Pope Benedict XVI calls meeting with top Vatican officials to discuss married priest?

[Sir_Hubert]

The usual ‘Spin’ by the liberal press … Let us all pray for them …

Pope Benedict XVI calls meeting with top Vatican officials to discuss married priests

The Associated Press

images.morris.com/images/ap/online/all/119388867.jpg

Pope Benedict XVI looks on during an audience with members of the “Fondazione Famiglia di Villa Nazareth” (Foundation of the Family of Villa Nazareth) on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the foundation, at the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006. Villa Nazareth is a university hall of residence. (AP Photo / Alessandra Tarantino)

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has called a meeting Thursday with top Vatican officials to discuss lifting the celibacy requirement for priests seeking to marry or who have already married.

Benedict called the summit to examine the implications of the “disobedience” of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, the Zambian prelate excommunicated in September for installing four married American men as bishops, the Vatican said Monday.

The Vatican stressed the meeting would not open a general discussion of the celibacy requirement but would only examine requests for dispensation made by priests wishing to marry and requests for readmission made by clergy who had married in recent years.

ap.brainerddispatch.com/pstor…20055010.shtml

 

[Walt_Oliver]

Threads in the news forums require a link to a publicly available news source and thread title must match headline of linked article… PM me with link and I will reopen thread.

Walt

 

[Dale_M]

Sounds like a routine meeting except that its dealing with Milingo’s mess.

Sir_Hubert, what is the liberal spin in this article?

 

[kencando]

Actually several of the Popes were married. St Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians 9:5 states that he has a right to marry. The married popes start with St. Peter, St. Siricius, St Felix III who was the son of a priest, St. Silverius the son of Pope Hormisdas, St Agatho, St Hedrian II, Boniface IX accused of nepotism, and Felix the antipope. In **580-**Pope Pelagius II’s policy was not to bother married priests as long as they did not hand over church property to wives or children thus diluting the power of the church from landownership. Seventh Century France documents show that the majority of priest were married. In the Eighth Century St. Boniface reported to the pope that in Germany almost no bishop or priest was celibate. In **1074-**Pope Gregory VII said anyone to be ordained must first pledge celibacy: ‘priests [must] first escape from the clutches of their wives.’But in the Fifteenth Century 50% of priests are married and accepted by the people. In **1545-63-**Council of Trent states that celibacy and virginity are superior to marriage. I haven’t yet discovered why God made Adam and Eve and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply if celibacy and virginity are superior to marriage. Maybe so one is not distracted from honoring God, but then isn’t appreciating Gods creation honoring Him? Before the church can think of changing the rules of celebacy it needs to instruct the members how to support the community and not just leave it up to a few hundred out of thousands of parishioners. It seems that the shortage of priests is somewhat unique to the Roman Catholic Church. The Eastern Rite and the Protestants don’t seem to experience the same shortage. Even though I believe there is a Biblical prospective for married clergy I don’t think there is one for the ordination of women. Tradition has shown some times women were ordained but it has generally been out of the mainstream since the first days of the Church. In **352-**Council of Laodicea stated women are not to be ordained. This suggests that before this time there was ordination of women. Also in the Fourteenth Century Bishop Pelagio complains that women are still ordained and hearing confessions. Recently is was revealed that a bishop had ordained women.

 

[Sir_Hubert]

Sounds like a routine meeting except that its dealing with Milingo’s mess.

Sir_Hubert, what is the liberal spin in this article?

Half the article was removed …check the link if the article is still out there. It just seemed awful one sided mentioning that the issue of priest being able to marry would be discussed …as if the issue of a priest being able to marry has ever been an option. (Married men becoming priest, had of course been allowed in certain situations, but priest marrying has never been approved.)

 

[OriginalJS]

Half the article was removed …check the link if the article is still out there. It just seemed awful one sided mentioning that the issue of priest being able to marry would be discussed …as if the issue of a priest being able to marry has ever been an option. (Married men becoming priest, had of course been allowed in certain situations, but priest marrying has never been approved.)

This is correct. There are many married priests, especially episcopal priests who left after that church started ordaining women. We have married priest here; he has a wife and several children. He was a Lutheran minister. There is no rule against married priests; the rule is against priests getting married.

 

[vern_humphrey]

This is correct. There are many married priests, especially episcopal priests who left after that church started ordaining women. We have married priest here; he has a wife and several children. He was a Lutheran minister. There is no rule against married priests; the rule is against priests getting married.

While it’s perfectly true that a married priest or minister in certain Protestand denominations can convert to the Catholic Church and serve as a priest, it is not true that a married man can be directly ordained in the Western Rite.

 

[Richardols]

While it’s perfectly true that a married priest or minister in certain Protestand denominations can convert to the Catholic Church and serve as a priest, it is not true that a married man can be directly ordained in the Western Rite.

