To: Notwithstanding
perhaps...but scripture also condenms any teaching that forbids marriage and family for those who would serve Christ's kingdom...as being "false doctrine". Paul exhorted "Bishops" of the early church to be husbands to only one wife(not that everyone had to be married) and in control of their house-holds,ect,ect..Paul stated he would rather all servants of Christ be single as he was but if the couldn't stay celibate, they should marry,("better to marry than to continually burn with passion"). I do have a concern with the Cardinal's view that having homosexual impulses should disqualify one for the priest-hood...does this mean that if I have impulses to steal from the laity and line my pockets I could still qualify for the priesthood? I think it is the outward expression, the uncontrolled sinful passions acted upon that need to be examined and judged. I have trouble with trying to predict how a person will behave years in the future. Christ said that It's not what goes into the draught(digestive tract of the mind and soul) that defiles him...it is what comes out of him. Should active pederasty/homoerotic behavior be banned with the forced removal of the errant clergy..you bet! The Catholic church needs to change its policy of not allowing married priests(they are allowing some limited exceptions ie., married ANGLICAN PRIESTS who wish to return to the Catholic fold) They need to stop this false doctrine of forbidding their clergy to marry! I think you'll see a flood of healthy hetero-sexual men into the clergy, who with their families will bring vitality into the church...who knows, a protestant like myself might even be persuaded to visit a church like that. WE Protestants also are suffering from our own scandals and the problems with the Catholic churches are affecting us too.
To: mdmathis6
You need to be careful to choose your words correctly.
The Catholic Church's discipline of celibacy is NOT a doctrine - as you called it.
It is a rule prudentially imposed whereby in the Latin Rite no married man may normally be ordained a preist and no priest who has freely vowed himself to perpetual celibacy (as all unmarried men wishing to be ordained must do) may get married.
Any man who wants to get married is free to serve the Church in some fashion other than ordained priesthood. No man is forced to be a preist - and no man can demand that he be ordained.
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