Married man becomes maronite catholic priest in us

[_Abyssinia]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — When Wissam Akiki was ordained as a Maronite Catholic priest Thursday night in St. Louis, he was welcomed by hundreds of supporters, including his wife and daughter.

For the first time in nearly a century, the Maronite Catholic Church in the United States ordained a married priest in a ceremony at St. Raymond’s Maronite Cathedral near downtown St. Louis. Maronites are among more than a dozen Eastern Catholic church groups in the U.S. Eastern Catholics accept the authority of the pope but have many of their own rituals and liturgy.

Akiki, 41, speaking at the end of the two-hour ceremony, called it a “historic day” and said he had been given two great blessings — marriage to his wife of 10 years, Manal, and “the dream to serve the Lord and church as a priest.”

bigstory.ap.org/article/married-man-be-ordained-priest-st-louis

 

[VanSensei]

I’ve read somewhere that the USCCB actually prohibited this for the longest time. I don’t know why, though. Anyway, great for him!

 

[Johann_du_Toit]

It’s common knowledge that Eastern Rite Catholics allow married men to be ordained as Priests (but not as Bishops) similar to the Orthodox Churches, and this is approved by the Vatican. So I don’t see what all the fuss is about.
So they have a new priest. Good luck to him and may God guide him in his work.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

It’s common knowledge that Eastern Rite Catholics allow married men to be ordained as Priests (but not as Bishops) similar to the Orthodox Churches, and this is approved by the Vatican. S I don’t see what all the fuss is about.

The “fuss,” as reflected in an earlier post, is that this took place in the U.S., where such ordinations had been formally or informally banned, despite the Maronite heritage - abroad - of a married priesthood. It represents another step away from the Latinization which, as I understand it, is an issue of ongoing concern for our Maronite brothers.

 

[Johann_du_Toit]

The “fuss,” as reflected in an earlier post, is that this took place in the U.S., where such ordinations had been formally or informally banned, despite the Maronite heritage - abroad - of a married priesthood. It represents another step away from the Latinization which, as I understand it, is an issue of ongoing concern for our Maronite brothers.

Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be uncharitable. It’s just here in South Africa this issue has never really been a problem (South Africa also has a modest Lebanese community who tend to get along well with their Latin Rite Brethren) and I wasn’t aware it was a problem in the US.

 

[ProVobis]

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=862462

 

[Inisfallen]

Our Lady of Lebanon, the seat of the Maronite Bishop in Brooklyn, is just a few blocks from my home. I’m not at all sure how things work within the Maronite heirarchy, and what their relationship with the Latin Rite hierarchy is.

Would Bishop Mansour, the Maronite Bishop, have to get Bishop DiMarzio’s (the Latin Rite bishop) permission to have a married priest in his diocese? Would he need Bishop DiMarzio’s permisson to ordain a married man? Would he need permission from Rome, either from the Pope, or the appropriate office of the Curia?

On a side note, at Mass on Christmas in my parish, St. Charles Borromeo, the pastor introduced us to a new priest in the parish, and said we shouldn’t be surprised if we saw him in the neighborhood with his wife and kids – he’s a convert from the Episcopal Church. So we’ve got a married priest now too.