come to a “change”, and the honest course at this time is to leave the Roman Catholic priesthood, not demand the terms of Catholic priesthood be changed, to accommodate the “life style” he wants. This point is not a defense of or argument against the commitments that the Roman Catholic Church makes on its priests, but it is a point about this priests own lack of integrity going against his own vows, instead of leaving the priesthood beforehand on honest terms.
And besides, from the priest’s own comments, I am not sure how much of a committed Catholic he is, in that he seems to think it would be O.K. for him to serve as a priest in a denomination that does not have the same commitments as the Roman Catholic Church.
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