About the author- litigation lawyer in telecoms, taxation, criminal, labor, appellate, family law and corporate; a radio broadcaster, speaker, author a husband, a father, advocate for consumers, for justice www.angkapatiran.org and a sinner who wants to
be a saint. hilman1108@yahoo.com
Archbishop John Foley, who heads the Vatican’s social communications office, said it was too soon to say whether a specific proposal on making the tribunals more efficient would emerge from the synod. But he said the seeming consensus that appeared to be emerging was a correct “reading” of the trend.
Several synod participants who appeared at a news conference Thursday concurred that the priest shortage was among the major synod issues. But they dismissed reporters’ questions about whether married priests were an option, saying a celibate priesthood was not the reason for the shortage.
“The shortage of priests is a symptom of the problem,” said Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo of India. “The real problem is the crisis of faith.”
In his summary, Scola listed 17 questions for the bishops to consider as they meet in small discussion groups to draft proposals for the pope, including how they should respond to the “urgent duty” to offer the Eucharist to all the faithful, “even in mission countries and where there is a scarcity of priests.”
Scola noted that several bishops had raised the issue, including references to so-called “viri probati” or married men of proven virtue who could be ordained.
Others spoke of the need to better distribute the priests that exist, while several bishops of the Eastern rite, which allows married priests, spoke about their experiences.
“Various Eastern fathers referred to the practice of married priests in their churches, offering each one of us elements for a further careful evaluation of the choice of the Latin church to connect celibacy to ordained priesthood,” Scola said, according to the speech released Thursday by the Vatican.
“To this proposal, some fathers … have affirmed that the hypothesis of the ‘viri probati’ wasn’t a path worth traveling.”
Monsignor Sofron Stefan Mudry, of the Eastern rite Catholic church in Ukraine, echoed this sentiment at the news conference, saying a married priesthood brings “unending problems” to the church, including housing issues and the costs involved in supporting a priest with a family.
He said of his 400 priests, 360 are married, even though in the past, the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine had aimed to keep an equal number of married and celibate priests.
___
Associated Press writer Daniela Petroff contributed to this report.
Email Story IM Story Discuss Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORY
Recommend It:
Average (10 votes)
» Recommended Stories
Full Coverage: Papacy and the Vatican
Off the Wires
World’s Bishops Discuss Priest Shortage AP, Thu Oct 13, 1:54 PM ET No change in communion ban for divorced Catholics Reuters, Thu Oct 13, 9:43 AM ET Feature Articles
Benedict: An Effective Faith-Offensive? at Deutsche Welle, Aug 22 When the Pope and Pilgrims Have Gone at Deutsche Welle, Aug 22 News Stories
New Rules Affirm Pope Benedict’s Stance Against Gays at The Washington Post (reg. req’d), Oct 08 Controversial Issues Coming To Fore at Bishops’ Gathering at The Washington Post (reg. req’d), Oct 06 Opinion & Editorials
Church’s message lost on masses at Chicago Sun-Times, Sep 30 Pope Benedict’s challenge to the status quo at International Herald Tribune, Aug 18
World News
Iraqis Increase Security for Historic Vote AP U.N. Relief Chief Urges Faster Quake Aid AP At Least 85 Killed in Attacks in Russia AP U.S. Ambassador Detained in Zimbabwe AP In Dubai, the Sky’s No Limit Los Angeles Times Most Viewed - World
At Least 85 Killed in Attacks in Russia AP Thatcher Marks 80th Birthday With Big Bash AP Weah ahead in Liberia election but may face run-off Reuters Iraqis Increase Security for Historic Vote AP Iraq’s Allawi warns against Islamist rulers Reuters
All comments are moderated. Your comments will not appear here unless approved by the blog owner. Thank you.
