The intrigue around the papal conclave reached new heights this week when Irish-born Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland abruptly resigned after allegations of inappropriate behavior made by four priests against him surfaced.
The priests apparently were determined that O’Brien would not vote at the conclave, and made representations to the British-based papal nuncio even though the incidents occurred 30 years ago in some cases.
The Pope acted with alacrity and essentially forced O’Brien to reign.
Still unanswered is whether Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles will vote in the conclave, as his refusal to prosecute pedophile priests in his archdiocese led to horrific consequences.
There are also simmering questions about Irish Cardinal Sean Brady, who covered up the dreadful Father Brendan Smyth scandals, and even about Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who was examined by lawyers last week on events in Milwaukee when he was archbishop there.
All in all the atmosphere around the conclave is fraught to say the least, with other evidence about a gay pressure group allegedly blackmailing high level Vatican figures according to several reports.
Before he resigned, O’Brien had made an excellent case for ending celibacy and allowing priest to marry.
He made it plain there was absolutely nothing in church law that prevented that, and it was not an infallible teaching.
There is no question that if priests were allowed to behave normally, get married, have children, etc., we would have nothing like the shocking behavior we are witnessing now.
The attempt to frustrate the natural sexual instincts of men has led to deviant behavior from pedophiles who have found the perfect refuge in the church.
The fact is, as O’Brien noted, Anglican priests who turned to Catholicism and who are married already make the rule moot.
Allowing priests to marry would reenergize the church and bring in many new vocations from people who want to do the Lord’s work as they see it, but not remain celibate.
If a Pope can resign surely a priest can marry. Both were thought unthinkable just a few weeks ago, but no more.
53 Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.KweenOHearts | Mar 09, 2013, 06:20 PM EST
@SingleDonald, who says **If I were elected Pope... yadda, yadda...** His whole post, in other words, can be reduced to 'let's create a church in my image and likeness... the teachings and example of Jesus Chrise be DA**ED!' -- HornyDonald... the chances you might be elected Pope so far are hovering around... zilch, nil, none, rien, nicht, nada, niente and, flat out, not even in your dreams!!!
KweenOHearts | Mar 09, 2013, 06:19 PM EST
@SingleDonald, who says **If I were elected Pope... yadda, yadda...** His whole post, in other words, can be reduced to 'let's create a church in my image and likeness... the teachings and example of Jesus Chrise be DA**ED!' -- HornyDonald... the chances you might be elected Pope so far are hovering around... zilch, nil, none, rien, nicht, nada, niente and, flat out, not even in your dreams!!!
BishopWalsh | Mar 03, 2013, 07:01 PM EST
@Chris1791; Christian tradition holds that 11 of the 12 Apostles (first bishops) were married; only John the Evangelist was celibate.Jesus could have chosen 12 celibate persons but did not do so. 1 Timothy 3:1-5 says a "...bishop should be married but once." 1 Corinthians 9:4-5 says it is a right for apostles to marry like Peter (1st Pope). I have known European and American married missionaries in the far out-back in Africa and Latin America whose families have been in service there for several generations. (Kids go back to Europe or USA for University and return). Priests who marry do not find their marriage an obstacle to ministry if their first ministry is to their wives (2nd to children)and they are ministering together as a ministry team. This is what we include in the formation program for our Eastern Catholic married priests and yes, it does work. Blessings!
barneyjo | Mar 03, 2013, 05:21 PM EST
@cillowen - I dont know where you have been for the past few years but it would seem that we have all that you describe in the church already, and have had for some time; ex-oficio of course :)!!
STEVENSTAR | Mar 03, 2013, 12:56 PM EST
LETS NOT FORGET THAT ITS NOT ONLY PRIESTS WHO ARE ABUSING CHILDREN THIS IS A UNVERSAL PROBLEM.. THERE ARE MARRIED MEN OUT THERE ABUSING CHILDREN BOTH LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS ALSO AND THERE ARE ALSO SINGLE MEN WHO ABUSE KIDS..THESE PEOPLE ARE FAMILY MEMBERS RELATIVES, NEIGHBORS AND NOT JUST PRIESTS.. THERE IS AN EVIL IN THE WORLD WHICH MAKES THESE SICK EVIL PEOPLE BOTH MALE AND FEMALE DO THESE EVIL SICK THINGS.. THERE IS EVIL RIGHT ACROSS THE BOARD BE THEY WOMEN, MEN, GAY STRAIGHT MARRIED OR SINGLE.... SO KEEP THAT IN MIND BEFORE YOU GO AND TRY AND POINT THE FINGER AT A SECTION OF SOCIETY THAT YOU MAY NOT PERSONALLY LIKE.. AS ITS THE CHILDREN IS WHAT REALLY MATTER AND NOT YOUR OWN PERSONAL VIEWS...ALL PEDOPHILES ARE SICK EVIL PEOPLE AND SHOULD BE ROOTED OUT OF ALL SECTIONS OF SOCIETY... AND IF ITS HAPPENING IN THE CHURCH ITS ALL AROUND US.
