Will Married Priests Solve the Vocations Problem?

An Analysis by Father Dwight Longenecker

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Married priests? I am one. As a former Anglican minister, I have been ordained as a Catholic priest under a special measure called the Pastoral Provision. Through this process a married man who has been ordained in the Anglican (and sometimes Lutheran and Methodist churches) is granted a dispensation from the vow of celibacy in order to be ordained as a Catholic priest.

Therefore I am frequently asked, “Father, you are so good with the children, and you understand marriage first hand. Don’t you think the church should allow priests to marry?”

First of all there are some distinctions to be made. Celibacy for priests is a discipline of the church, not a doctrine. That is why exceptions can be made and the rule could be changed.
However, if it is changed that doesn’t mean that priests can be married. The Church continues to uphold the fine and ancient tradition of priestly celibacy and a priest has taken a vow of celibacy which is life long and cannot be broken.

The Eastern Orthodox discipline is that married men may be ordained, but priests may not marry. In other words, if you’re already married you may be considered for ordination, but if you’re an unmarried priest you may not marry. This would seem to be in accord with St Paul’s instructions to single men that they “remain as he is” (I Cor. 7.25-27) and his instructions to Timothy on the other hand, that bishops and deacons should be the husband of one wife.(I Tim. 3) That is to say men who are already married to only one woman (he forbids polygamy) may be considered worthy of ordination. It is the discipline of the Western Church that clerics are celibate, but it is a discipline which could be changed. Paul himself says in I Cor. 7.25 that his opinion that the unmarried remain so is not mandated from the Lord, and implies that it could be changed. Should it be changed? Should we allow married men to be ordained?

Peru’s bishops denounce government’s move to permit abortion

The Peruvian government has issued regulations that implement a 1924 law permitting abortion in some circumstances.

In response, the nation’s bishops expressed their “firm rejection concerning this legislation that opens the door for the first time in the history of Peru to abortion, that is to say, to the murder of an innocent human life. This ministerial regulation as well as being immoral is also unconstitutional and illegal.”

“Both the pregnant mother and the unborn have the same right to life, both must be protected by the State,” the bishops added, according to a report from the Fides news agency.

Pope’s Homily at Mass With Sexual Abuse Victims

“It is like a sacrilegious cult, because these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order to be brought to God”

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This morning at 7 a.m., in the Chapel of Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass which was attended by some victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy, as well as with some families and members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. During the Mass, the Holy Father gave the homily shown below:

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The scene where Peter sees Jesus emerge after a terrible interrogation… Peter whose eyes meet the gaze of Jesus and weeps… This scene comes to my mind as I look at you, and think of so many men and women, boys and girls. I feel the gaze of Jesus and I ask for the grace to weep, the grace for the Church to weep and make reparation for her sons and daughters who betrayed their mission, who abused innocent persons. Today, I am very grateful to you for having travelled so far to come here.

Pope Gives Six Victims of Abuse Sense of Hope

Spends Half Hour with Each Person and Was Very Affected by What He Heard; Pontifical Commission for Protection of Minors Meets for 2nd Time

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Pope Francis met today, Monday, with six persons who suffered abuse by clergymen. They were invited by Cardinal O’Malley. Two were British, two German and two Irish. “They were in Saint Martha’s yesterday, which gave the Pope the occasion to greet them after dinner,” said the spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ .

The Pope gave a homily in Spanish during the Mass which was attended by the victims. His words were “particularly significant” and his message was “very dense and very strong”, Fr. Lombardi said. This time, he addressed the subject “more directly and amply” he added, and disclosed that some of the images of the Pope during this homily in Saint Martha’s will be available.

Once the Mass ended, the Pope greeted those who attended it one by one, as he always does after his Mass in Saint Martha’s. Then they had breakfast in the dining room of the residence. At 9:00 am each of the six victims met with the Holy Father, accompanied by a person who helped with the translation. “The conversations lasted until 12:20 pm, that is, one half hour with each one of them,” he said.

Vatican investigating diocese in Paraguay where accused abuser is vicar general

The Vatican has organized an investigation of a diocese in Paraguay where the vicar general is a priest who was accused of sexual abuse while serving in the US.

Father Carlos Urrutigoity, was forced to leave a private school in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 2002 after reports of sexual abuse there. The Scranton diocese now identifies the Argentine-born priest as a “serious threat to young people.”

Nevertheless, after moving to Paraguay, Father Urrutigoity has been named vicar general by Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano of the Diocese of Cuidad del Este. The bishop has rejected calls for Urrutigoity’s removal.

This week Archbishop Eliseo Ariotti, the apostolic nuncio in Paraguay, announced that Vatican investigators would visit the Cuidad del Este diocese later this month “to find out some things.” According to the newspaper Ultima Hora, the investigating team will be led by Cardinal Santos Abril y Castello, the archpriest of the basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, and will include Bishop Milton Troccoli, an auxiliary of the Montevideo, Uruguay archdiocese.

Sri Lanka: Tensions run high among religions

Fr. Gabriel Garniga, a Salesian missionary from Trento in northern Italy, describes the difficult coexistence of religions in a country that is still suffering the aftermath of war

Fr. Gabriele Garniga has been a missionary for 42 years (he spent the first ten years in Buthan and has been in Sri Lanka for 32 years) and currently lives in a country that is still suffering the aftermath of war with the north. A country which needs to go back to normality after 25 years of suffering and deprivation.” Salesian priests and religious have been present in Sri Lanka since 1956, so no wonder the figure of Don Bosco speaks to the hearts of the people, of the young and of the country’s adults. This was evident during the pilgrimage of the Saints relics two years ago.

Fr. Gabriele followe dthe saint’s example and learnt to “love people, particularly the young, to trust in Providence, to work for the poor and to endure.” He has held a number of roles, first working for the professional centre of Negombo (as a mechanic), then as head of the rehabilitation centre for young paedophilia victims, as a director of the new professional construction centre in Metiyagane and as of January as a provincial economer. He takes acre of the administrative aspect: he monitors projects, looks for funding to continue projects and looks after Salesian houses.

Vatican reinforces financial cooperation with US

The Financial Intelligence Authority, the Vatican’s financial watchdog, has agreed to exchange information with the U.S. government, significantly strengthening international cooperation on financial concerns.

René Bruelhart, director of the financial authority, said the agreement is “a further step in Holy See efforts towards perfecting a system of financial regulation and part of our commitment to transparency and international cooperation.”

“The Holy See is part of the global family of well-regulated jurisdictions and the signing of this agreement reflects that very clearly,” Bruelhart said.

The agreement with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is the first that the financial authority signs in its capacity of financial supervisor and regulator within the Holy See and the Vatican City State.