Retired Priest beliefs now Protestant

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wiseowl
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
W

Wiseowl

Guest
My uncle who was a former Priest and retired and left the Priesthood after 33 years. He got married and seems happy and content. The other day we talked and I was astonished as he talked about salvation like a Protestant, when I told him about what he preached as a Priest conflicts with his current beliefs , he responded he was basically just doing his job.

Do he do anything wrong then or now?
 
Wiseowl said:
My uncle who was a former Priest and retired and left the Priesthood after 33 years. He got married and seems happy and content. The other day we talked and I was astonished as he talked about salvation like a Protestant, when I told him about what he preached as a Priest conflicts with his current beliefs , he responded he was basically just doing his job.

Do he do anything wrong then or now?
Click to expand...
Although I don’t know your uncle’s intentions for leaving the priesthood, the priesthood is supposed to be a lifelong commitment, and leaving it to get married makes me question his original intention to enter the seminary. I would ask him to re-examine the direction he’s taking in his life. Why stop administering the Sacraments? Why stop being a priest?
 
A little late for the above post. He is married now, retired from Priesthood, kept his beliefs to himself till retired and then turned Protestant.

He did more good than anything at all bad or sinful.
 
Being ordained leaves an indelible mark on one’s soul. Your uncle cannot leave the priesthood quite so easily. He is now in a state of mortal sin.

😦
 
You know, I was wondering about this.

Can a priest leave the priesthood under any valid circumstances and marry. Is there an “annulment” process?

I’m reflecting on a story told by a friend that would seemingly only be created in the movies, yet it is her life. Blew me away.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
Being ordained leaves an indelible mark on one’s soul. Your uncle cannot leave the priesthood quite so easily. He is now in a state of mortal sin.

😦
Click to expand...
Priests can get laicized. It’s not all that uncommon.

People become Protestant too, and that’s also pretty common.

What’s really sad is that he thought “he was just doing his job.” Hmm, almost like being a banker or a pharmacist, huh? Pretty sad.
 
iloveangels said:
Priests can get laicized. It’s not all that uncommon.

People become Protestant too, and that’s also pretty common.

What’s really sad is that he thought “he was just doing his job.” Hmm, almost like being a banker or a pharmacist, huh? Pretty sad.
Click to expand...
I thought that catholics were not suppost to give scandle in word or deed? Am I wrong?😦
 
october_baby said:
I thought that catholics were not suppost to give scandle in word or deed? Am I wrong?😦
Click to expand...
Well, I don’t if outrage over scandal is my first reaction. It’s more sadness over the poor condition of the Church that this can happen.
 
Thanks everyone.

My uncle told me as well, that he was asked to give the weekly message (just like a homily) at his Christian community church., so I guess not all talent is wasted
 
iloveangels said:
Well, I don’t if outrage over scandal is my first reaction. It’s more sadness over the poor condition of the Church that this can happen.
Click to expand...
How can someone leave the Holy Eucharist?? I mean, just ordinary laypeople, let alone a PRIEST…It’s very sad.
 
It is definitely within the ability of the Church to offer laicization to priests. So there are a number of men out there, who are priests forever, but who are no longer allowed to practice the sacraments (perhaps danger of death is an exception?), but who are also still considered in full communion with the church. The same is true of a priest who has been laicized and has gotten married - THIS too, can be done within full communion. There are some expectations of behavior - I’m not very familiar with them, but I think they have to do with not preaching, not causing scandal, etc…

That said, it does not surprise me when a laicized priest turns out to be a public dissenter or to have left the faith altogether. The one I knew remained Catholic, but celebrated Mass illicitly within his small community of friends. He preached when he wasn’t supposed to, and he was known for dissenting from Church teaching. He was celebrated as a “living saint” in his Catholic parish until his death. Unfortunately it seems as though many laicized priests are part of the greater community of dissenting Catholics, and you will find them active in charitable ministries, political life, and certain parishes.

Your uncle may or may not have gone through the formal process of laicization. Even his marriage may or may not have been allowed by the Church. (I don’t know the details) But for him to be preaching at a church at all would be inappropriate. And the fact that he is a regular at a protestant Church tells me that he is not longer living in accordance with the Church’s expectations of him. No matter what his state, he is obligated as a Catholic to continue to practice Catholicism exclusively, and he is not doing that.
 
Contra_Mundum said:
I know of a priest who converted to Islam. My mind simply can’t process something like that. :confused:
Click to expand...
😦 How can he have turned away from the truth of the Church?

