Married Priests? At the Gregorian They’re Voting Against

Chiesa ^ | 02-04-2016 | Sandro Magister

[NRx]

Cardinals Parolin and Ouellet are lining up in defense of the celibacy of the Latin clergy, in a conference at the prestigious pontifical university. But once again the pope has let the German bishops know that he wants to break with this tradition

by Sandro Magister

ROME, February 4, 2016 - This afternoon at the Pontifical Gregorian University a conference will get underway that in many respects is surprising,

The surprise comes first of all from the theme: "Priestly celibacy, a journey of freedom." A theme in stark contrast with the ever more frequent signals of an imminent relaxation of the discipline of celibacy for the Latin Catholic clergy, at the behest of Pope Francis:

> The Next Synod Is Already in the Works. On Married Priests (9.12.2015)

But also unusual is the status of the personalities who will speak at the conference.

The first speaker will be Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the congregation for bishops, who will talk about "Celibacy and Christ's nuptial bond with the Church." Ouellet belongs to the Society of Priests of Saint Sulpice, which has always been focused on the formation of candidates for the priesthood and the spiritual care of the clergy.

But the final speaker, on the morning of Saturday, February 6, will be Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state, who will talk about "The priest ordained 'in persona Christi.'"

And right before Parolin the speaker will be Archbishop Joël Mercier, secretary of the Vatican congregation for the clergy, who will illustrate the 1967 encyclical of Paul VI "Sacerdotalis Caelibatus" as "entirely valid in our own time as well."

The complete program of the conference, curated by Monsignor Tony Anatrella, a psychiatrist and priest of the diocese of Paris, where he is also a professor at the Collège des Bernardins, is on the website of the Gregorian, the most prestigious of the Roman pontifical universities, managed by the Society of Jesus and currently headed by Fr. François-Xavier Dumortier, a relator at the synod last October in the "Circulus gallicus B" headed by Cardinal Robert Sarah, certainly not an innovator:

> Il celibato sacerdotale, un cammino di libertà

*

The latest signal of Pope Francis's intention to proceed with the ordination of married men to the priesthood came a few days ago from Germany, as was also the case with previous signals:

> Married Priests. The Germany-Brazil Axis (12.1.2016)

This time, the interpreter of pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio's thought was the auxiliary bishop of Hamburg Hans-Jochen Jaschke, in an appearance on the television talk show "Nachtcafe."

Jaschke, in recounting the meeting between the German bishops and the pope last November 20, said that when the discussion turned to the hypothesis of resorting to married priests in order to celebrate Mass in far-flung regions with a scarcity of clergy, especially in Latin America, Francis "made no sign of refusal."

Of course, Jaschke added during the broadcast, the pope "is not a dictator" and will act so as to make such innovations "universally acceptable" to the Church as a whole. But the fact that he wants to proceed in this direction would seem to be a certainty.

These statements of the auxiliary bishop of Hamburg - together with others in favor of "a relaxed approach to the issue of homosexuality" - were reported on February 1 on Katholisch.de, the portal of the German episcopal conference:

> "Der Papst hat nicht abgewunken"

A rumor is also making the rounds among the bishops of Germany that while on his journey to Mexico in mid-February Francis is thinking of ordaining as priests several married deacons of the diocese of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, in Chiapas.

But the first to contradict this rumor was the bishop of that diocese, Felipe Arzmendi Esquivel:

> The Other Chiapas. Indigenous Clergy Yes, But Celibate (12.12.2015)

And the next was the master of pontifical liturgical celebrations Guido Marini, who assured this website that during the journey to Mexico "at no Mass will the pope conduct ordinations."

*

In any case, the November 20 meeting between the German bishops and the pope has left a rather lively aftermath, even apart from the question of married priests.

As he almost always does at the end of visits "ad limina," this time as well Francis did not read the speech prepared for the occasion, but simply gave out the text, preferring to spend the time in an informal conversation.

Only that when the German bishops read that text addressed to them, they found it tremendously punitive.

And it's perfectly true. In the written text there is an implacable harangue against all the disasters produced in recent years by the pastors of the Church of Germany, culminating in a genuine "erosion of the Catholic faith":

> "Dear Brothers..."

And in fact Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and president of the German bishops, as well as being a member of the council of nine cardinals who assist the pope, says that he asked Francis about that speech and was assured that he knew nothing about the text, and hadn't even read it.

In effect, there was not even a trace of Bergoglio's style, nor of his fondness for the German episcopate, in that text which instead seemed to have come from the "workshop" of Benedict XVI, almost a sequel to the memorable rebuke that he issued in Freiburg on September 25, 2011, to a German Church excessively "satisfied with itself and at ease with the criteria of the world," instead of with "her vocation to openness towards God, her vocation to opening up the world towards the other":

> "Dear Brother Bishops and Priests..."

Returning to the speech disowned by Pope Francis, if one really wants to assign it to an author the imagination goes straight to Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, a countryman and longstanding adversary of the reformist Marx, in addition to being the little-heeded guardian, today, of the dogma and discipline of the Church.

