Catholic Priest to Deist

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It’s just another one of those things where someone doesn’t understand that it’s the people in the Church, not the Church itself that does bad things. Humans are capable of error; the Church is not.

Pray for the former priest.
 
well, not a former priest. he’s still a priest! forever even.
but yes, pray for him
 
From his website. An exposition on how sin damages your conscience:

While advising troubled persons in and out of the confessional, I realized their hopeless plight caused by the Church’s rigid laws against birth control devices and second marriages for divorced Catholics. Unable to suggest that the distraught ignore the Church, I advised them to follow their conscience. Doubts about the Church’s authority crossed my mind but I dismissed them quickly fearing their logical conclusion.

During these years, while administering a seminary, I continued my priestly ministry on weekends. One day, a young lady, whom an alcoholic husband had abandoned, came to my office with two young children and asked for help. Before long, my compassion turned into passion. For two years I led a double life: that of a priest and that of a lover. The affair stopped when my superior assigned me to work in the Philippines.

Two months later, I headed for Manila. During the weeklong trip by train and ship, I read Sinclair Lewis’s caricature of the religious hypocrite, Elmer Gantry. Then I reread Christ’s stern condemnation of hypocrites. I had become what Jesus and I hated most - a hypocrite. My natural love of woman and my vow of celibacy were irreconcilable. Deliberately I chose the natural life which includes physical love as created by God rather than the unnatural life of celibacy imposed by the Church on its priests.
 
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Tmaque:
From his website. An exposition on how sin damages your conscience:

While advising troubled persons in and out of the confessional, I realized their hopeless plight caused by the Church’s rigid laws against birth control devices and second marriages for divorced Catholics. Unable to suggest that the distraught ignore the Church, I advised them to follow their conscience. Doubts about the Church’s authority crossed my mind but I dismissed them quickly fearing their logical conclusion.

During these years, while administering a seminary, I continued my priestly ministry on weekends. One day, a young lady, whom an alcoholic husband had abandoned, came to my office with two young children and asked for help. Before long, my compassion turned into passion. For two years I led a double life: that of a priest and that of a lover. The affair stopped when my superior assigned me to work in the Philippines.

Two months later, I headed for Manila. During the weeklong trip by train and ship, I read Sinclair Lewis’s caricature of the religious hypocrite, Elmer Gantry. Then I reread Christ’s stern condemnation of hypocrites. I had become what Jesus and I hated most - a hypocrite. My natural love of woman and my vow of celibacy were irreconcilable. Deliberately I chose the natural life which includes physical love as created by God rather than the unnatural life of celibacy imposed by the Church on its priests.
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Very eye-opening!
 
He also deliberately chose celibacy when he took his vows. For him to say it was “imposed” on him is a cowardly copout.

I sounds like he needs an audience to justify himself, pure and simple. There’s no Truth there.
 
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oldfogey:
He also deliberately chose celibacy when he took his vows. For him to say it was “imposed” on him is a cowardly copout.

I sounds like he needs an audience to justify himself, pure and simple. There’s no Truth there.
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Will the Catholic Church not ordain a person if he decides 1 minute prior to ordination that he will not take the vow of celibacy?
 
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JoeyWarren:
Will the Catholic Church not ordain a person if he decides 1 minute prior to ordination that he will not take the vow of celibacy?
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If he does not make the vow, I don’t think they can ordain him. Unless he has discerned in his formation that he is willing to be celibate, he should not be presenting himself for ordination.

What’s the point you were trying to make?
 
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oldfogey:
If he does not make the vow, I don’t think they can ordain him. Unless he has discerned in his formation that he is willing to be celibate, he should not be presenting himself for ordination.What’s the point you were trying to make?
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That his statement is in a sense correct about it being imposed.
He also deliberately chose celibacy when he took his vows. For him to say it was “imposed” on him is a cowardly copout.
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If Ordination is contingent upon of taking a vow of celibacy, then it is being imposed by shear logic.

Potential Priest: “I want to be a Priest”
Bishop: “You have to take a vow of celibacy”
Potential Priest: “I don’t want to be celibate”
Bishop: “Then we can’t ordain you”

The Impositon of Celibacy is a requirement for the priesthood. It is not taken voluntarily because you don’t have the option of not taking it and still be ordained as a priest.

It’s logically sound.
 
It’s about as sound as thinking that monogamy is “imposed” on you if you want to get married.
 
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oldfogey:
It’s about as sound as thinking that monogamy is “imposed” on you if you want to get married.
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Except nowhere does the bible state that polgamy is a sin or wrong. The old testament supports it’s acceptance.
 
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