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Priestly celibacy up for debate: Pope's deputy

The Vatican has opened its door to the possibility of married priests, a move that would go against centuries-old Church tradition.

September 12, 2013


The Vatican's newly-designated Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has said that priestly celibacy is an issue up for discussion within the Catholic Church.

The Vatican has opened its door to the possibility of married priests, a move that would go against centuries-old Church tradition.

The Australian



13 / 09 / 2013

www.pravoslavie.ru [pravoslavie.ru]

I'm always surprised when these stories are presented as news. There is nothing new in this article or many others that have been circulating here. This is what was said:

The work the church did to institute ecclesiastical celibacy must be considered. We cannot simply say that it is part of the past. It is a great challenge for the pope, because he is the one with the ministry of unity and all of those decisions must be made thinking of the unity of the church and not to divide it. Therefore we can talk, reflect, and deepen on these subjects that are not definite, and we can think of some modifications, but always with consideration of unity, and all according to the will of God. It is not about what I would like but what God wants for His church. … It has always been said that the church is not a democracy. But it would be good during these times that there could be a more democratic spirit, in the sense of listening carefully, and I believe the pope has made of this one of his pontificate’s objectives. A collegial movement of the church, where all the issues can be brought up, and afterward he can make a decision.

Alice,

I couldn't read the Russian, but here's an article I found in English on the same subject: Vatican Official Opens Door to New Debate Over Celibacy for Priests [newsmax.com]

Totally agree; there is nothing new here except a reminder that Roman celibacy is NOT dogma, so it is possible that it could be changed if the Church deems it proper. Perhaps the news is that there may be more emphasis in this papacy on collegiality, that is synods, than pronouncements from Rome. This should be very welcomed by the Eastern Churches.

And there are thousands of Latin priests who have been laicized because they wanted/needed to be married.

The United Church of Canada actually has a policy on any RC priest who has married and who would like to be a minister in that Church - he only needs to attend a parish for one year before he would be allowed to be a minister.

Hopefully, the Latin Church will allow married priests (who aren't former Anglican, Lutheran or Methodist ministers) and will allow those who have had to leave the active Priesthood because they wished to get married, come back.

To paraphrase St Thomas More, "This (Church) is planted thick with laws; Man's laws, not God's . . ."

Alex

I have no problem with the reinstatement of the policy to ordain married men to priesthood. OTOH, I do, however, have a huge problem with allowing someone who was ordained celibate and "left" simply because he desired marriage, to "come back" as it were. As I see it, those latter either (a) should not have been ordained in the first place or (b) were simply not able to restrain their carnal urges. Whichever, there is the matter of disobedience to consider. The fact is that the man was ordained and then contracted a marriage. That part is a no-no, and to me it makes no difference if he "left" or not. IOW, if one is ordained celeibate, he remains celibate. Period. The alternate (i.e, contracting a marriage after ordination)is far too Protestant for my taste.

Agreed. Marriage does not preclude ordination, but ordination does preclude marriage (to say nothing of remarriage).

There is some very fine scriptural and historical information found in ¶XXII of the defense of the Augsburg Confession, "The Marriage of Priests"

http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_22_marriage.php

In particular, paragraph 23 contrasting the early Councils with the more recent (16th century) practice.

I agree.

On the other hand, if he is willing to give up his ministry and find another career, he's perfectly welcome to stay in the Catholic Church as a layman. (That might go without saying, but I felt it should be said explicitly.)

I completely agree with you malphono. I see no problem if the discipline is changed to allow married men to be ordained priests in the Roman Rite. However, to allow men who were priests and left to get married to function again as priests is another story. They broke their promise of celibacy when they got married and should never function as priests again.

Applications for married men to be ordained to the priesthood in the Latin Church are currently on hold, as Pope Francis is considering how to proceed.

Dear Malphono,

The Catholic priests I have come to know who have been forced to leave the active Ministry because they decided they could not live a lie and needed to be married are NOT Protestant.

Surely, an exception could be made in their case because they did not have the option to be married prior to their ordination.

It is all about man-made laws which can be changed, even now, with the stroke of a pen.

As for Protestantism in general - what is there about the current Latin Church that doesn't already smack of Protestantism?

Alex

Surely, an exception could be made in their case because they did not have the option to be married prior to their ordination.

They did have the option to get married before their ordination. They just chose to be ordained instead.

That one may not marry after ordination to the priesthood is one of the oldest laws of the Church, going back to the so-called Apostolic Canons:

Of those who have been admitted to the clergy unmarried, we ordain, that the readers and singers only may, if they will, marry.

Why?

Is this not a man made law about who should be considered worthy to be a priest? Married - unmarried - remarried?

Since the Roman Catholic Church sets it's own rules - why can't they rule on this as well - to allow men who were priests and got married to come back as priests?

They accept anglican and episcopal married men as priests - certainly that is worse than a Roman Catholic Priest who falls in love and marries is it not?

Of course we look to tradition - but tradition does evolve.

Some religious have stated - that it is a man made law - not a law of God - and can be abrogated at any time -

but simply has not been abrogated

Is it time for the evolution of religion? Is it wrong for Catholicism to change? If Catholicism is not allowed to change - they better go back to the Eastern Orthodox Church on hands and knees asking forgiveness - no? Does tradition trump what we know about human nature (that even celibates are sexual beings whether they like it or not)?