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.
BTW, what does the PCA have to do with anything?
I am not supporting a wife in the collection.I know a priest who’s wife died and has eight children,all grown.I am not supporting a wife.
metmom,In union with God all things are possible.
You asked who was more pious than Paul. I would think the married Pope was.
More obfuscation.
You do know guys occasionally have normal romantic lives before they go into the priesthood or religious brotherhood? Or for that matter, girls before they go into the sisterhood? Right? The problem’s not with having a past before you take vows, it’s carrying on with it (or starting) afterwards.
Not hardly.
Roman Catholics ridicule Protestants for individual interpretations.
Scripture was posted
You start of your post admitting that your interpretation is… Ignoring the clear sense of Scripture.
I am pointing out the irony, which I am sure is not lost on everyone else.
I’d also think Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:11 and 12 might be just a bit relevant here.
LOL, where did you pull that absurdity from?
Anyway, 1 Corinthians 7.
Who am I to judge?
Why should I be surprised? After all, Mr. T started out as a bouncer, too. Can we vote for him as Pope?
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.
What surprises me is that you're not a fan. And that the [shift] key doesn't work on your keyboard when typing the letter 'p'.
Many men who become priests have dated. Nothing new. They found it wasn’t their call.
“Sorry that God’s word causes you to react that way.”
Oh, it wasn’t God’s word. It was the ridiculous misinterpretation thereof which I found painful.
“My pastor, who is the most amazing priest I have ever met”
Pray that God will send us such a priest.
Time is not the only factor. One must also consider a person’s emotional strength and stamina.
As for household chores, well, that’s an unintended blessing that accrues from living in a community, such as a rectory or a monastery.
And I certainly think a priest knows he has to “consider someone besides themselves in their plans.”
All other things being equal, the celibate priest simply has more of himself available to his parishoners than the married pastor, by virtue of the fact that the pastor gives of himself to his own family.
The women wouldn’t be in affairs with priests if the priests didn’t consent.
Here, and in other posts, we see widespread condemnation of the women, and not boo about the priests who are also fornicating, breaking their vows of celibacy.
These women aren’t having affairs by themselves.
Father saved my life. It was through God that I found him, and my life has been better for it.
May you find a priest like my pastor.
And there are plenty of married men who are pastors who consider it a calling and vocation who are awesome men.
Being celibate does not preclude being an awesome pastor, nor being able to effectively minister to his congregation.
Besides, all the responsibility should not hang on one man. That's what assistant pastors, associate pastors, elders and deacons are for. To support the man in his ministry.
“I would think the married Pope was.”
You didn’t say he was more pious. You simply said he was married.
Vilify the women, like they did Lewinsky. Never the man's fault (Priest, Clintoon)
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