Former ND president Fr. Hesburgh: "I have no problem with females or married people as priests..."

  • Thread starter Thread starter mdzialo
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mdzialo

Guest
“It has to evolve over time. I have no problem with females or married people as priests, but I realize that the majority of the leadership in the Church would. But what’s important is that people get the sacraments. You have to remember, there were married priests, even married popes, in the first 1,000 years of the church.”

insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2008/09/former-nd-presi.html
 
Well, as Fr Hesburg states, “he” has no problem with female and married priest.

If the Church suddenly changed and allowed female and married priest, well being guided by the Holy Spirit, neither would I, for it would be God’s will, not mine nor Fr Hesburgh’s. I only seek to follow God’s will.

I did like his book, “God, Country, Notre Dame.” 😉

Jim
 
Yeah, I’ll bet it would make a lot of those prancing female extraordinary communion handlers happy, too!
 
When the Church says Priests can be women or married men, THEN I’ll listen.
 
No problem with women priests? That’s like saying I have no problem with us deciding that 2+2=5. Or as Father Corapi joked, men should be allowed to be mothers. People too easily can see and understand physical impossibilities but not so much spiritual impossibilities.
 
Fr. Hesburgh may not have a problem with married and/or female priests, but he clearly has a problem with the Church. 😦 But then, it has been a long time since ND was known for being particularly Catholic. Probably just for statements like this one by Fr. Hesburgh, I know many Catholic parents who will not send their kids to ND.
 
Marsha Adams;
Fr. Hesburgh may not have a problem with married and/or female priests, but he clearly has a problem with the Church.
Click to expand...
Where did he state that? I must’ve missed it.
😦 But then, it has been a long time since ND was known for being particularly Catholic. Probably just for statements like this one by Fr. Hesburgh, I know many Catholic parents who will not send their kids to ND.
Click to expand...
Fr Heshburg has been retired for a while now. He was probably the best Catholic President ND has ever had.

He handled the 60’s anti-establishment campus protest like a genius.

Lets not demonize the good priest, just because he has a different opinion than yourself.

Jim
 
JimR:

This is where Fr. Hesburgh said it:
“It has to evolve over time. I have no problem with females or married people as priests, but I realize that the majority of the leadership in the Church would. But what’s important is that people get the sacraments. You have to remember, there were married priests, even married popes, in the first 1,000 years of the church.”
Click to expand...
Anyone can disagree with me, but when someone disagrees with the Church, I have to question their credentials.
 
Well, I have no problem with Fr. Hesburgh speaking about the possibility of the Church permitting a married man to seek the priesthood. This has historical precedent, and if the Holy Spirit chooses to lead this way, no problem.

What I do have a problem with is Fr.'s statement about ‘women’ as priests. Sorry, Fr., but this is totally against the teaching of the Church, and Ordinatio Sacerdotalis should have made it perfectly clear.

To put the two together–one (married men becoming priests) a legitimate possibility with precedent and the other (female priests) totally, uncompromising and historically against Church teaching–as though both were legitimate options, is IMO a dishonest and disingenous attempt to make it appear that the ‘case for female priests’ is still ‘up for debate’. After all, if a priest of this ‘stature’ says so, how many innocents will think he carries the authority of the Church itself in his pronouncements (which he most certainly does not?)
 
Has he not heard or read what Pope John Paul II had to say about this? Does he have his head in the sand or the clouds? Maybe he should listen to the magisterium. It would help.
Prayers & blessings
Deacon Ed B.
 
Marsha_Adams said:
JimR:

This is where Fr. Hesburgh said it:

Anyone can disagree with me, but when someone disagrees with the Church, I have to question their credentials.
Click to expand...
Well, he says he has no problem with female or married priest, but he’s not saying that the Church is wrong for not having them, but understands that there are many who oppose it.

I take it as, if it happens, no problem, if it doesn’t, I understand.

I don’t see it as speaking out against Church teaching, but accepting whatever comes.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Well, he says he has no problem with female or married priest, but he’s not saying that the Church is wrong for not having them, but understands that there are many who oppose it.

I take it as, if it happens, no problem, if it doesn’t, I understand.

I don’t see it as speaking out against Church teaching, but accepting whatever comes.

Jim
Click to expand...
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

JimR, thank you for clearing up any potential misinterpretation of your remarks. But when Father says he has no problem (female ordination) with something that is impossible in the Catholic Church then indeed you have a problem with the Church and do indeed think its wrong.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Marsha Adams;

Where did he state that? I must’ve missed it.

Fr Heshburg has been retired for a while now. He was probably the best Catholic President ND has ever had.

He handled the 60’s anti-establishment campus protest like a genius.

Lets not demonize the good priest, just because he has a different opinion than yourself.

