Headline News
From time to time I comment on just how misleading some headlines are in dealing with the Catholic Church. Here is the latest example of journalistic malpractice.
Loophole allows married clergy to become Catholic priests
The story is about ex-Episcopal priest Bill Lowe who was recently ordained as the writer says "by way of a little-known pastoral provision." Now I would truly like to know how the Holy See in 1980 creating the Pastoral Provision under the jurisdiction of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is a loophole. Last I checked loopholes are not created on purpose. Could he mean that somebody who wanted to be a married Catholic priest could first spend a long career as an Episcopal priest, have a family, and then at an appropriate time join the Catholic Church and then apply via the Pastoral Provision to become a married Catholic priest?
Mahony said people should view the ordination as an exception and not an indication the church may change its requirements and bring in more married priests.
Many of the parishioners weren’t listening. Worried about the shortage of priests, they viewed the ordination as a symbol.
“I think it’s opening a door for married priests in the future,” said Michelle Paschen of Camarillo. “And yes, I think priests should be married.”
John Blankenship, 68, of Camarillo went further.
“I think it’s great that we’re moving forward,” he said. “Hopefully that will eventually lead to women being priests.”
Ah there is a stunning bit of logic. A dispensation from a discipline will lead to the change of a dogmatic teaching. You also have wonder if the married priest advocates have ever read or listened to what some of the seventy some married priests in the United States say on this subject.
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Great article from Crisis magazine, Curt. Just the kind of stuff you will never never never see in the MSM.
After a lifetime of being Baptist, I personally have qualms about putting money in the plate so junior can get that new Xbox game and darling Sarah can have an appropriately slutty prom dress.
And I really cannot understand why Catholics do not get what a blessing the celibate priesthood really is.
And calling the thing a loophole is a little like calling the DMV an underground resistance movement.
Yes, priests should be married.
Okay, and how much more are you willing to put in the collection plate to support him, his wife and all the children they are going to have. How much are you going to help support him, the priest in having a salary that he can actually support his family.
Oh and if his daughter is in the hospital following an accident, and he declines coming to give your dying mother final confession and communion, because he is needed by his family, how understanding will you be?
There are reasons why priests no longer marry. These are just two considerations.
I generally find that, while more and more people say, yes let them marry, few look at the repercussions.
The sort of argument just given is just the sort that makes me HOPE for exceptions to the rule. Why should we who are selfish and stingy be entitled to the lives of priests given for our benefit? I sure don't know of one priest who would begrudge my children food and an education, but we feel entitled to judge their every expenditure as if our work is somehow superior...Maybe we need to listen to what our reactions say about us more often.
I continue to pray for vocations, but I also pray that we will learn to be thankful for and generous to the priest the Lord has sent us thus far.
*sigh* I have a friend who is working his way through this "loophole" right now, having been ordained in a foreign evangelical episcopal church. He had to wait for JPII himself to give him permission before the Bishop would even think about it! I don't think it's a loophole if the Pope is the one okay-ing the deal
Hi,
I am contacting you on behalf of KCET’s Life & Times Blog (a Los Angeles area PBS station). We have launched this site to foster a venue where people can express their views and engage in a dynamic and educated discussion about provocative issues of the day going on in Southern California. We have posted a link to your website (http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/008045.php) as a link to our “A Married Priest” story (viewable here: http://www.kcet.org/lifeandtimes/blog/?p=189). We are in the process now of generating more traffic to our blog and creating more buzz in Southern California and were hoping that you could post a link to our blog on your site so that both of us can give our readers more resources on the web. Please let me know what KCET needs to do to have our Life & Times Blog posted as a link on your site. Thanks for your time.
Brianna Riggio
Editorial Intern
KCET, PBS Station
xmagazineintern@kcet.org