STEVENSTAR | Mar 03, 2013, 12:39 PM EST
pilib04 | Mar 01, 2013, 05:32 PM EST It's always about men. No one has ever considered the possibility of WOMENPRIESTS. Womenpriests make sense in every possible way. They address the issue of full participation of women in our liturgy and church. The real ending of Sexism in the Catholic Church. The end of the male hierarchy in the Catholic Church. The end of 2000 years of Misogyny (women hating) in the Catholic Church. With Womenpriests we would all but eliminate the rapes of boys by priests, something that a married clergy WILL NOT do.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WHEN I READ YOU IGNORANT COMMENT I JUST THOUGHT I HAD TO ASK YOU .. DO YOU REALLY THINK THE MARRIED CLERGY WOULD NOT ABUSE LITTLE CHILDREN BOYS OR GIRLS YOU SILLY WOMAN ?? A PEDOPHILE IS A PEDOPHILE BE HE MARRIED OR SINGLE BE HE GAY OR STRAIGHT.. AND PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THE HUGE AMOUNT OF MARRIED MEN OUT THERE WHO HAVE WIVES AND FAMILIES AND ARE MARRIED AND WHO STILL GO AND SEXUALLY ABUSE THEIR OWN CHILDREN OR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS.. I FIND YOUR NARROW MINDED LITTLE COMMENT THAT IF THE PRIESTS WERE ALLOWED TO MARRY WOMEN THIS WOULD ALL STOP ... WHAT AN IGNORANT LITTLE PERSON YOU ARE !!
falconflash | Mar 03, 2013, 11:09 AM EST
Priests should be free to leave and married, but married priests? No. The parishioners don't want to pay for Juniors dental bills or college tuition....but priest from say age 22-30 and then switch to deacon, sure.
RobinForester | Mar 03, 2013, 05:19 AM EST
Would'nt the sons or daughters of MARRIED Priests make better future Priests than others, and could I insert into any arguements 'the wasted sperm theory', meaning how many wonderful people has the world lost because their fathers and mothers were not allowed to marry and have families? I won't bother trying to find a list of famous people whoese father was a Vicar or Chruch Minister as the list would be too long to be allowed on this forum. Just a passing thought to share .........
seanomelb | Mar 02, 2013, 07:25 PM EST
What a sad person Cillowen must be. He may be a priest flouting his twisted logic on this site.
merefalow | Mar 02, 2013, 06:53 PM EST
celibicy is against nature,as a descendant of apes the need to reproduce is natural,but in the world of theology or christian theology that urge was supposed to be submerged,controlled,sublimated by love of god,the temptations of the flesh negated.Not a great deal of evidence that that was practised either in the past or present,Whats happened in the church is rotten beond belief and the rot was from the top down with NO no leadership or condemnation displayed,worse than corrupt,and its why so many turned from it and will continue to turn untill it cleans and redeems itself,there is positively no place in the church for peodphile priests.
OFlionnC | Mar 02, 2013, 01:44 PM EST
True that celibacy is a disciplinary regulation and not church doctrine but I don't see how eliminating it will improve things. A child abuser is a child abuser whether married or not. Better scrutiny in seminaries and transparency when abusers are found is the better way to deal with this horrible situation.
pilib04 | Mar 02, 2013, 11:18 AM EST
SingleDonald, go raibh maith agat.
BishopWalsh | Mar 02, 2013, 09:46 AM EST
Maureen Hawkins makes a number of important points here. I would like to add that some historians claim that first missionaries to Ireland were not Europeans but rather Assyrian or Chaldean Christians who brought with them the pristine Christian faith and practice which allowed for both married and celibate clergy, just as the Eastern Church allows up to today. While the Church of the East does not have women priests, it still has active Deaconesses who preach, teach, baptize and administer.