Jim
Click to expand...
This is not merely a different opinion than the poster; his opinion is contrary to church teaching.

Women cannot be ordained as priests. The Church has spoken on that.
 
Jim, I understand that Father has a ‘different opinion’ on many things. . .

It’s when he has a different opinion from the **official teachings of the Church **that I worry.

He should have said something like this, which would have been **clear and loyal. **“I understand that nonCatholics have no problems with females being priests, in their faith communities. But as a Catholic priest, I uphold the teaching of my Church. Even if it seems ‘unfair’ or ‘wrong’ to nonCatholics. . . or even (sadly) to a segment of Catholics, the fact is that the Church has no authority to ordain women. So if I said that have no problem with women priests in the Catholic Church , I would be in defiance of my Church’s teachings. Therefore I must be very clear to state that while I have no problem with other faiths having female ‘priests’ or leaders, I certainly would have a problem if Catholics were espousing the ordination of women as something which should be done in the Catholic Church.”
 
I don’t think Fr. Hesburgh said that he felt that women should be priests. Nor do I think that he said that the Church was wrong, or that it would evolve and evnetually women would be ordained.

All he said was that he did not have a problem with it; since it does not appear to be a discussion of the theological stance but rather what appears to be an off-the-cuff remark, I think we are reading into Fr. Hesburgh something that is not necessarily there.

His answer appears not to be directed to a theological analysis but rather a personal approach. I have many Protestant friends, at least one of them a Methodist minister (female), and I have been questioned closely on the issue. My answer is somewhat the same as his: I don’t have a dog in the fight; if the pope came out tomorrow and said that we would be ordaining women as soon as they graduated from a seminary, my answer would be “OK”. I don’t have a personalissue about it. I do, however, have a theological issue with it; it is not possible, and we need to move on to the next question.

And I don’t see Hesburgh’s answer as particularly any different. We do not have the context of the question, only a short answer which amounts to a loose sound bite. Perhaps instead of judging him as heretical on one sentance, we should explore whether this was a theological opinion, or simply a statement that has nothing to do with the Church’s theological stance. Or else if we are not going to plumb further into the depths of his theological understanding of the question, perhaps we should give him the benefit of the doubt and be a little less judgemental about that which we know very, very little in terms of context.
 
Marsha_Adams said:
Fr. Hesburgh may not have a problem with married and/or female priests, but he clearly has a problem with the Church. 😦 But then, it has been a long time since ND was known for being particularly Catholic. Probably just for statements like this one by Fr. Hesburgh, I know many Catholic parents who will not send their kids to ND.
Click to expand...
I can tell that you have never been a Notre Dame student. Notre Dame is extremely Catholic. They offer the Tridentine Mass as one of their 175 weekly Masses on campus. Who else can boast these numbers (in the world!!!), especially with daily confession offered three times each day in the Basilica (except Sundays). It’s simple supply and demand. There wouldn’t be that many Masses per week and confession three times a day if their students, faculty and staff were not demanding it!!! …and let’s not forget the many hours of Eucharistic adoration in several chapels across campus each week. …and let’s not forget the 40 men in formation for the priesthood on campus. I went to Mass in one of the men’s dorms after the football game last week and I was one of 50 or so people out in the hallway because the chapel was so packed with standing room only. Learn the facts please before speaking. Fr. Hesburgh is an amazing man who fights for justice for the sick and poor. He’s a WONDERFUL and very pastoral priest. God Bless!!!
 
Domer:

No, I have never been a Notre Dame student, but I have visited Notre Dame. Several years ago I was in the ND book store and two of the faculty members were talking in the same aisle of books that I was browsing through. They were saying how Pope John Paul II and then Cardinal Ratzinger were so ultra conservative and it would be a very good thing for the Church when John Paul II passed and a Pope could be elected who was in touch with the times and the people.

Beyond that very distressing experience all I know is what I have been told about ND and it hasn’t been favorable.

I am glad to know from your post that it is a more spiritual place than I have been led to believe.

Marsha
 
Marsha,

It’s good that you are willing to reconsider your position on ND.

What people often seem to forget about Notre Dame is that it is a big university, with a storied history. It’s somewhat of a microcosm of the Church – there are all kinds there, sinners and saints.

But I believe it’s heart and identity is solidly Catholic, and recovering more of its former glory every day. It has weathered the storms of liberalism and modernism and has survived.

Think of it as a huge monastery surrounded by a large town in the middle ages. There is a massive throng of people moving in an out, cottage industries, education, inquiry, debate, a public square, etc. etc. It’s a crucifix planted in midst of a bleary world.

In that sense its not like Thomas Aquinas College, or Franciscan, or the other smaller catholic schools.

VC
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top