Converts called to Priesthood

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PatienceAndLove

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I want to start by saying I am not trying to spread gossip, and I am trying to find the answer to what I am bringing up-

I know that many converts to Catholicism from Anglicanism and Eastern churches were allowed to remain married and become priests.
But I have read (and don’t recall where) that Papa Benny will not allow any married converts to be ordained.
Is this true? Why is this?
 
PatienceAndLove said:
I want to start by saying I am not trying to spread gossip, and I am trying to find the answer to what I am bringing up-

I know that many converts to Catholicism from Anglicanism and Eastern churches were allowed to remain married and become priests.
But I have read (and don’t recall where) that Papa Benny will not allow any married converts to be ordained.
Is this true? Why is this?
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First off, referring to Pope Benedict XVI, as Papa Benny, is disrespectful.

Second, those who are not ordained in the Anglican Church, who convert, can not become priest in the RC. They are in the same situation as Catholics who are married.

Jim
 
PatienceAndLove said:
I want to start by saying I am not trying to spread gossip, and I am trying to find the answer to what I am bringing up-

I know that many converts to Catholicism from Anglicanism and Eastern churches were allowed to remain married and become priests.
But I have read (and don’t recall where) that Papa Benny will not allow any married converts to be ordained.
Is this true? Why is this?
Click to expand...
For the same reason that someone who is married and Catholic can not become a Priest. Now, if said male convert should become a widower and his children are grown he is allowed to become a Priest if he indeed has that calling.

Brenda V.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
**First off, referring to Pope Benedict XVI, as Papa Benny, is disrespectful.
**
Second, those who are not ordained in the Anglican Church, who convert, can not become priest in the RC. They are in the same situation as Catholics who are married.

Jim
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How? Many of my friends refer to him in the same manner.
 
Surely it would make a difference whether they were Anglican or Orthodox, because the Anglican church is not regarded as having valid sacraments, so their priests would have to be re-ordained, whereas the Orthodox churches have valid sacraments, so their married priests would BE priests when they converted. That, of course, doesn’t mean they would necessarily be given a parish or any priestly duties.

The simple fact is that the Roman rite of the Catholic Church just isn’t set up for married priests. Priests get moved arround frequently, have accommodation that’s designed for 1, small stipends designed for 1 person to live off, no provision for a pension for wives or school fees for the kids. It’s not fair for a married Anglican vicar to drag his wife and kids into a discipline that they didn’t ask for when they got married. In many ways, it’d be like taking your family with you to the front line in Iraq.
 
DL82 said:
Surely it would make a difference whether they were Anglican or Orthodox, because the Anglican church is not regarded as having valid sacraments, so their priests would have to be re-ordained, whereas the Orthodox churches have valid sacraments, so their married priests would BE priests when they converted. That, of course, doesn’t mean they would necessarily be given a parish or any priestly duties.

The simple fact is that the Roman rite of the Catholic Church just isn’t set up for married priests. Priests get moved arround frequently, have accommodation that’s designed for 1, small stipends designed for 1 person to live off, no provision for a pension for wives or school fees for the kids. It’s not fair for a married Anglican vicar to drag his wife and kids into a discipline that they didn’t ask for when they got married. In many ways, it’d be like taking your family with you to the front line in Iraq.
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Understandable.
I guess I am just confused as to how some married convert priests handle being married and being priests (esp. with the aforementioned issues).
 
PatienceAndLove said:
Understandable.
I guess I am just confused as to how some married convert priests handle being married and being priests (esp. with the aforementioned issues).
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I know of one Anglican priest who converted, he was a University chaplain, and they kept him as a Catholic University chaplain. I guess when he gets too old to be hanging out with students, he’ll probably become an academic. I’m not sure how much truth there is to this, but I’ve heard that English Catholic bishops have been more sensitive to this (we have a long tradition of Anglican clerical converts, going back to Bl. John Henry Newman and the Oxford movement) while some American bishops have been quite confused about how to handle it.
 
PatienceAndLove said:
How? Many of my friends refer to him in the same manner.
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Regardless of what your friends do, the name Benny is a nickname given to a buddy, not to the person who holds the chair of St. Peter.