Smyrnian | Mar 02, 2013, 07:19 AM EST
Maureen - very well said! Thank you.
cillowen | Mar 01, 2013, 08:15 PM EST
would you like seeing priests snotty nose brats running about the church while moomy is doing her thing with other actors be they ac or dc.
aloistmartin | Mar 01, 2013, 07:51 PM EST
Imagine a Day when even Enda Kenny or the average Unionist, could become a Catholic Priest ?
SingleDonald | Mar 01, 2013, 07:02 PM EST
If I were elected Pope, these are the immediate revisions I would make: 1) There are no such things as "impure thoughts". A woman's body is not "dirt" to a man, nor is a man's body "dirt" to a woman. 2) There is nothing wrong with guys looking at Playboy, or girls looking at Playgirl. Curiosity about the opposite sex is healthy, so long as the person being regarded consents to the viewing (medical exam, nude beach, sports locker room, art model, etc.) 3) Sexual activity prior to marriage is not a sin. The physical & emotional needs of one's partner should be addressed. No woman should be treated like a "piece of meat", nor should any man be victimized by "gold digging". 4) Priests should be allowed to date & marry women, even those from their own parish. 5) Women priests should be welcomed. Through the centuries, many nuns & lay people have been very dedicated to humanitarian causes. Therefore, it is only fair & logical that women be given the choice of becoming priests.
seanomelb | Mar 01, 2013, 05:39 PM EST
Is there a bigger picture here!! The accusations made against O'Brien only days after he gave the nod for married ptriests is no accident and may have been instigated by Rome to silence him. Is their a gay priest collective all the way to rome!!
pilib04 | Mar 01, 2013, 05:32 PM EST
It's always about men. No one has ever considered the possibility of WOMENPRIESTS. Womenpriests make sense in every possible way. They address the issue of full participation of women in our liturgy and church. The real ending of Sexism in the Catholic Church. The end of the male hierarchy in the Catholic Church. The end of 2000 years of Misogyny (women hating) in the Catholic Church. With Womenpriests we would all but eliminate the rapes of boys by priests, something that a married clergy WILL NOT do.
AlunPalmer | Mar 01, 2013, 05:05 PM EST
Celibacy is against nature, and it has existed for only the latter half of the history of the church so far. Why not just have more and more deacons (who can marry) until in the end there are no more actual priests (who cannot)? That seems to be the easiest way out of the thicket.
CitizenWhy | Mar 01, 2013, 04:48 PM EST
In the Eastern Roman Empire, Christian and lasting into the 1400s, generals were castrated in order to make sure their children would not steal royal property or aspire to usurp the throne. In the West, with the Roman imperial administrative structure and army gone, the church served as the unifying and civilizing force. In order to prevent the children of priests from stealing church property, the church imposed the rule of celibacy. This did not eliminate married priest or eliminate the children of priests, it simply made the children illegitimate and ineligible to inherit. ... But celibacy has now been surrounded with theological rationalizations and myths of spiritual necessity so the church will not back down. ... P.S. The theological rationalization for the Byzantines' castrating generals was to make the imperial court and structure resemble the hierarchy of heaven, making of the generals analogs for archangels. Of course the Byzantines, more cynical than the ernest westerners, knew this was absurd.
AmericanReader | Mar 01, 2013, 04:21 PM EST
I very much agree with Cardinal O'Brien. Priests allowed to marry and have children will bring realistic energy to the church and make the vocation multidimensional and attractive to a wider circle of qualified candidates in the 21st Century.
SeanDavie | Mar 01, 2013, 04:04 PM EST
It was always wrong trying to fit all priests, by universal mandate, into the same charisma, something which the New Testament never allowed or advised. (See Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians 9:4-5; 1 Cor. 7:7-9; 1 Tim. 3: 1-5; 1 Tim. 4:1-5). True Celibacy must be between the individual and his or her God, not an imposed precondition for priestly ministry. Insisting that all who are called to be priests are also called to celibacy, has resulted in emotional and affective confusion as well as passive rebellion. Rome would do well to face up to the centuries-old calamity it has made.
Mick10000 | Mar 01, 2013, 02:04 PM EST
Nicomax,you are right on with the first cause...property. The other is abject loyalty church above family for the clergy. The is some justification through readings of Paul, but a careful reading reveals that Paul was voicing his own struggles with the flesh and feelings of misogyny. The real problem here is Aquinian theology. It states that a person can be homosexual but only sins if he/she acts on their orientation. This makes the celibate priesthood a magnet for repressed gay Catholics. The benefits of a married clergy would be manifold. At present, going to a priest for marriage counseling is like going to a vegetarian butcher. And finally, the term "father" would be much more realistic!
