Posted on 05/19/2014 5:58:54 PM PDT by Gamecock
A group of 26 Italian women - all claiming to be in affairs with priests - have written to Pope Francis pleading with him to end the Catholic Church's celibacy vow.
The women said that there were many more like them who were "living in silence."
"We love these men, they love us, and in most cases, despite all efforts to renounce it, one cannot manage to give up such a solid and beautiful bond," they wrote in a joint letter.
They added that "very little is known about the devastating suffering of a woman who is deeply in love with a priest".
The women met through Facebook, reports the Telegraph.
Some 6,000 former priests in Italy have left the church so they can marry.
Pope Francis, who had a girlfriend as a young man in Argentina, has previously said he favored maintaining celibacy, but claimed it was more church tradition than dogma.
yes, thank you :)
Sorry that God’s word causes you to react that way.
My pastor, who is the most amazing priest I have ever met, often tells the congregation that a priest is not just a job, but a vocation and a life that requires all of his time. He would not be able to tend to his parish and all of the needs of being pastor if he had a wife and family. He exudes love and devotion, and I am thankful to God that I met him.
"Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8 Now to the unmarried[a] and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Clearly, celibacy is preferred for those who can bear it.
I'm no fan of pope Francis, but I am simply unmoved to find that he (gasp) once worked as a low-level security guard.
**Sounds to me that he is saying**
Excuse me, but are you interpreting Scripture? Isn’t that against the rules of Rome?
And anyway, I thought (judging by exchanges with Frotestants) that one of the many complaints by Protestants against the Church was that it interprets scripture, rather than taking it at ucontextualized, unexamined face value.
And why, pray tell, is it a must see film?
And Peter, the guy you claim as your first pope, was married.
And yet a single person has all the responsibilities to bear themselves. They have to do everything involved with running a household on their own.
With two people, they can share that burden.
In the end, I don’t see that a single person actually has more free time than a married person. They just have to manage their time better because they have to consider someone besides themselves in their plans.
It forces a more selfless existence.
“The first “Pope” was married.”
Did I say he wasn’t?
“And Peter, the guy you claim as your first pope, was married.”
Did I ever say he wasn’t? How does Peter’s marriage mean Jesus was not celibate?
Shouldn't be hard. And, remember, Luther couldn't find anything in Scripture prohibiting polygamy. It's practically a Protestant tradition!
Exactly. It’s clear from that passage that an elder was permitted to have a wife.
Seems to me these women are predatorial psychos who want the attention and reparations.
yes..artifice of the church...stupid!
Zero in?
You threw it out there!
Scripture says elders can marry.
Scripture forbids adultery.
Let’s keep our categories straight here.
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