aren't there pedophiles, those into child porn, sex offenders, adulterers, among married males today? don't see where allowing priests to marry solves a thing.
It always cracks me up when the media or NON Catholics become so interested or concerned about the process of electing a Pope, the future of the Catholic Church and any changes that they "think" will occur to doctrine. If the media was sincere in learning and conveying information about the Catholic Church than perhaps they should get an unbiased reporter, lose the editor and ask a practicing Catholic explain it to them.
Shall we ask a catholic woman? One who uses birth control? LOL. Most catholics are cafeteria catholics. Only "practicing" what they believe is best for themselves. Get over yourself.
As a Catholic seminarian, it's important to realize that Catholic clergy CHOSE a life of celibacy. No one forced us to become priests. It was our free choice. I chose a life of celibacy to witness to my belief that the pleasures of this world are fleeting and the fulfillment of all desire will be found in heaven.
I would also like to point out that statistically only 1.5% of Catholic priests have been involved with sexual abuse, versus about 5% in the general population. I understand the horrific nature of abuse by clergymen because they are expected to live by a higher standard, but these stats show that married people more likely to be sexual deviants than celibates. Marriage isn't the fix to clerical sex abuse. The solution to an end of sexual abuse is thorough screening of men entering and proper formation of seminarians in stress-reduction and ways to live a healthy, chaste lifestyle.
YoungCatholicAmerican, God bless you for pursuing your vocation to the priesthood. Statistics show that you are part of an increasing number of young men and women who are answering Christ's call to the religious life.
I encourage you to continue on the path you have chosen because you sound like an informed and dedicated young man who has thought these issues through with care. We need good and holy priests like you.
People should be aware that as bad as the clerical abuse scandal was in the Catholic Church, it has been turned around by the great efforts of those who were determined to end the abuse and move the Church forward.
Meanwhile however, this kind of sexual abuse continues to run rampant outside of the Church at a rate many times what we ever experienced at the hands of a tiny minority of priests.
People in the secular world routinely ignore the terrible sexual sin in their midst because they are too busy pointing a finger at us and castigating us out of hatred for Christ and his Holy Catholic Church.
There are so many errors in this report that it would be hard to mention them all.
First, the Church never "rethink(s) old doctrines." This is patent nonsense and it is hard to comprehend how this reporter could have misunderstood doctrine to the extent he has.
Doctrine is not and never will be manmade. It is divinely revealed and neither the Church nor anyone else has any authority to change it or invent it.
Second, clerical continence (priestly celibacy) is not a doctrine; it is instead a discipline developed in the Church from the time of Christ and the Apostles onward. By living in a state of clerical continence, Catholic priests live in accord with the life led by Jesus, a lifelong celibate, and the Apostles - who were celibate after Pentecost - and in keeping with the priesthood instituted by Christ himself.
Claiming that priestly celibacy was required by the Church only some 1,000 years after Christ, and for worldly reasons, is ridiculous, untrue and historically inaccurate. There is no historical basis for this claim whatsoever, or for stooping to this low level of disingenuousness in a news report.
Finally, interviewing ex-Catholic heretics like Garry Wills and Christine Schenk is a meaningless exercise in futility. What did the reporter think they would say, that one must live in communion with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ?
They are old radical ex-Catholics who have rejected Christ and his Holy Church and the authority of the Holy Spirit, instead, expecting the world to pay attention to their bitter recriminations of the Church, recriminations that will soon be forgotten and discarded on the junk heap of history.
God bless the Holy Catholic Church. Ad maiorem dei gloriam.
Let me say from the outset thatI am not a Catholic.Entering the priesthood, and taking a vow of celibacy is clearly a choice.However,Peter,and many ministers of the gospel were married, according to I Corinthians 9:5; and it appears that Peter's wife travelled with him ,at least some times, based on this verse.[ And , of course this was after the time of Christ's earthly ministry].As a matter of fact, Paul( the apostle and author of this epistle) argues in this verse that he , himself, and Barnabas also had this same RIGHT- to marry.Of course, in the entire 7th chapter of I Corinthians, Paul made the general case as to why celibacy is not for everyone.He explained, in no uncertain terms, that one of the purposes of marriage is to deal with human sexuality in a an honorable way before God; and he did not specifically exclude ministers .Paul chose to be celibate because he could handle it ( Chapter 7:7-9); but God nor man imposed this on him.It was HIS decision.
One last quick comment:The Scriptures do not teach that sex is bad, and only tolerable for procreation, as some believe.A careful reading of Scripture teaches just the opposite.
sandy 1027, Thank you for your comment. Let me further explain.
From the earliest days of the Catholic Church, deacons, priests and bishops were celibate, regardless of whether or not they were married.