IrelandNorth | Mar 01, 2013, 01:59 PM EST
If Christ wedded his beloved Miriam of Migdal and performed is first miracle at their wedding feast of Caana, when his mother was concerned about running out of wine for their guests, where does the institutional church get its precedent for celibacy. Time for this misygonist peccadillo to end.
Smyrnian | Mar 01, 2013, 01:49 PM EST
Not being married does not turn men gay. What a silly concept.
irishmexican43 | Mar 01, 2013, 01:44 PM EST
As a former priest dispensed from the vow of celibacy I feel quite uncomfortable when I read so much so glibly said about celibacy, married priests, etc. A couple of points: 1- In and of itself, a "married priesthood" would not solve the problem of pedophilia in the Church, because ANYBODY can be a pedophile: young or old, male, female, straight or gay, married or single. Because Child Sexual Abuse is such a horrible reality and has no simple solution, we prefer to think of ways that we can "control" it. It is very scary and something that all parents have to educate their children about to prevent them falling into the clutches of child/youth sex abusers. 2- It also seems clear that Church Authorities [the Hierarchy] could change the [Church] law of celibacy so that it became optional for those who want to be ordained into the Catholic diocesan priesthood [religious priests are supposed to have their own particular vocation to poverty, chastity and obedience]. But the law has been there for so long it has become grafted onto Church Tradition and only a very courageous and wise pope would know how to gradually go about "dismantling" it. I believe the Catholic Hierarchy should be encouraged to begin the long process of change of obligatory celibacy -a kind of contradiction in terms because celibacy is a gift freely given by God and freely accepted by the individual- can begin. However, I don't think it helps to "beat up" on the Hierarchy or the Pope. People tend to become more stubborn when we offend them or try to force them.
Will Hamilton | Mar 01, 2013, 01:38 PM EST
News from the Catholic Church Limited just gets better and better. If the CCL continues to insist on celibacy it's doomed. If, on the other hand, the CCL allows it's troops to marry them "dirty filthy women" that's it's been denigrating for hundreds of years it's still doomed. Excellent!
McNamara31 | Mar 01, 2013, 01:29 PM EST
JamieLM You've totally missed the point of my post. In my post I address the celibacy "mindset" that has distorted the judgments coming out of the Vatican.As I said, I do believe if the clergy had been parents the abuse scandal would not have gone on as it did because their focus would have been on the children, rather than a hierarchy that selfishly focused on protecting their image.The major aspect that enabled these predators was an "all male" "band of brothers" point of view, similar to the one that shielded Jerry Sundusky by Pennsylvania State. I never stated that marriage could cure pedophilia and don't know where you got that from.
Nicomax | Mar 01, 2013, 01:04 PM EST
Priests used to be married, but then the irksome issue of property got in the way, and to avoid having it go to a priest's offspring [first son, most likely], they banned married priests. Of course this did not stop priests from finding solace in other places. But now since so much church property has been sold off to pay legal fees and judgements in the abuse cases, property is less of an issue now, so let the priests marry, and also allow women priests. Actually priestly couples makes a lot of practical sense.
joan1954 | Mar 01, 2013, 12:30 PM EST
If it is ever allowed, it should be optional. But the church takes forever to do things. How many women would want to share their lives with a man on call 24/7 and it would take a special type of women to know that the church would be the priests first priority and his family, while important, plays second fiddle to the Church. I was told that long years ago by the wife of my boss who was an Episcopal Priest. At least she taught him to keep his sermons to a reasonable time.
PhlutiePhan | Mar 01, 2013, 12:22 PM EST
"It all depends on what the meaning of 'is' is". Not "if" but "what". St. Peter was married but "had to travel". My guess is that his wife had died. The seminary training system has been infiltrated and taken over by a gay culture. T. Dolan found that to be a fact in the Irish seminaries. However, what will replace it? The Jesuits and its "black pope" according to the writings of Malachi Martin have been waiting for their opportunity. The "priesthood of the laity" wants to create that one world socialist government Church. Unfortunately, Hillary, Oprah, and Ellen all want "to be all that they can be" without interference from a little document called Sacred Scripture. As Vatican II advisor Father Malachi Martin stated, it will be interesting.
