Pelvis Priestley

Mark Shea titles this column Pelvically-Obsessed Jesuits Obsess over Pelvic Obsessions.

Why is it the issue of celibacy is never the lone issue? It seems always to be a package deal. Like advocating both for married and women priests or pairing it with some other subject. As if paring a discipline with a dogmatic teaching goes down better. Yes we are having a two-for-one sale today -act now.

The Synod, a meeting of more than 250 Bishops to debate and propose Church policies, came to an end on Saturday. Though it acknowledged the shortage of priests, it failed to approve priestly marriage and did not even discuss the possibility of ordaining women. Further, it reaffirmed its decision to deny communion to divorcees. It did, however, give local Bishops the authority to deny or allow Catholic politicians who disagree with certain Catholic teachings-read John Kerry-communion.

Yes the whole purpose of the synod was to deny John Kerry communion, after all he is the only Catholic politician in the whole world to vote contrary to the faith.

The threat facing the church is a very real one. According to the Vatican, the ratio of priests to Catholics in America is 1 to 1,200. This speaks to a very real failure by the Church to tend to the spiritual needs of the faithful, as well as provide the Sacraments of their faith.

Ignore the fact about the amount of vocations in Africa, India and some places in America where answers to the priesthood are blossoming. It is all about celibacy you know. They must not tell candidates about that in Africa, India or those in Bishop Bruskewitz diocese. Besides all those vocations before 1960 were just flukes.

"Some men are called to celibacy, some to the priesthood, but to be a priest today you need both vocations," Professor Chester Gillis, the chair of Georgetown's Theology Department, said. "I see many students on campus who would make good priests but who also want to get married."

Since Peter has the power to bind and loose there is no such thing as this dual vocation garbage. Within the Western Church if God gives a priestly vocation to a man he also gives the graces to live a celibate life for his calling. What Peter binds is ratified in Heaven. Besides is celibacy really a vocation? Fr. Hardon defined vocation as "A call from God to a distinctive state of life, in which the person can reach holiness" Vocations are to the married, single, and religious life and celibacy has part of the single and religious life but is it a vocation of its own?

Besides today's more secular, sexual culture, Gillis credits the lack of prestige associated with the priesthood to generational changes and the recent sexual abuse scandals. He also said that the celibacy requirement arose in the 12th century with the Monastic movement, not in the original church, he noted. Even Christ's apostles were married.

Now if you are going to argue that married priest are the prudent thing to do why is it they always have to present lies in defense of it. This idea that the celibacy requirement just arose in the 12th century is a very Protestant way to look at things.

We tend toward rejecting traditions that are held merely for traditions' sake. Is there a real, scriptural and theological reason for having only celibate, male priests? The Church should follow the example of Christ and forgive divorcees, allowing them to rejoin the Catholic community. Further, we believe that it is possible to be both Liberal and Catholic. The Church should stop threatening Catholic politicians who are faithful but also believe in the separation of Church and state.

This paragraph is really ironic. First it talks about scriptural and theological reasons and then says that Christ forgave divorcees allowing them to rejoin the Community? I must have missed that story or parable. He challenged the Samaritan women and then said "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'" His call to all of us sinners is to not only acknowledge our sins but to repent of them. He did not tell the women caught in adultery "come and rejoin the communion", but "go and sin no more." This whole idea of people who are "faithful but also believe in the separation of Church and state." is a mockery of the martyrs especially those like Thomas More. Faith without works is dead unless I guess you are a politician.

Today, the Church is being strangled by its devotion to unnecessary, human doctrines. Busy persecuting homosexuals within and without, covering up its past sins of child molestation and contributing to its own shortage of priests, the church has failed to remember its primary mission: to advance the moral teachings of Jesus Christ, beginning with love thy neighbor as thyself. If it does not remember soon, it will lose more than just priests.

Love of neighbor includes rebuking them when they are committing grave sings. One of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish sinners. Calling a sin a sin is not persecution but proclaiming the truth. The unnecessary human doctrine is what as Mark Shea mockingly says the idea that "Homosexuality is the Source and Summit of All that is Noble, Good and Beautiful."