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To: Aliska
>>Perhaps the church erroneously thought that homosexual priests wouldn't cause the scandals that heterosexual priests got themselves into with women<<

I think this is true in part.

I think there was tremendous underdiscernment of the effects on the priesthood of allowing ten thousand heterosexuals to be forcibly separated in only a few years. This did two things-it greatly increased the proportion of gay priests as a fraction of the whole, and, it decreased the inhibitory effect on them of living and working with a substantial number of straight men.

But this begs the question of why the hierarchy reacted in this way. Many married priests tell the story that they were on the street, homeless and jobless, within 24 hours of announcing their situation.

This is quite a contrast to the situation of the gay child abusers.

Why do the bishops act as if the sin of heterosexual marriage by a priest is so uniquely horrible? I think it's because they truly feel sickened and horrified when a priest marries a woman.

Why they don't feel this way about gay child abusers, I don't know.

8 posted on 04/03/2002 11:07:49 AM PST by Jim Noble
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To: Jim Noble
Why do the bishops act as if the sin of heterosexual marriage by a priest is so uniquely horrible? I think it's because they truly feel sickened and horrified when a priest marries a woman.

You haven't heard the worst of it.

In two dioceses I know of, bishops are taking back men who left the priesthood to marry outside the Church (technically, "living in sin" their entire marriages), have divorced their wives, and have asked to come back.

If a priest was laicized, however, he can never come back to the ministry.

This is one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard of, yet it is happening.

12 posted on 04/03/2002 11:18:32 AM PST by sinkspur
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To: Jim Noble
It does seem that they (priests who left to marry) were booted with no "severance pay". Those pedophile priests and homosexually abusing priests will remain on the payroll until their dying day!

There are many things about the church's prioritizing sins I just don't understand, frankly.

There was a pretty lady in my RCIA class. She was there to try to come to grips with her divorce. She had been married to a priest. He went back to being a priest without her.

Now that isn't so uncommon and at the time I thought his first duty was probably to the church. Years later I am having slightly different thoughts. HE NEVER TOLD HER HE HAD BEEN A PRIEST. That was deceitful and grossly unfair. Uh oh. I'm being grossly unfair as I only heard her side of the story.

She did go on to marry someone else and probably never became catholic.

I don't know if your perception about the churchmen being more threatened by men who wish to marry females is greater than their fear of the havoc that homosexuals can cause. Why do they insist on protecting these priests even after they are removed from parishes? It really sends the wrong message, to me at least. Marry a woman and start from scratch. Cause trouble by abusing parishioners and you get retirement pay for the rest of your life. What's wrong with this picture?

All I know is that I get more upset about certain things that the church seems to gloss over sometimes. It all depends on one's vantage point I suppose.

13 posted on 04/03/2002 11:20:57 AM PST by Aliska
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To: Jim Noble
"Why do the bishops act as if the sin of heterosexual marriage by a priest is so uniquely horrible? I think it's because they truly feel sickened and horrified when a priest marries a woman. Why they don't feel this way about gay child abusers, I don't know."

You really DON'T know why?? Think...

50 posted on 04/03/2002 12:39:17 PM PST by redhead
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To: Jim Noble
To ALL Catholic Freepers:

How many of you are raising your sons to consider going into the priesthood??? If we had more parents who thought of a son as a priest was TERRIFIC instead of the selfish thinking about "No Grandkids" from that son. Or the " No money" thing. Think about it....there is NO higher calling.

62 posted on 04/03/2002 1:04:31 PM PST by Ann Archy
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