From the day of Pentecost and the beginning of the Church, even those who like St. Peter, were married, nevertheless vowed lifelong celibacy, a discipline that was ordained by Christ himself in imitation of his complete dedication of his life to his Father.
This can be confusing for non-Catholics who read the Bible and notice that Peter had a wife, which would normally suggest that he was a married non-celibate. But nothing could be further from the truth. St. Peter practiced clerical continence from the origin of the Church until his martyrdom.
Also, on the death of a spouse, no deacon, priest or bishop was ever allowed to remarry, a state called "digamy" meaning a second marriage. From that point on he was required to be celibate and unmarried.
This is a simple fact of Catholic clergy from St. Peter until our own time.
When will the American media get a freak'n clue? The Catholic Church is NOT a democracy. What American Catholics want means nothing and they have nothing to say about it. 100% of American Catholics may prefer married priests but they have no vote in the matter, except to leave the Church or start their own brand of American Catholicism like Henry the Eighth did in England.
The Cardinals can discuss men and their need for sex (of any kind) to address the lack of priests for the many Catholics worldwide but how about addressing another facet of this issue: ordaining the many qualified women who are able, eligible and more than capable of leading people in their spirituality??
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I would also like to point out that statistically only 1.5% of Catholic priests have been involved with sexual abuse, versus about 5% in the general population. I understand the horrific nature of abuse by clergymen because they are expected to live by a higher standard, but these stats show that married people more likely to be sexual deviants than celibates. Marriage isn't the fix to clerical sex abuse. The solution to an end of sexual abuse is thorough screening of men entering and proper formation of seminarians in stress-reduction and ways to live a healthy, chaste lifestyle.
God bless you for pursuing your vocation to the priesthood. Statistics show that you are part of an increasing number of young men and women who are answering Christ's call to the religious life.
I encourage you to continue on the path you have chosen because you sound like an informed and dedicated young man who has thought these issues through with care. We need good and holy priests like you.
People should be aware that as bad as the clerical abuse scandal was in the Catholic Church, it has been turned around by the great efforts of those who were determined to end the abuse and move the Church forward.
Meanwhile however, this kind of sexual abuse continues to run rampant outside of the Church at a rate many times what we ever experienced at the hands of a tiny minority of priests.
People in the secular world routinely ignore the terrible sexual sin in their midst because they are too busy pointing a finger at us and castigating us out of hatred for Christ and his Holy Catholic Church.
Again, God bless you and keep you.
First, the Church never "rethink(s) old doctrines." This is patent nonsense and it is hard to comprehend how this reporter could have misunderstood doctrine to the extent he has.
Doctrine is not and never will be manmade. It is divinely revealed and neither the Church nor anyone else has any authority to change it or invent it.
Second, clerical continence (priestly celibacy) is not a doctrine; it is instead a discipline developed in the Church from the time of Christ and the Apostles onward.
By living in a state of clerical continence, Catholic priests live in accord with the life led by Jesus, a lifelong celibate, and the Apostles - who were celibate after Pentecost - and in keeping with the priesthood instituted by Christ himself.
Claiming that priestly celibacy was required by the Church only some 1,000 years after Christ, and for worldly reasons, is ridiculous, untrue and historically inaccurate.
There is no historical basis for this claim whatsoever, or for stooping to this low level of disingenuousness in a news report.
Finally, interviewing ex-Catholic heretics like Garry Wills and Christine Schenk is a meaningless exercise in futility. What did the reporter think they would say, that one must live in communion with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ?
They are old radical ex-Catholics who have rejected Christ and his Holy Church and the authority of the Holy Spirit, instead, expecting the world to pay attention to their bitter recriminations of the Church, recriminations that will soon be forgotten and discarded on the junk heap of history.
God bless the Holy Catholic Church.
Ad maiorem dei gloriam.
Thank you for your comment. Let me further explain.
From the earliest days of the Catholic Church, deacons, priests and bishops were celibate, regardless of whether or not they were married.
From the day of Pentecost and the beginning of the Church, even those who like St. Peter, were married, nevertheless vowed lifelong celibacy, a discipline that was ordained by Christ himself in imitation of his complete dedication of his life to his Father.
This can be confusing for non-Catholics who read the Bible and notice that Peter had a wife, which would normally suggest that he was a married non-celibate. But nothing could be further from the truth. St. Peter practiced clerical continence from the origin of the Church until his martyrdom.
Also, on the death of a spouse, no deacon, priest or bishop was ever allowed to remarry, a state called "digamy" meaning a second marriage.
From that point on he was required to be celibate and unmarried.
This is a simple fact of Catholic clergy from St. Peter until our own time.