Is it morally binding on a priest to

[PazzoGrande]

Then stop thinking about it .

Don’t meet troubles half-way .

I think it’s perfectly fine and even healthy to ponder hypothetical scenarios. It’s what courts do all the time when deciding cases and what universities do to refine critical thinking skills. It’s like a stress test to see how durable our conceptions are.

 

[YoungTradCath]

I think it’s perfectly fine and even healthy to ponder hypothetical scenarios. It’s what courts do all the time when deciding cases and what universities do to refine critical thinking skills. It’s like a stress test to see how durable our conceptions are.

Yes. I’m not turning into a nervous wreck over it. It’s just interesting to ponder these things, as liturgy especially is an interest of mine. In the moral forum people do this all the time.

 

[englishredrose]

Yes. I’m not turning into a nervous wreck over it. It’s just interesting to ponder these things, as liturgy especially is an interest of mine. In the moral forum people do this all the time.

then perhaps you should have posted there since you do state at beginning that is what you are actually doing, just thinking and not actual case. seems strange the things you like to ponder though. but it takes all sorts.

 

[Cristiano]

God has ruled long before our modern concept of leadership. Remember that God is King. Why do you think the only other option besides a dictator is a democratically elected leader?

BTW in history a lot of dictators were elected officials, especially in ancient history. It was like the present case of an elected president/governor establishing martial law for a limited time for the general good of the population.

 

[mdgspencer]

I thonk it would be prudent to start with the worst liturgical abuses. There is a range of seriousness. Some are exceedingly serious. For example, a priest is now being removed from his parish in illinois, for, among other things, “marrying” divorced people who never had a Church annulment. And I have heard of occasions where bread was used with many additives so that the consecration is invalid, and it never becomes the body of Christ. And then there are serious problems that are not as serious. I knew a priest who uses a made-up eucharist prayer and, in another case, a priest who had a concelebrated mass with a Protestant minister. Then there are lesser problems that range all the way to smaller ones.
Some serious problems should be dealt with immediately, but I would think lesser problems may best be dealt with over a longer period of time, if the new priest thinks immediate action will cause some serious pastoral problems that will be lessened by doing this. But of course, this should best be left to the judgement of the priest.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

Christ is the good shepherd. Shepherds find the lost sheep one at a time. If the flock has been scattered it will take more time but still its finding the sheep one at a time.

 

[BenedictFTW]

To maintain a disordered parish may placate the incumbent badly catechised, but it will drive away those who may have lapsed and wish to return or those who are looking to join the Church. I knew a parish like that once. The priest was lax and loved golf more than anything else. He retired and a new priest was appointed the Parish Priest of the parish. The first thing he did was to ask the ladies and men, who were so used to having loud conversations in the church while faithful Catholics struggled to pray in front of the Tabernacle, to be quiet. What a shock! But it was very much appreciated by those who silently ‘put up’ with it for years. Gradually, the numbers going to that church for Mass swelled. The priest took time, but he turned the church once more into a ‘House of Prayer’, which is what Our Blessed Lord did when he threw the traders out of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Peace of Christ be with all priests this day.

 

[Phemie]

I lived through this back at the turn of the century (this one, not the last one ). A new Pastor was appointed with the mission to build a new church to become the hub for the diocese. Nobody was told about this except the administrator and she wasn’t talking.

I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer but my way of dealing with this would be to call a meeting and say something like this: “How would you feel about a new church? The bishop feels that this is a better hub for the diocese since it’s the airline hub, yadda, yadda… We know you’ve recently incurred a debt with the diocese to fix this church but we’ll deal with that as we go along. We could build a large church with diocesan offices etc…”

Instead what we got from the new Pastor was: “You’re getting a new church. I picked out the land and it’s going to be about two miles away, next to the Pentecostal Church. Any questions?”

