Pulpit Exchange?

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Our bishop recently sent out a pastoral letter encouraging every parish to engage in “pulpit exchanges” with nearby churches. I was under the impression that only those with Holy Orders were allowed to preach a homily at a Catholic Mass. Am I mistaken? What should a concerned parishioner do in a situation where the bishop teaches error? Thank you for your time.:confused:
 
Yes, only those with Holy Orders can give the homily. However, a guest preacher could speak outside of Mass.
 
jeff417 said:
As in an “ecumenical service” for example???
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Not precisely. If a Catholic Church held a prayer service of some type – not a Mass, but just a service – then it would, presumably, be possible for a non-Catholic priest to speak at that service. Perhaps that is what you mean by an ‘ecumenical service’…?
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jeff417:
What should a concerned parishioner do in a situation where the bishop teaches error?
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A concerned parishioner should not presume that the bishop is teaching error. 😉
 
Gorgias said:
Not precisely. If a Catholic Church held a prayer service of some type – not a Mass, but just a service – then it would, presumably, be possible for a non-Catholic priest to speak at that service. Perhaps that is what you mean by an ‘ecumenical service’…?
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It would be possible for a non-Catholic non-priest to speak, but it still seems to me incredibly inadvisable. Unless the full text of a given talk were provided and vetted by the pastor of the place beforehand, how could you make sure that the non-Catholic clergyman would not introduce some kind of subtle or overt heresies into the talk? Even outside of Mass you would not want heresy to be preached to Catholic faithful of a parish.

The only advantage being gained here seems to be the “exchange” part whereby the Catholic priest of a parish might be able to speak to the faithful of a non-Catholic ecclesial community (they are not Churches unless they are Orthodox.) So in that respect, evangelizing the lost, it might have some use, but not at the expense of the faith of parishioners. This seems like an overall bad idea, and if a bishop is mandating this, it seems to me that we must be missing some vital information about the bishop’s idea that would justify his decision as chief shepherd and high priest of his flock.
 
An ecumenical service, a Service of the Word, with Protestants is certainly allowable. It should not be seen as any kind of substitute for the Mass.

Clarify what your bishop meant. I doubt very much that he was referring to a Protestant giving a homily at a Mass.
 
I would think that by “pulpit exchange” would mean that the priests of near by parishes switch pulpits for one Sunday. This would give the parishioners of each parish a chance to hear other priests and also to hear the gospel preached by someone other than their own priest.
 
fred_conty said:
I would think that by “pulpit exchange” would mean that the priests of near by parishes switch pulpits for one Sunday. This would give the parishioners of each parish a chance to hear other priests and also to hear the gospel preached by someone other than their own priest.
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The “pulpit exchange” was part of a larger effort to increase ecumenical and interfaith dialogue with neighboring communities. I believe, or at least I hope, that this is intended as a service outside of Mass.
 
jeff417 said:
Our bishop recently sent out a pastoral letter encouraging every parish to engage in “pulpit exchanges” with nearby churches…What should a concerned parishioner do in a situation where the bishop teaches error?
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Charitably, it may help if you actually read the letter rather than assuming you know what he means.

The link to the letter is below (only took 3 minutes to find - Google is your friend):
dioceseofspokane.org/bjc_2014/bjc091814.htm

In talking about 2017-2018 outreach, the Bishop challenges his Priests to (among other things):
- schedule ecumenical services with pulpit exchange with neighboring Christian communities;

In short, much ado about nothing. The Bishop knows what he is talking about.
 
TheDoctor said:
Charitably, it may help if you actually read the letter rather than assuming you know what he means.

The link to the letter is below (only took 3 minutes to find - Google is your friend):
dioceseofspokane.org/bjc_2014/bjc091814.htm

In talking about 2017-2018 outreach, the Bishop challenges his Priests to (among other things):
- schedule ecumenical services with pulpit exchange with neighboring Christian communities;

In short, much ado about nothing. The Bishop knows what he is talking about.
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Thank you for your reply. I realize the Bishop knows what he is talking about. I am the one who is confused. I spent many years as a Sedevacantist and still struggle with trust occasionally. I rely on those of you with a clearer head and perspective to guide me when this happens. Anyway, as long as this isn’t at a Mass there is no issue. Secondly, he is no longer my bishop…

Pax Christi
 
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PaulfromIowa:
An ecumenical service, a Service of the Word, with Protestants is certainly allowable. It should not be seen as any kind of substitute for the Mass.

Clarify what your bishop meant. I doubt very much that he was referring to a Protestant giving a homily at a Mass.
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Cardinal Arinze has very clearly taught that it is not acceptable.

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aTraditionalist said:
Cardinal Arinze has very clearly taught that it is not acceptable.
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By “it” I assume that you mean a homily at Mass given by non-clergy, rather than an ecumenical prayer service. Yes, we’ve already established that the bishop in question was not talking about homilies at Mass, and so homilies at Mass is not the topic of this thread. The topic of this thread is the “pulpit exchange” in ecumenical prayer services, which I still hold to be highly inadvisable due to the risk of exposing Catholic faithful to heresy.
 
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Elizium23:
Quote:

Originally Posted by aTraditionalist

Cardinal Arinze has very clearly taught that it is not acceptable.

By “it” I assume that you mean a homily at Mass given by non-clergy, rather than an ecumenical prayer service. Yes, we’ve already established that the bishop in question was not talking about homilies at Mass, and so homilies at Mass is not the topic of this thread. The topic of this thread is the “pulpit exchange” in ecumenical prayer services, which I still hold to be highly inadvisable due to the risk of exposing Catholic faithful to heresy.
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I am tracking. He was specifically speaking about Catholics attending Protestant services with any regularity. He advised consulting your clergy first before committing to any attendance. As Catholics, we don’t stand to gain anything from heretical services. Why put yourself in that position?

Posted from Catholic.com App for Android
 
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Elizium23:
Quote:

Originally Posted by aTraditionalist

Cardinal Arinze has very clearly taught that it is not acceptable.

By “it” I assume that you mean a homily at Mass given by non-clergy, rather than an ecumenical prayer service. Yes, we’ve already established that the bishop in question was not talking about homilies at Mass, and so homilies at Mass is not the topic of this thread. The topic of this thread is the “pulpit exchange” in ecumenical prayer services, which I still hold to be highly inadvisable due to the risk of exposing Catholic faithful to heresy.
Click to expand...
I am tracking. He was specifically speaking about Catholics attending Protestant services with any regularity. He advised consulting your clergy first before committing to any attendance. As Catholics, we don’t stand to gain anything from heretical services. Why put yourself in that position?

Posted from Catholic.com App for Android
 
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Elizium23:
Quote:

Originally Posted by aTraditionalist

Cardinal Arinze has very clearly taught that it is not acceptable.

By “it” I assume that you mean a homily at Mass given by non-clergy, rather than an ecumenical prayer service. Yes, we’ve already established that the bishop in question was not talking about homilies at Mass, and so homilies at Mass is not the topic of this thread. The topic of this thread is the “pulpit exchange” in ecumenical prayer services, which I still hold to be highly inadvisable due to the risk of exposing Catholic faithful to heresy.
Click to expand...
I am tracking. He was specifically speaking about Catholics attending Protestant services with any regularity. He advised consulting your clergy first before committing to any attendance. As Catholics, we don’t stand to gain anything from heretical services. Why put yourself in that position?

Posted from Catholic.com App for Android
 
jeff417 said:
Anyway, as long as this isn’t at a Mass there is no issue.
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The sermon is now considered part of the Mass. And depending on how you read the GIRM, it must/should reflect on the gospel by the priest or deacon.
 
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