Vote for priestly celibacy

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“It is unfair to prevent them from experiencing one of life’s joys: companionship”

Who’s preventing whom???

It’s not like a gun was pointed to their head to force them to become a priest !

Instead, they should learn how to be honest and faithful to their vows. One would think anyone can become a priest !
 
I’m not surprised to see that the poll results so far are overwhelmingly in favor of allowing priests to marry. Online polls are not representative of the general public, and even less representative of the views of Catholics (since non-Catholics can vote in the poll).
 
Dale_M said:
I’m not surprised to see that the poll results so far are overwhelmingly in favor of allowing priests to marry. Online polls are not representative of the general public, and even less representative of the views of Catholics (since non-Catholics can vote in the poll).
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This persecution is going to be one of many in my opinion.
 
Since when does celibacy prevent companionship? What does that say about unmarried people in general? Either by choice or not, there are plenty of single Catholics in the world (I’m one of them)–are we to be pitied for our pathetic, joyless lives? I hate that kind of patronizing attitude from our society! Also, since when is marriage all about companionship?

I think every one of the 1500+ respondents who voted “Yes” should go to their local Catholic priest and invite him to dinner. They should offer priests their companionship, instead of placing blame where it doesn’t belong. If they aren’t Catholic, or don’t genuinely care for priests, then they should keep their darn opinions to themselves.

And if ABC is so concerned with the matter, maybe they should spend more airtime talking about all the good, holy, faithful, devoted, and happily celibate priests in our country!
 
Unexpected_Dawn said:
And if ABC is so concerned with the matter, maybe they should spend more airtime talking about all the good, holy, faithful, devoted, and happily celibate priests in our country!
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You mean like the 4th priest in the last 3 years in our local diocese to be caught and convicted of sexual abuse?

Those happy priests?

The priests here were caught abusing women, not men. If they had a happy marriage companion, MAYBE there would be several women who’s lives would have been spared the anguish of abuse.

Maybe ABC’s poll is skewed by non catholics participating…but the fact that the current Pope is going to discuss the issues surrounding celibacy should tell everyone that it is a valid issue to discuss and consider.
 
elg26 said:
You mean like the 4th priest in the last 3 years in our local diocese to be caught and convicted of sexual abuse?

Those happy priests?

The priests here were caught abusing women, not men. If they had a happy marriage companion, MAYBE there would be several women who’s lives would have been spared the anguish of abuse.

Maybe ABC’s poll is skewed by non catholics participating…but the fact that the current Pope is going to discuss the issues surrounding celibacy should tell everyone that it is a valid issue to discuss and consider.
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I agree completely that celibacy is an issue that deserves discussion and consideration. Always has been, always will be. In our world, there can never be too much of it, given how mystifying and counter-cultural it is… and given that mystifying and counter-cultural are so often misconstrued as “bad” or “wrong.” I expect that the Church is simply going to reaffirm its current teaching and discipline, and personally, I think that’s the correct decision.

I’m genuinely sorry and dismayed by all the abuse that has occurred in your diocese, but that doesn’t change the fact that the vast majority of priests are not sexual abusers, nor are they unhappy being celibate. Every priest I’ve met has said the opposite. It also doesn’t mean that celibacy is the cause of sexual abuse–if that were true, then all chaste non-married people would be sexual abusers too.

Those abusive men in your diocese would be sexual abusers whether they were priests or laymen, single or married. Abusive schoolteachers don’t abuse because they are schoolteachers. Abusive non-Catholic ministers don’t abuse because they are non-Catholic ministers. Abusive married people don’t abuse because they are married. Abusive single people don’t abuse because they are single. They abuse because they are abusers.

Unfortunately, there are lots, too many, abusers throughout our society. The sad fact of life is, we all run a certain risk of being sexually abused by someone, somewhere. I don’t know if there is anything anyone can ever do to change that–though I certainly hope there is.

Until then, let us pray for one another—and our Church and her leaders.
 
Unexpected_Dawn said:
Until then, let us pray for one another—and our Church and her leaders.
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I pretty much agree with what you say…BUT…

…the subject that is being discussed is priesthood celibacy…and how it might create or harbor abusive people…

So…about that…the priests who DO get caught, they create more victims than the person (or people) that they molest…the believers of Catholicism all suffer when a renegade preist molests someone.

And, the real tragedy is that while you (any many people I know) pray for the leaders of the church…it is those same leaders who allow this to happen, over and over again. They betray thier own membership, to hide the abuse, or the abusive person.

Why do I think this? Because…those 4 priests I mentioned here were never disciplined by the church. They are all on “adminstative reassignment”…

If the leaders of the church were serious about stopping abuse of thier flock by these sick people disguising themselves as men of god, they church should not only FIRE THEM, but seek prosecution against them as well!!

Why keep a convicted abuser on some sort of vague “reassignment”? If you or I were convicted of a sexual crime that occured at work, we’d be shown the gate real fast!

Well…unless we were a politician… 😉

If the Bishops, Cardinals and even the Pope were seroius about getting rid of priestly sexual scandals…GET RID of the offenders.

Once these abusive people get the idea that thier free hand to abuse, and be placed elsewhere, while keeping thier livlihood , will be immediately terminated…MAYBE some of this will stop.

At least the church would not be hiding the issue.

I dunno…just my opinion.
 
The secular media don’t even know what this is about. This meeting is to discuss the situation regarding Abp. Milingo, and the issue of priestly celibacy. It is NOT a vote.

Here’s the Zenit article. May as well get it from the source.

zenit.org/english/

***Code: ZE06111406

Date: 2006-11-14

Milingo on the Agenda at Vatican

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 14, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has called a high-level meeting of Vatican aides for Thursday to examine the effects of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo’s disobedience and to discuss priestly celibacy.

