Question for Roman Catholics: what major changes do you see in your churches near future?

Question

I am not asking whether or not you support these things, but I am wondering if you think they will happen.

Will the Roman Catholic Church...

remove the condition of celibacy for priests

allow priests to marry

ordain women

allow same sex marriage

be more accepting of divorced persons

Do you see any of these things happening in the next few decades?

Here's how I see it

Same sex marriage: you'll never live to see it unless you live to be 300 years old

Women as priests. Maybe one day. There is no major doctrinal barriers there, and if they did it hundreds of thousands of women would want to be priests. They would have to build new schools and seminaries to support the massive influx.

Celibacy/married priesthood. That could still be far away. Rather, you'll have both men and women as priests but they'll have to be celibate

divorce. eventually they will lighten up on this one


What do you think?

Answer 1

Celibacy has never been a universal condition of presbyteral ordination. There are married men in the United States who are ordained to the priesthood. However, within the Roman Patriarchate, that is only permitted in narrow circumstances while it is quite common in other parts of the Catholic Church.

I do not see celibacy changing in the Roman Patriarchate because most people in the Patriarchate oppose it, it is only Americans, Canadians and Western Europeans who support it.

Priests have never been permitted to marry, even in the beginning, BUT married men have always been allowed to be priests, depending on where you lived. Some areas have never permitted it and some areas have always permitted it. It is a geography and culture issue as much as church discipline.

Women may not be ordained because they have never been ordained. The word Catholic means "all embracing," and "according to the whole." For a belief to be a Catholic belief it must have been held at all times and places. Since the ordination of women has not been believed in all times and places, it cannot ever be accepted. If it was not handed down clearly by the apostles, it cannot be done. No one has the authority to make such a change.

Same sex marriage is the same as above, if not always true, then it can never be changed.

Jesus rejects divorce very clearly, it is only the apostles who create annulments in limited circumstances. If Jesus rejects something, no one has the authority to alter it.

Answer 2

*Is Catholic*

1. Single people are ALWAYS called to be celibate. Never will that change.

2. Priests cannot marry. Catholics and Orthodox have never allowed priests to marry. HOWEVER, one may be married before they are ordained. The Roman Rite does not typically allow candidates for the priesthood to be married. This is practice not doctrine. Most other Catholics allow candidates for the priesthood to be married. I do not see this changing because a celibate priesthood is a specific charism of the Roman Rite and bad things have happened when we didn't enforce it or allowed married candidates.

3. There are three dogmatic teachings. Jesus did not intend for there to be women priests. There never were women priests. The Church has no ability to make women priests in the future.

4. Homosexuality is and always has been one of the major abominations that cry out to God for vengeance. There is a very small list of these and it has always been on it all the way back into Judaism and prior.

5. Divorce is not a problem. It is the getting remarried that is the problem. The Church can due two things, one accepting divorced people and second making sure it doesn't marry too many people that shouldn't get married. If there are all these annulments, then priests and bishops are not making sure that the marriages are sacramental in the first place.

Answer 3

There is a HUGE doctrinal barrier about woman priests. Every Mass atones for sin and the priest takes the place of Jesus and it was expressly explained that only the male animal was to be sacrificed to atone for sin. Jesus was male --women must never be a priest. This is the abomination standing in the spot where they shouldn't be, spoken of in Revelation. This is primarily why Mel Gibson had the Devil looking like a female but he was a male. The Church has always been called the Bride of Christ and it has always been taken care of by the Kings Eunuchs just like in the Book Of Esther. If a woman is supposedly taking the place of Jesus with his bride then this is saying yes to gay marriage and that is an abomination .The celibacy thing will never happen either and also the gay marriage thing will never happen. The Church knows that for all these years these things have stood the test of time and if other people want to break off from the Church and do these things--go right ahead and we will just have a fractionally smaller Church but more reverent and prayerful instead of the Liturgical nightmare some of the rogues have called for now under the guise of " The Spirit of Vatican II" The Vatican II Document had nothing to do with the abuses we saw in the Liturgy in some Parishes. That is all this so called "Progressive" thought.

Answer 4

The Catholic Church accepts divorced people but does marry (remarry) divorced people unless they get an annulment. But I'm divorced and am an active person in my church. They have never shunned me. I am not remarried and haven't even dated anyone since my divorce. I am devoted to myself and my son. (and God).

I don't see the Church changing any of these things except for maybe letting priest being married. Only because in the early centuries priests and bishops were married. So I can see the Church going back to that. All the other things that you mentioned, I say no to.

I do see other changes. The Vatican is wanting to put Latin back into the Mass during the consecration. And I would like to see all the church buidlings to have kneelers in them and all of them having the parishioners kneel during the consecration. And I'd like to have the bells ring then as well. I thnk too many of the churches, or priests, are getting too 'modernized' and I don't see much reverence during Mass anymore.

God bless!

Answer 5

Well, as far as the celibacy thing goes. . .you have to remember that Catholic priests are bound to the same sexual doctrines as are single Catholic men. No single people are supposed to have sex in Catholicism.

So that means they'd first have to revoke the celibacy on Catholic singles (technically, of course).

I think you'll see priests allowed to get married in the next 100 years or so. . .if there's a severe shortage of priests. You have to remember, 100 years in the Catholic church is like a week and a half to you and me.

I don't think the rest will happen in the next couple of centuries.

Answer 6

Thank you for your question. This is what I think will happen.

Same sex marriage - never happen, not in a million years.

Celibacy - I think it will become optional just like the Orthodx Church.

Divorce - I agree with you. They will be more liberal about it.

Women in the priesthood - I am all for it.

Peace and every blessing!