Pope Could Soon Say ‘I Do’ to Married Priests–and Open a Schism

[HomeschoolDad]

The Society of Saint Pius X has about 600 seminarians. I’m not sure about the other ones but this is a very high ratio compared to the regular dioceses. My entire diocese has 10 seminarians and a schismatic traditionalist group has 600. Something is off.

The SSPX is not schismatic. It is a priestly society, founded within the discipline of the Church, that is presently in a canonically irregular situation. That situation is slowly being resolved. Give it time.

Are we going to end up in a Church where the Ordinary Form of Mass becomes the lesser celebrated since more seminarians seem to be attracted to the Extraordinary Form of Mass?

It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out in the coming years.

 

[ConcernedConvert]

From what I have heard in my diocese, we have one FSSP parish that produces more priests then the rest of the diocese combined.

 

[MikeInVA]

I think we’d have a lot more priests.

AFAIK, the Latin Rite is the only rite in the Catholic Church that has a celibate priesthood (not accounting for the special situations of converted Anglican priests). Are any of the other rites showing an excess of vocations? Most of the Eastern Catholic parishes that I’ve visited had one priest, one deacon, and one or maybe two subdeacons.

 

[TARRAT]

Just curious, what do you think the overwhelming response would be?

 

[twf]

I don’t believe that discipline is in place in the East… priests are, though, to abstain from relations the night before celebrating the Eucharist and during the many fast days. That’s OK in an Eastern context where only monasteries typically serve daily Eucharists…in a Latin parish where daily Mass is expected?

 

[babochka]

From what I have heard in my diocese, we have one FSSP parish that produces more priests then the rest of the diocese combined.

Anecdotally, the FSSP parish in the local Latin Rite diocese has produced no priests in more 20 years. They do currently have their first seminarian.

The diocese itself has had a respectable number of home-grown vocations over the years, though not enough.

 

[twf]

Yes, I believe that reverent and beautiful liturgy (of any form and rite) plays a vital role in growing vocations… but simply having an EF Mass isn’t necessarily the magic bullet that some imply.

 

[babochka]

In the Latin Church, yes.

As I’ve posted ad nauseam - if the Latin Church wants married priests, then adopt in toto ALL the rules & regulations which Eastern Catholic married priests must follow. Otherwise, DON’T do it!!!

Why should they? The Latin Church must decide this for themselves within their own tradition. We should not attempt to Easternize the Latins. It is fine for them to look to the East to know and understand that married clergy can work, but their discipline ought to be their own. This has to work within their own tradition.

Actually, they should be continent throughout their lives after he is ordained a priest.

This is not a current discipline and has not been for a very, very long time. This discipline has not been expected of priests in the entire history of the Eastern Catholic Churches (post Union of Brest). It was not practiced in the Orthodox Churches from which we came and it is not practiced in the Orthodox Churches today. Every married priest I know, save two, have had children after their ordinations. The two that didn’t were ordained in their 50s.

 

[twf]

But they do abstain before celebrating the liturgy, right?

 

[babochka]

But they do abstain before celebrating the liturgy, right?

It is definitely the tradition, but I’ve never seen it in writing in the CCEO or any particular law of any church. If it is still in force, I would imagine there is a fair amount of economia being applied, considering how many Eastern Catholic priests help out with daily Mass in Latin Rite parishes.

Frankly, a priest’s intimate life with his wife is none of my business and it is not a question that I would presume to ask my pastor or his wife.

 

[twf]

I imagine it is enforced more faithfully by the Orthodox where daily Divine Liturgy is rare in parishes.

 

[babochka]

I imagine it is enforced more faithfully by the Orthodox where daily Divine Liturgy is rare in parishes.

I would I think that it probably depends a lot on the jurisdiction, much like the approach to fasting in general.

 

[commenter]

This is not a current discipline and has not been for a very, very long time. This discipline has not been expected of priests in the entire history of the Eastern Catholic Churches (post Union of Brest)

Just out of curiosity, about when did that discipline end? Why did it end?

 

[Penitent60]

So how are they going to be paid, or will they priest part time ? Would his wife be able to become a priestess …would she be paid too? Will their salary package include acommodation, vehicle and/or maintenance packages etc. Does the congregation get the burden of that support? If so does the congregation interview prospective incumbents…and get to fire if failure to perform to the congregations satisfaction. Having known a protestant pastor who had to work in order to support his family, he was unable to attend a parishioner who was dying as he just couldn’t leave the hospital. His salary was tiny and he had 7 kids. My other major concern would be how safe is the seal of confession?

 

[babochka]

babochka:

This is not a current discipline and has not been for a very, very long time. This discipline has not been expected of priests in the entire history of the Eastern Catholic Churches (post Union of Brest)

Just out of curiosity, about when did that discipline end? Why did it end?

I actually have no idea. I do know that for centuries, there have been priestly families in Eastern Europe. Sons of priests married daughters of priests, then become priests themselves. According to my pastor, it was once considered quite a scandal for a priest’s son or daughter to marry outside of a priestly family.

Edit: On second thought, I do have an idea. I’m actually thinking it was in place by the Council in Trullo in 691. This was in the East, though. In the West, clergy were forbidden from having sexual relations with their wives no later than the Council of Elvira in 303.

it seems that the divergence in discipline happened quite early in the history of the Church.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

post withdrawn by author

 

[babochka]

So how are they going to be paid, or will they priest part time ?

That would be something to work out, if it were to ever happen. It is definitely an issue.

Would his wife be able to become a priestess …would she be paid too?

How does this follow in any way? I don’t understand why people equate allowing married men to be ordained as priests with allowing women to be ordained as priests. One is an ancient tradition of the Church, one is an ontological impossibility.

Will their salary package include acommodation, vehicle and/or maintenance packages etc. Does the congregation get the burden of that support?

Yes, of course. As it does now.

If so does the congregation interview prospective incumbents…and get to fire if failure to perform to the congregations satisfaction.

No. Why would this happen with a married priest and not a celibate priest?

Having known a protestant pastor who had to work in order to support his family, he was unable to attend a parishioner who was dying as he just couldn’t leave the hospital.

And no celibate priest has ever missed making it to the bedside of a dying parishioner because of other pressing obligations? It happens all the time, for a variety of reasons.

My father died last year. My married priest was at his bedside with our family, giving him the sacraments, praying with us and crying with us. He visited my father frequently during his illness. Sometimes he brought some of his children along, and his wife even came once or twice.

My other major concern would be how safe is the seal of confession?

This is just plain offensive to married priests everywhere and those of us who are blessed to have them as confessors.

 

[Feanor2]

Like many I feel an attachment to the celibate priesthood but I am just a layman.

It is the provenance of the Pope and Bishops to decide what is best for the Church. I am always taken aback by armchair theologians and fringe web personalities who propose to know better than the Pope.

 

[Roguish]

[Cardinal] Muüller says the Amazon working document … puts the focus on “human ideas to save the world” rather than Jesus.

Precisely. This captures perfectly what’s fundamentally wrong with the way the RCC is heading. It’s not just the matter of married priests, it’s the approach taken to just about anything now: endless compromise in order to facilitate the Church’s role as a charitable organization, rather than a solid stance to maintain Her role as Guardian of a Sacred Tradition.

 

[ConcernedConvert]

It’s the approach that most Protestants use. Play nice, don’t make enemies, avoid conflict… it’s worked so wonderfully for them I guess we have to try it (sarcasm).
I left being a Protestant to get out of this mayhem.