In a press statement Monday, the Vatican press office said that the meeting of cardinals and archbishops seeks “to examine that situation that has been created following Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo’s disobedience.”

The meeting will also reflect “upon requests for dispensation from the obligation of celibacy and requests for readmission to the priestly ministry, presented by married priests over the course of recent years.”

“No other matters are scheduled on the order of the day,” clarifies the communiqué.

Milingo, 76, the retired archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, ordained four bishops on Sept. 24 without papal approval, incurring an automatic excommunication.

According to a Vatican communiqué issued Sept. 26, “the Church does not recognize and does not intend to recognize in the future these ordinations or any ordinations derived from them, and considers that the canonical state of the four alleged bishops is the same as it was before the ordination.”
 
elg26 said:
You mean like the 4th priest in the last 3 years in our local diocese to be caught and convicted of sexual abuse?
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There is a problem with priestly formation here. It has nothing to do with celibacy. It isn’t easy- but priests are called to offer themselves as a sacrifice, along with the Mass.
elg26 said:
Those happy priests?
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We need better priestly formation- and continued formation after they are ordained.
elg26 said:
The priests here were caught abusing women, not men. If they had a happy marriage companion, MAYBE there would be several women who’s lives would have been spared the anguish of abuse.
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No, they would just cheat on their wives. People seem to think that it is impossible to resist becoming romantically/sexually involved with someone. Celibacy is possible- and it’s not just for people with no sex drives.
elg26 said:
Maybe ABC’s poll is skewed by non catholics participating…but the fact that the current Pope is going to discuss the issues surrounding celibacy should tell everyone that it is a valid issue to discuss and consider.
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That doesn’t mean much. With all the controversy, it is definitely time that they discussed celibacy- not to change it, but to discuss and explain what it does for the Church, and for the individual. If he decides to lift the requirement of priestly celibacy, so be it- that still doesn’t diminish the value of celibacy.
 
elg26 said:
You mean like the 4th priest in the last 3 years in our local diocese to be caught and convicted of sexual abuse?

Those happy priests?

The priests here were caught abusing women, not men. If they had a happy marriage companion, MAYBE there would be several women who’s lives would have been spared the anguish of abuse.

Maybe ABC’s poll is skewed by non catholics participating…but the fact that the current Pope is going to discuss the issues surrounding celibacy should tell everyone that it is a valid issue to discuss and consider.
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I beleive that Priestly celbicay is a discipline-not a doctrine so it would be a valid issue to discuss. Howver I think it is wrong to link the discussion on celeibacy with any kind of sexual abuse.
 
Wow…the media is really ignorant. Let’s look at this line by line:
Nov. 15, 2006 — Pope Benedict XVI will convene a meeting this week in the Vatican to discuss whether the vows of celibacy and the ban on marriage for priests who want to marry, or have married in the past, should be overturned.
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Okay. Well. There is not going to be any mass overturning of true Vows of celibacy. Vows are a special kind of promise in religious life. Simple diocesan priests make a promise, but most do not take “vows” in the canonical sense of the word.

Also…what the heck do they mean by “ban on marriage for priests who…have married in the past.” The wording is really awkward there…
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In the eyes of current church doctrine, priests who get married are committing an act of heresy.
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Act of “heresy”!?!?! Grave disobedience, yes. But not “heresy”!
The man at the center of the controversy is Emmanuel Milingo, a flamboyant Zambian exorcist who in 2001 married his wife in the Unification Church at a Mass wedding presided over by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
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Notice how they identify him as an excorcist BEFORE they identify him as an archbishop.

Also, notice how the “m” in “mass” is capitalized as if the author thought this was a Mass…and not simply “mass” in the sense of many people being married at once.
 
Sparky said:
No surprise, ABC News has a rather biased wording in this poll. It’s in the middle of the page.

abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2654486

Vote early. Vote often.
–Ann
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Priests do have companionship in fellow priests and members of their parish and community…Oh, right, I guess they meant sexual companionship. Now, the response might have been different if they said that.
 
cathgal said:
“It is unfair to prevent them from experiencing one of life’s joys: companionship”

Who’s preventing whom???

It’s not like a gun was pointed to their head to force them to become a priest !

Instead, they should learn how to be honest and faithful to their vows. One would think anyone can become a priest !
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I noticed this too and i agree with you 100%
 
cathgal said:
“It is unfair to prevent them from experiencing one of life’s joys: companionship”

Who’s preventing whom???

It’s not like a gun was pointed to their head to force them to become a priest !

Instead, they should learn how to be honest and faithful to their vows. One would think anyone can become a priest !
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In the Chaldean rite, men can be married and be a priest, if and only if, they received their calling to the priesthood after they have already completed the Sacrament of Matrimony.
 
elg26 said:
You mean like the 4th priest in the last 3 years in our local diocese to be caught and convicted of sexual abuse?

Those happy priests?

The priests here were caught abusing women, not men. If they had a happy marriage companion, MAYBE there would be several women who’s lives would have been spared the anguish of abuse.

Maybe ABC’s poll is skewed by non catholics participating…but the fact that the current Pope is going to discuss the issues surrounding celibacy should tell everyone that it is a valid issue to discuss and consider.
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I’m sorry about the priests in you diocese, but that doesn’t mean all the priests in the country are like that. There are many celebant priests who aren’t abusing anybody. And i don’t think we should change are practices because of criminals.
 
***But Pope Benedict, a stalwart conservative, is unlikely to relax a rule that has been in place nearly 1,000 years. ***

Thanks be to God.
 
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