There's discussion going on in various circles about some long-standing traditions and the wisdom behind them. For instance, the practice of priestly celibacy in the Western Church (read the Roman Catholic Church) has been a constant practice since the middle-ages. The reasons for this depend on the sources you consult, but the reality is that although the wisdom of celibacy as a requirement for priesthood has been questioned, it remains in effect and there doesn't seem to be any indication that it will change in the near future.
The present Holy Father, Benedict XVI reaffirmed this practice in his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, number 24. His confirmation reads, 'In continuity with the great ecclesial tradition ... (priestly celibacy) ... 'remains obligatory in the Latin tradition.' In so doing, he has continued the teaching that has been affirmed by his predecessors for the past 1300 years.
The recent change in leadership of the German Bishops Conference, the administrative body which unites the voices of the bishops of that country has introduced a newcomer to the post of President of that body. His Excellency, Robert Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg, was elected on February 12, 2008, and has already voiced his opinion that celibacy as a discipline for priests should not be an unquestioned discipline. On February 29 of this year, the newly re-organized Catholic New Times - Sensus Fidelium, an online version of the now defunct print media, published an editorial about Archbishop Zollitsch's comments.
In contrast to his predecessor, Cardinal Lehmann, who held the position of President of the German Bishops Conference for the past number of years, the Archbishop of Freiburg weighs in on the more progressive side of the argument. Knowing that the Church is usually very slow to make any changes, especially of this magnitude, the debate may well rage on for quite some time yet.
2 comments:
If Roman Catholic priests were allowed to marry, do you think that in today's society one could devote himself to both Church and family in ways that would satisfy both?
The possibility for a priest to devote himself to his work and to family is a complicated one and deserves much more deliberation than can be described here.
We learn about this reality from the lived experience of priests in some Eastern Churches such as the Ukranian Catholic, Greek Catholic and other such traditions. In addition, some of the experience of the protestant churches (Anglican, United Church of Canada, Presbyterian and Baptist tradtions) also help us to understand the complexity of this situation.
The matter of devotion to family and to the people of God has shown itself to be complementary in some cases and destructive in others.
There is some evidence that married clergy were present even in the Roman Church in its very earliest days.
The wisdom of the decision to mandate celibacy for clergy in the Western tradition has led to questions in some instances, but has remained constant. This constancy demonstrates that there must be wisdom in this decision.
Post a Comment