Married Priests

[Jeff O Rocks]

Wisconsin Priests Want Celibacy To Be Optional
Letter To Be Mailed To Bishop

POSTED: 7:22 a.m. EDT August 19, 2003

MILWAUKEE -- More than 160 priests in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee say married men should be allowed to enter the priesthood. (Discuss This Issue)

They've signed letters that will be mailed Tuesday to Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The letter will be sent to a subcommittee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan will chair that panel, starting in November.

The letter says married men should be allowed because of the ongoing shortage of priests.

It also acknowledges that celibacy has been a blessing for many priests and some may choose to remain celibate.

Under current rules, Catholic priests must take a vow of celibacy, and priests are forbidden to be married.

The Rev. Tom Suriano is pastor of Saint Patrick Church in Whitewater and one of three priests who led the effort.

He says priests hope the letter will prompt a dialogue about the need for optional celibacy.

Sociologist Dean Hoge says it's the first time since the 1960s and mid-1970s that a group of priests has spoken out on the issue of celibacy.


And what about nuns? should they be allowed to marry too?? :roll:

[Shell]

I am probably missing something, but i don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to marry and share a life with someone they love. Heck, if they were allowed to have sex with a loving wife, maybe they would leave the 9 year old boys alone. JMO

[nccanes]

Well, Priests are supposed to be lead lives like Christ including celibacy.

I think they should be able to marry, but I can't see the Vatican ever, ever going along with that.

I believe that if you are an Episcopalian married Priest and chose to convert to Catholicism, you can keep your wife. ;)

And Mona, I first read your last line:

"And what about us nuns?" :laugh:

[Guyute]

Mona... a Nun. CLASSIC. :laugh:

[AbNormal27]

My wife and I were married by a married priest. He was ordained as a priest after he left the pentacostal church when he came to realize he was not in the right church. He went through much more strenuous teaching and still to this day is more scrutinized by the Catholic church. I have no problem with him being married and neither do many in our small community church that began to grow in numbers while he was with us. But, the Bishops, in their, infinite wisdom, saw fit to move him to another church. There was no reason or need for him to move, but they did it anyway. He was able to relate to some concerns my wife and I had before we were married because he went through some of the same issues in his own marriage, and was better able to help us. Now, I'm not like Ned Flanders when it comes to the church, but I have my beliefs, and respect people who have different beliefs, but I think the church has to change with the times and realize that a man who has been celibate for years can't exactly give much guidance in today's world if they have no experience to go on. So, YES, married priests are fine by me. JMHO, I hope I haven't ruffled any feathers or stirred up the Kool-Aid.

Aaryn

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Well, what is interesting is the history behind the celibacy rule. I hope this doesn't offend anyone but you can look it up and see it for yourself if you want to.

The reason why priests are to be celibate is because sometime back (I can't remember exactly when but it was much more recent than you would expect....I just thought priests had always been celibate but that's not true) the Catholic church began to realize that their priests were getting married, having children and then splitting up the church property that they had been given amongst their children after their death. Basically, the church instituted the celibacy rule because they were losing their property.

In light of that it's a completely outdated rule, IMO, and I say let them marry.

[Jeff O Rocks]

Mona... a Nun. CLASSIC. :laugh:

And why is that so funny Mr. guyute?????????? :laugh: :p

Eileen, you thought I had had a career change huh?? :D ;)

[tommy]

I never quite understood the scriptural backing of celibate priesthood in the Catholic tradition. For those of you not familiar with Paul's letters, in the New Testament of the Bible, he lets us know that people who decline to eat certain foods, or use institutions such as marriage, are not fully glorifying God's will and creation.

So from my point of view, I think it's fine, and recommended, perhaps, for priests to be married.

[opuntia]

SHC has the goods on the celibacy deal. She knows her church history! It's like fish on Fridays during Lent; some Pope or other instituted that to help the floundering fish industry (pun intended!).

The Catholic Church has only recently allowed widowers to become priests; they only did that because they are not getting enough young men in seminary to fill church needs (no lewd comments please!). I know of so many Episcopal priests who started out Catholics and converted when they wanted to get married. I think the Catholic Church will eventually have to bow to the fact that they will not have enough priests to take care of their congregations if they don't relax the celibacy requirement.

[tommy]

SHC has the goods on the celibacy deal. She knows her church history! For real! You go, SHC!

I think the Catholic Church will eventually have to bow to the fact that they will not have enough priests to take care of their congregations if they don't relax the celibacy requirement.

While they may come to that conclusion, from the church's standpoint, that wouldn't be the best reason to stop it. The Catholic church is big on tradition, and like SHC said, I doubt, for that reason, that the situation will change any time remotely soon.