I guess showing respect is just the way I was raised.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Regardless of what your friends do, the name Benny is a nickname given to a buddy, not to the person who holds the chair of St. Peter.

I guess showing respect is just the way I was raised.

Jim
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Not to drag this thread off topic, but I completely agree with you Jim. The Vicar of Chirst should not be given a ‘nickname’ like Benny and all reverence and respect should be given to his position that he holds.
 
Hijikata said:
Not to drag this thread off topic, but I completely agree with you Jim. The Vicar of Chirst should not be given a ‘nickname’ like Benny and all reverence and respect should be given to his position that he holds.
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Plenty of saints have had nicknames given to them in reverence for their common humanity.

St Kentigern, a Saxon missionary (and bishop) to Celtic Scotland, is far more commonly known today by the name St Mungo, given him by his Celtic flock.

St Francis was referred to affectionately as il Poverello (the little poor man) and various other similar titles, even by his most devoted and reverent followers.

I’m not sure of any examples that relate to Popes specifically, except of course for the first one, St Peter, almost never referred to as Simon bar Jonah, but by the affectionate title of the ‘rock’ of the Church.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Regardless of what your friends do, the name Benny is a nickname given to a buddy, not to the person who holds the chair of St. Peter.

I guess showing respect is just the way I was raised.

Jim
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It’s off the main topic, but I agree with you Jim. I see it as disrespectful, not as a term of endearment. The fact that many see it as disrespectful should be enough reason to avoid the use. If in doubt, side on the side of respect.
 
For the same reason that someone who is married and Catholic can not become a Priest.

I know several Catholic priests who were raised and always practiced Catholicism who are married and are pastors of Catholic Churches. I attend one myself.
 
bpbasilphx said:
For the same reason that someone who is married and Catholic can not become a Priest.

I know several Catholic priests who were raised and always practiced Catholicism who are married and are pastors of Catholic Churches. I attend one myself.
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I think she’s referring to the Latin Rite Catholics. What rite of the Catholic Church do you attend?
 
Tonks40 said:
I think she’s referring to the Latin Rite Catholics. What rite of the Catholic Church do you attend?
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I am referring to the Latin Rite.

My question comes from my family and I possibly moving to an area that has an Anglican Use parish. The priests there are converts from Anglicanism and are married with children.
I was just wondering why these men were allowed to convert and be priests and our beloved Papa has said that he will not allow married priests. Am I misunderstanding in that he will not allow married men to become priests, or is he including converts who were clergy in their denomination (Anglican or Eastern rite Catholics) as well?

I hate when I don’t word my questions correctly.
 
A married convert from Anglicanism can only become a Latin Rite Catholic priest if he was ordained as an Anglican priest. Same goes for Lutheran pastors who convert to the Latin Rite Catholic Church. Orthodox & Eastern Rite churches have always had married priests. They had to be married before they were ordained; they couldn’t marry after ordination.

Peace,
Linda
 
I guess you’ve seen the info posted by kage_ar by now…

The converts from Anglicanism who became priests were all “ordained” Anglican priests prior to their conversion to Catholicism. These men were allowed to be ordained under the so-called Pastoral Provision. A married man from my parish was ordained to the Catholic priesthood under that Provision within the last couple of years.

But this Pastoral Provision only applies to a few men in some very special circumstances and is very much an exception to the norm. The norm is that married men cannot become priests in the latin Church.
 
So…
It is permissible as long as that man was ordained before he converted?
And his ordination to the Latin Rite is a special occurrence?
 
PatienceAndLove said:
So…
It is permissible as long as that man was ordained before he converted?
And his ordination to the Latin Rite is a special occurrence?
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It is sometimes permitted for a few men who were ordained before Conversion. And these are very special occurances 🙂

First the man’s Bishop goes through a process, and makes a decision if the case is sent to the Holy Father. Then Rome reviews and determines on a case by case basis. It is a long process, and is the exception not the rule.

We are blessed to have one such Priest here as an Associate.
 
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