Sort of Catch 22-ish. Perhaps a married Catholic man could leave the Church, become a Lutheran, study for the ministry, become ordained, then come back to the Church and get ordained in the Church.

 

[vern_humphrey]

Sort of Catch 22-ish. Perhaps a married Catholic man could leave the Church, become a Lutheran, study for the ministry, become ordained, then come back to the Church and get ordained in the Church.

Dang, Richard!

You keep coming up with convoluted scenarios like this, and people will start suspecting you’re a lawyer.

 

[beckers]

Sort of Catch 22-ish. Perhaps a married Catholic man could leave the Church, become a Lutheran, study for the ministry, become ordained, then come back to the Church and get ordained in the Church.

But would that same man take in to consideration that he might die before he finishes his studies and can reconvert back to catholism OR can he take the fact that he is lying to everyone to get what he wants…his needs and not necessarly GODS wants…would he be able to be a father 100% to his family and be a pastor at the same time…I think he would be taking a great chance with his soul…

A better article might be
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061116/ap_on_re_eu/pope_married_priests

The talk was actually about

“The participants at the reunion were carefully briefed on the requests to receive dispensation from the obligation of celibacy that have been made in recent years and on the possibility of being readmitted to the exercise of the ministry of priests who now meet the conditions required by the church,” the statement said.

Lombardi said that those “conditions” could refer to such situations, say, of a married priest who is now a widower and wants to be readmitted to the exercise of his priestly functions.

He said the individual requests that were covered in the summit will now likely be examined

 

[Richardols]

would he be able to be a father 100% to his family and be a pastor at the same time…

Though my original post was tongue in cheek, this point of yours is not totally valid given that we already have some married priests in the Church who are both family men and church pastors.

 

[beckers]

Though my original post was tongue in cheek, this point of yours is not totally valid given that we already have some married priests in the Church who are both family men and church pastors.

No I believe it is still a valid point. One of the reason that when you talk to married priest that they have difficulties is for this very reason. In marriage they are suppose to be 100% for their family and as a priest they are married to the church and are suppose to be 100% to her. Can’t you see the problem that will lay ahead? What happens with the kids when little bobby’s football game is at the same time as evening mass or other family commitments. It’s not completely fair for either the family or the church.
Now I know it CAN be done but it may not the BEST situation. I don’t think telling married men that they can be priest is going to solve the priest shortage problem. It is hard to be a priest and I can’t imagine that a married man would suddenly after all of these years want to be a priest and go through the formation. It would take a lot out of him and his family. If they do feel the urge to become ordained then why don’t we have more deacon’s?

Peace,
Beckers

P.S. Two of favorite priest have been married men at one time. It is nice to talk to them because the truly understands the aspects of a relationship. Thats why i agree with the meeting. We need to find places for those men who have been married and such because they do bring something to the church.

 

[CinciMom]

No I believe it is still a valid point. One of the reason that when you talk to married priest that they have difficulties is for this very reason. In marriage they are suppose to be 100% for their family and as a priest they are married to the church and are suppose to be 100% to her. Can’t you see the problem that will lay ahead? What happens with the kids when little bobby’s football game is at the same time as evening mass or other family commitments. It’s not completely fair for either the family or the church.
Now I know it CAN be done but it may not the BEST situation. I don’t think telling married men that they can be priest is going to solve the priest shortage problem. It is hard to be a priest and I can’t imagine that a married man would suddenly after all of these years want to be a priest and go through the formation. It would take a lot out of him and his family. If they do feel the urge to become ordained then why don’t we have more deacon’s?

Peace,
Beckers

P.S. Two of favorite priest have been married men at one time. It is nice to talk to them because the truly understands the aspects of a relationship. Thats why i agree with the meeting. We need to find places for those men who have been married and such because they do bring something to the church.

You have a valid point. My husband was studying to go into the seminary and we had the discussion about married priests. He said that the priest has to dedicate himself to the Church 100% and it would be hard to balance that with a family. In addition it would be a strain on the parish too as we have to support the priest and his family through tithing. Right now our parish is in the red due to lack of funds. I cannot imagine our parish supporting a priest with a wife and children with our parish budget.

 

[jc-servant]

I find it interesting that the media focus is on celibacy for priests instead of on the disobedient bishop who went off on a tear and just started making his own bishops. I imagine that dealing with him is the real “meat” of the meeting.

The issue for me is that some men accept the priestly vocation knowing full well that celibacy will be required of them and then they want to change the rules midstream. I think that some people get upset that the Latin rite will accept married priests who convert after they were married and were priests in another church, but those men were never disobedient to the church authority. I don’t know why this rogue bishop has been allowed to run around creating problems for so long.