The place errupted. We’d just spent $200K fixing the building, borrowing $100K from the diocese. Our parish was less than 50 years old, the church itself about 35 and most of the older people who came to daily Mass walked because they’d built their homes around the church and school. The church itself, while no great piece of architecture (it had been a military building, dismantled and moved from the Base to the neighbouring community) was home to them. He and the bishop had not bothered to look at that.

Unfortunately, when the parishioners balked at this he took it personally and so did the bishop, who until that point had had a very nice relationship with our parish. That all changed in the aftermath and our parish has not really recovered.

Those who made a point to get to know this new pastor soon discovered that he was a kind man who, as Vicar General, saw as his mission the implementation of the Bishop’s wishes. He had never meant to upset people and he was a good Pastor. But few people took the trouble to get to know that. In short order we had no Parish Council, no Finance Council and nobody really wanted to join any other committee.

 

[AveMariaMag7]

I would have thought that this sort of question is obvious! It is his duty to stop such sacrilege!

Doing nothing to stop ‘obscenenely rampant liturgical abuse’ and irreverence for the Sacred Species, while having the power to do so, is the sin of omission.

ImmaculataFides:
I’m with you 100%.
The pastor has the responsibility to lead souls to heaven. If the previous pastor was politically correct before being a pastor, he has left behind a challenge to the new pastor. Perhaps he could make changes slowly and explain charitably from the pulpit WHY these changes are now taking place.
Some people may leave but they will be replaced by those who seek the TRUTH and by those who seek HOLINESS. The Parish and parishioners will have much to gain. May God Bless and protect such priests. Their “job” is not easy. Christ never promised that it would be.

 

[AHapka]

, there should be a gradual change to it in a way that people are made to understand.

But some things CAN’T be done gradually.

If the EMHC’s are dumping the leftover Blood down the sink after Mass, you don’t end a situation such as that gradually by saying “Our goal is to stop pouring the Precious Blood down the sink at the end of Mass by the 1st of August.”

If I were a priest, I’d say “that will never happen again.” There is no need for some things to be “phased in” or “phased out.”

I don’t see the need for all changes to take time. Yes, in some cases time should be taken. But not all.

 

[TrueLight]

then perhaps you should have posted there since you do state at beginning that is what you are actually doing, just thinking and not actual case. seems strange the things you like to ponder though. but it takes all sorts.

Then stop thinking about it .

Don’t meet troubles half-way .

Let the young man think. Look at the great posts that have followed in the wake of his question.

 

[adopted_heir]

Yes. Because we are on a discussion forum to not think about things.

 

[TrueLight]

Yes. Because we are on a discussion forum to not think about things.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

Yes, it is a priests job to make sure that everything is done correctly.
However, as some have already said, it is always best to start s-l-o-w!

Certain things, that are out-right abuses, need to be stopped immediately (someone brought up pouring the Precious Blood in the sacrarium- a big NO-NO!)
But, again, the priest has the responsibility to teach also.
And that is, in my experience, where many new priests/pastors fail.
I have experienced a new pastor come in, change many things to the way he liked them without a word of why he was doing it or any catechesis. When approached by some parishoners about the changes (I was there, so I know- it was a polite and respectful conversation)- we were told-
“This is my Church now, and this is how I do things, if you don’t like it, there is the door!”

Needless to say, this did not help the pastor make any friends, and caused a big rift in the community. It would have been different if these things were actual abuses, but they were not, they were options that are allowed, and some of them had been part of the parish’s spiritual life since the beginning. It was very sad to see so many people alientated and angry when it did not have to be that way.

 

[maltmom]

There is quite a difference between a dictator and an elected official. God, as the creator of the world, is neither. He is above our definitions.

That said, Christ referred to God (and Himself) as a King. A king is something else entirely than a dictator, who usually grabs power for himself, and and elected official, who serves a limited term and must always look to be reelcted.

Great post.

God is Love! He has given us rules to live our lives. He has also given us free will. A dictator would not give free will. They demand obedience.