[DIRTYSECRET]

They real need to get it somewhere. It’s absurd to think that they won’t.

[DIRTYSECRET]

God knows there is no pleasing a woman. How will he attend to the needs of his flock when he’s walking on eggshells at home?

[johniegrad]

They real need to get it somewhere.

What does this mean?

[AlaskaErik]

If they’re against it it’s because they want to keep their homosexual and pedophile club to themselves. Heterosexual priests would be seen as a threat.

[pgkdan]

The Catholic priesthood has become a gay men’s club. When I was a kid nearly every priest I knew was a real man and that was true until about 15 years ago. Now every Catholic priest I know is a limp wristed fairy. Every single one.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"If they’re against it it’s because they want to keep their homosexual and pedophile club to themselves."

This is bullshorts. Other denominational clergy and other professions (e.g. schoolteachers, youth sports/athletic leaders, theatre and the performing arts mentors) have even more extensive homosexuality and child abuse problems, some of them stemming from their married staff, themselves.

There's no evidence whatsoever that married personnel will fend off these shameful abuses.

[Mrs. Don-o]

That is certainly not people’s experience in the Church at large. You may be in a corrupt patch.

[Ransomed]

That’s exactly the opposite of what is happening. Try finding one pro homosexualist catholic who supports things like ‘gay marriage’ and priestesses and abortion who also think the discipline of celibacy is valuable and should be continued. In fact, every liberal of any faith or none seems to invariably hate the Catholic discipline of celibacy and wants in ended.

The conservative Catholics are the ones that seem to find it valuable, at least that I have observed.

Freegards

[To Hell With Poverty]

Torn on this one. It seems a valuable practice, yet historically is an “innovation” not begun until the Middle Ages, so I’m not convinced of the necessity of it. Perhaps in a time of crisis in vocations it isn’t so unreasonable to reconsider.

[DIRTYSECRET]

They real need to get it somewhere.
What does this mean?

Answer: Rhymes with wussy

[Campion]

historically is an “innovation” not begun until the Middle Ages

Bogus "history"; it's much older than that.

[pbear8]

It began much earlier, bad historians teach otherwise. If a bishop is truly holy and preaches Our Lord Jesus Christ, young men flock to that diocese wishing to surrender their lives to His service. If the lesbian nun is in charge of the seminary, there are few vocations. This is a created ‘crisis’.

[JAKraig]

Not every Roman Catholic Priest is homosexual or practicing homosexual but I admit that many I have run into are. There are still some very good unselfish priests who are priests because they love God and want to serve him. Unfortunately there are many priests who are priests because it is a good place to find sexual partners.

The problem of homosexuality is not as big a problem in the Orthodox church where priests can be married, while many are not. In the Eastern Catholic church you must not be married if you wish to become a bishop.

There is no strictly religious or doctrinal reason for celibacy, the early church fathers started expounding on it and it was eventually canonized in the centuries after Constantine. The idea is that without a family you can devote your whole life to The Church and it’s members. You can be “married” to The Church and therefore to Christ.

The Apostles in the time of Christ were married except for Paul however there have been writers that say while they were married they did not have sex with their wives. There is absolutely no early doctrine or written support for this position.

I personally think celibacy is a mistake. While I admire those who can devote their lives to The Church I think the doctrine promotes homosexuality, pedophilia and adultery. God placed in man the desire for a woman if you deny the fulfillment of that desire then the desire turns into a fire that is never quenched until a horrible mistake is made. Once the mistake is made it then requires the sin to be hidden which moves the priest far from God and he becomes a shell of his former devoted self.

Marriage of priests would solve a lot of problems in The Church.

[Ransomed]

“Marriage of priests would solve a lot of problems in The Church.”

That’s not what happened for the UK Anglicans and Episcopalians.

“...I think the doctrine promotes homosexuality, pedophilia and adultery.”

Why do you think the most liberal Catholics, the ones that support priestesses, homosexuals clergy in relationships, and ‘gay marriage’ invariably want the discipline to end? I think they believe the Catholics will end up like the Anglicans and Episcopalians, not the Orthodox. I mean, why haven’t the liberal groups that have been pro-homosexual for 10 plus years instituted the discipline of celibacy, if it promotes all the stuff they want?

Freegards

[vladimir998]

“They real need to get it somewhere. It’s absurd to think that they won’t.”

So where in your opinion did Jesus “get it”? How about St. Paul?

[Biggirl]

For some reason it works among the Eastern Rite Catholics.

[Biggirl]

Been done in the Protestant community for years.

[Arthur McGowan]

It began with the apostles, not in the Middle Ages.

[ebb tide]

And in fact Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and president of the German bishops, as well as being a member of the council of nine cardinals who assist the pope, says that he asked Francis about that speech and was assured that he knew nothing about the text, and hadn't even read it.

Not atypical from this autocratic pope.