The worst part of these conversions is the scandal they create. The priest is saying to the world, “The Truth I was ordained into is not the Truth.” Very sad and concerning. I don’t know what purpose God has for these kinds of people, but all is within His purview.

😦
 
TheRealJuliane said:
😦 How can he have turned away from the truth of the Church?

The worst part of these conversions is the scandal they create. The priest is saying to the world, “The Truth I was ordained into is not the Truth.” Very sad and concerning. I don’t know what purpose God has for these kinds of people, but all is within His purview.

😦
Click to expand...
Really? I’m not sure the scandal is the worst part. People see lots of weird stuff. I mean, it’s not like we live with bags over our heads.

I think it’s sad that the priest apparently doesn’t know any better after spending many years working for the Church. Makes you wonder about his formation, doesn’t it?
 
iloveangels said:
Really? I’m not sure the scandal is the worst part. People see lots of weird stuff. I mean, it’s not like we live with bags over our heads.

I think it’s sad that the priest apparently doesn’t know any better after spending many years working for the Church. Makes you wonder about his formation, doesn’t it?
Click to expand...
What I mean is, that as a priest who has left the Church, he has a bigger “bully pulpit” than just a regular lay person, IF he wants to make something of it. You and I, for example, could leave the Church and no one would pay much attention to it, except for our families and friends, but when someone with the authority of a PRIEST leaves, then people sit up and take notice. Now, perhaps the priest you know of has just gone quietly away and isn’t discussing his past, we can hope.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
What I mean is, that as a priest who has left the Church, he has a bigger “bully pulpit” than just a regular lay person, IF he wants to make something of it. You and I, for example, could leave the Church and no one would pay much attention to it, except for our families and friends, but when someone with the authority of a PRIEST leaves, then people sit up and take notice. Now, perhaps the priest you know of has just gone quietly away and isn’t discussing his past, we can hope.
Click to expand...
Yes, well he doesn’t have a bully pulpit in the Catholic Church anymore.
This is a huge formation issue.

Cardinal Dolan is speaking about the New Evangelization, which is exactly about re-proposing the faith WITHIN the Church, but correctly this time. blog.archny.org/ October 10th column.

The same thing is being said by PBXVI and Cardinal Wuerl. Evangelism starts at home and this priest is a perfect example of someone who not only fell through the cracks but now is an ex-priest out of the Church. It shouldn’t be even remotely possible for a man to get all the way thru the seminary, be ordained and then serve for many years and have these views, let alone be able to conceal them from others. And yet it is. And this is far from the only example I’ve seen.
 
iloveangels said:
Yes, well he doesn’t have a bully pulpit in the Catholic Church anymore.
This is a huge formation issue.

Cardinal Dolan is speaking about the New Evangelization, which is exactly about re-proposing the faith WITHIN the Church, but correctly this time. blog.archny.org/ October 10th column.

The same thing is being said by PBXVI and Cardinal Wuerl. Evangelism starts at home and this priest is a perfect example of someone who not only fell through the cracks but now is an ex-priest out of the Church. It shouldn’t be even remotely possible for a man to get all the way thru the seminary, be ordained and then serve for many years and have these views, let alone be able to conceal them from others. And yet it is. And this is far from the only example I’ve seen.
Click to expand...
Agree completely.
 
I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me is sad; the other part of me is glad. If this priest was preaching things against Church teaching while a priest (which wouldn’t surprise me given the number of liberal priests in the US), then perhaps it’s a good thing he’s left the Church.
 
Lucky7 said:
I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me is sad; the other part of me is glad. If this priest was preaching things against Church teaching while a priest (which wouldn’t surprise me given the number of liberal priests in the US), then perhaps it’s a good thing he’s left the Church.
Click to expand...
You may have a point. Not sure. We sure don’t need any more people led astray inside the Church, that’s for sure. Priests have enormous authority with Catholics and one with bad formation can cause a lot of damage, so maybe that’s something to consider.
 
Lucky7 said:
I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me is sad; the other part of me is glad. If this priest was preaching things against Church teaching while a priest (which wouldn’t surprise me given the number of liberal priests in the US), then perhaps it’s a good thing he’s left the Church.
Click to expand...
I completely agree. I’d rather see less priests than priests who are closet atheists or protestants. The church would have a hard time with a small number of priests but the other scenario is probably worse.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top