Demirarslan | Mar 01, 2013, 12:21 PM EST
Hi, How clever of Cardinal O Brian to break his story on celibacy, days before he was accused of sexual assault, I find it difficult to understand what you people want, a transparent church when it suits your own end, or a cover up when it does not. does it matter when a molestation took place it can take a life time to come to terms with what happened I know and it was a brother in law in my case and I FOUGHT HIM OFF AT THAT.I WAS 13. you think this is an easy subject to speak of. Cardinal o Brian by the looks of things was not interested in Marriage, because if these young men experienced sexual molestation at his hands well need we say more. There is more sexual molestation goes on among families than ever did in the Catholic church, maybe it would be a good idea if some of you very clever people looked at statistics in this subject in families and the ministers in the married protestant churches and you will find many cover ups and many more incidents of this behaviour. Or is it just the Catholic church you disapprove of?.Praying for you all. Ps The priests are not God if you believe in the fundamentals of the catholic faith nothing men could do would stop you practicing , or maybe you do not really want to.
ancavker | Mar 01, 2013, 12:00 PM EST
Mc Nam: I do not disagree. I am just stating it will be a massive endeavor. And a host of new questions will arise. If it happens it will not be overnight.
handsome68 | Mar 01, 2013, 11:56 AM EST
When guys at my boys-only high school asked our teachers, mostly ICBs, about celibacy back in the late '50s, early '60's, one response I remember is that it takes a (certain) "charism", in this context meaning spiritual gift, to be celibate. Back then, we were told masturbation was a mortal sin. Therefore, the naive (alright, alright,--me) might have equated masturbation with, e.g., Hitler's or Stalin's genocides. I was a super-shy nerdy-nerd back then, not an athlete who might have learned more through sweat or whatever. I notice that much was overlooked when the individual priests were great fund raisers.
eiriamach | Mar 01, 2013, 11:53 AM EST
There are good reasons for ending the celibacy rule, but as others point out, permission to marry would not end RC pedophilia. And this idea also over-simplifies: "Anglican priests who turned to Catholicism and who are married already make the rule moot." Anglican priests who join RC's Anglican ordinariates receive exemptions from the celibacy rule only for themselves, not for the next generation of priests. And the Anglican priests say they joined RC because, unlike Anglicanism, it is "unchanging"!
jamieLM | Mar 01, 2013, 11:49 AM EST
@McNamara31, a man who is a pedophile and single will still be a pedophile after marriage. Marriage is not a cure for pedophilia because pedophilia is NOT caused by celibacy. If that were the case, all celibate men would be pedophiles and no married men would ever be engaged in this type of behavior. We know that this just isn't true. However, allowing a single man, who has strong sexual urges for another ADULT, to marry is a different case altogether. We know that some priests have fathered children because they couldn't control their sexual attraction to women. These priests were not pedophiles.
McNamara31 | Mar 01, 2013, 11:37 AM EST
mreinhar2001 |Yes, remember we (Roman Catholics) were part of the Orthodox Church before the schism and then Rome deviated from the church's tradition and forced celibacy.At the Council of Nicea in 325, the bishops ruled that any priest who divorced his wife “on pretext of piety” should be kicked out of the church. However by 1074, the Roman Church reversed this ruling, and threw out any priest who would NOT cast off his family. And since most priests were still married at the time, this was the greatest mass divorce in world history.
McNamara31 | Mar 01, 2013, 11:29 AM EST
ancavker Two Billion (of our) dollars have been paid out by the church because of the "repeated" abuse by predatory priests over decades. Yes, a married priesthood would be more expensive; however look at the monumental price they have paid so far in dollars and lost faith. A greater part of the abuse tragedy was an unmarried male mindset that protected the brotherhood, rather than the children, I believe a married priesthood, especially at the diocesan level, would have eliminated abuse within the priesthood quickly.Many of the "Orders" take a vow of poverty, so a married priesthood would not work for men choosing to enter an order, however they would know that and men wanting a married life, could become diocesan priest were there is an ability to provide.
jamieLM | Mar 01, 2013, 11:08 AM EST
Pedophiles can be gay, straight, MARRIED, single and can be members of any faith or be atheists. Marriage won't eliminate pedophile priests. Celibacy doesn't cause it. It's a severe psychological and personality disorder. It's the screening process for potential priests that needs improvement. Attacking pedophile priest cover-ups isn't an attack on Catholic doctrine and theology regarding God/Jesus. The Catholic faithful have a right to demand that their church officials protect children from pedophile priests. Even 1 pedophile priest is one too many since he can abuse and damage the lives of many children in a life-long career. Catholic, or not, none of us should tolerate this behavior from anyone in or outside of a church.
mreinhar2001 | Mar 01, 2013, 10:33 AM EST
@McNamara31: Perhaps a better case for your argument would be to look at the Eastern Orthodox churches. IN many of those, what you describe s still the norm. Married proests with celibate (and monk) bishops.
mreinhar2001 | Mar 01, 2013, 10:28 AM EST
@ancavker has a relevant point. In fact the very points that ancavker raises are some of the reasons mandatory celibacy started centuries ago.
mreinhar2001 | Mar 01, 2013, 10:26 AM EST
RE: "If a pope can resign surely a priest can get married," Silly Rabbit! I think we can mix a few other concepts like that and see what we get. There is "mixing apples with oranges," Then there is that all time classic, "if firemen where res suspenders, then are all men wearing red suspenders firemen?" Oh anonymous author of this article, why don't you take these ideas and see what other unrelated ocncepts you can mix together to draw a conclusion.
Chris1791 | Mar 01, 2013, 10:09 AM EST
What a stupid commentary. True Pedophiles are responsible for only a small percentage of child sexual molestations. Half of child sexual abusers are the parents of the victims; other relatives commit an additional 18% of the offenses. So much for cutting down on child molestations if the priest would only marry! Being celibate is following the 12 Apostles who were the first 'priest' following Christ. That is why Priest aren't married and dedicate their lives to Christ. This publication really hates the Catholic Church. The population of Priest that have these problems are equal to the general population but you act like 100% of Priest are sexual predators. Your hate of the Catholic Church is showing.
jamieLM | Mar 01, 2013, 09:54 AM EST
@ancavker, you make valid points. Paying support for married priests would come from the same source that has been paying for restitution in all the child sex abuse cases. The parishioners. Protestants manage to budget the money to pay for their pastors and families. Often, the wives work, so it's a 2 income family and they usually limit the number of children they have to 2 or 3. I'm sure not all priests would choose to marry, but you're right; there are issues to be considered. I agree with Kenglish; it's not going to happen anytime soon.
Maureen15 | Mar 01, 2013, 09:52 AM EST
The Lord had 12 Apostles....surely some of them were married when the Lord called them to follow Him. I don't recall ever seeing in the Bible, that a Priest can not be married. I believe it is economic decision now and not a spiritual decision. The Church must allow celibacy to end. It might not be a bad idea for them to also consider allowing woman as Priest too.
IrishGrandfathe | Mar 01, 2013, 09:51 AM EST
Studies have demonstrated that, by far, the greatest majority of pedophiles are married. Therefore, the thought that ending celibacy for priests would present a solution is totally without merit.
biggles008 | Mar 01, 2013, 09:42 AM EST
Celibacy..is Unatural
johnshiel | Mar 01, 2013, 09:35 AM EST
pretty good statement of the case for dropping mandatory celibacy...
Kenglish | Mar 01, 2013, 09:23 AM EST
I agree that celibacy would end many of the Church's problems, but it won't happen any time soon. In my opinion, the Pope sped up O'Brien's retirement not because of the scandal, but because he advised ending celibacy.
McNamara31 | Mar 01, 2013, 09:05 AM EST
I totally agree with faberm1. The choice of a celibate priesthood was the decision of "men" for economical and political reasons. For the first 12 centuries after Christ, the Catholic Church had a married priesthood, except for the bishops who remained unmarried. The celibacy mindset has distorted the judgments and perception coming out of the Vatican and goes against the natural order God created on earth. Undoing celibacy, basically undoes a historical mistake which we are now paying the consequences on every level. I believe if the clergy were parents the abuse scandal would not have gone on as it did because their focus would have been on the children, rather than a hierarchy that selfishly focused on themselves.
ancavker | Mar 01, 2013, 09:01 AM EST
I have no issue with ending the celibacy ban, but the logistics will be immense. If young Priests marry and have children, will they need to have a full time job? Will the church pay to support their families, where will those funds come from. Also many Catholic churcges function rvryday rather than once a week as many protestant churches do. Who will sya the 9:00 ocllock mass on weejday mornings? Then there are the schools, colleges, hospitals, etc. The logistics will be enormous.
faberm1 | Mar 01, 2013, 08:44 AM EST
Allowing priests to marry would bring the RC church a little closer to acting in a Biblical way. A celibate priesthood is a creation of man not of God.