First I have nothing against catholics ok? My very good friend is catholic, I just don't like the catholic system/leadership. I would like to share something with you. I am in Italy in the army and currently there is this priest that the vatican wants out of the church. Now get this they won't him out because he got some woman pregnant. I don't know if she is his girlfriend or finace or what. But he won't leave the church, which is the right thing to do. So what I am telling you is that I was told by a catholic that marriage is not forbidden but discouraged. But as you can see it is forbidden by the vatican which is your headquarters.
2007-09-07 02:44:11 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I have my facts mixed up? Ok you are me and you know better, actually a catholic woman told me this buddy. Don't tell me I don't know what I am talking about.
2007-09-07 02:48:52 · update #1
Look I am in fact showing them somthing they do not see, but that does not mean I am making a mockaree of them. spell it however
2007-09-07 02:50:46 · update #2
Yes it is the Roman Catholic Church which is the foundation and source. So if United States catholic churches follow the vatican "policies" will you not think this is wrong too?
2007-09-07 02:55:42 · update #3
Well it wouldn't be the first time a priest got married. Priest used to be married. Even Bishops. The Lutheran faith was founded by a disgruntled Bishop who was married to a nun. Go figure. You can search it out, at some point the Cardinals decided that priest should not have sex and you see what a mess that has led to. The three most important things that need to occur within the Catholic church are in my opinion; absolutely remove all pedophiles from their ranks, allow some priest to be married, and to allow Nuns to say mass.
If i would make a prayer it would be for just that.
2007-09-07 07:04:45 · answer #1 · answered by Perry's Corner 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, let me clear up at least a little bit of this.
A priest never leaves the priesthood altogether. If he chooses to leave the ACTIVE ministry to marry or whatever, he becomes a "laicized" priest. He still has a mass kit with him wherever he lives, and in an emergency, he could administer the Sacraments (i.e., baptism, Holy Eucharist, Last Rites, Confession).
That may be what you're hearing about "they won't let him out." He'll always be a priest. But they *will* let him leave active ministry -- in fact, if he's sexually active, he's broken one of his vows to God that he took upon entering the priesthood, so they pretty much HAVE to do something about it.
However, as you noted, the vows of celibacy taken by priests are voluntary. There are married priests in the Roman Catholic priesthood -- some Episcopalian priests who were married and converted to Catholicism have been allowed to become Catholic priests despite being married. So it's not an absolute RULE, it's a DISCIPLINE.
If this priest you speak of is in an area where priests are in great shortage, they may have asked him to stay in active ministry but to enter a period of penance and re-formation so that he can marry the mother of his child and still be an active priest to assist the Church.
The Church cannot and will not FORCE any man to be a priest. He may be feeling pressure to stay in the priesthood by his bishop and the Vatican, or he may be feeling a measure of guilt because he knows the people in his parish really need him to be their priest, but it's not an issue of the Vatican refusing to let him out because he got some woman pregnant.
2007-09-07 03:02:08 · answer #2 · answered by sparki777 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
One of the vows that a Catholoic priest takes is a vow of celibacy. The woman who told you that marriage for priests is not forbidden, but discouraged, is incorrect.
Onthe other hand, there are a few hundred married Roman Catholic priests. These men were married ministers in the Lutheran and Episcopalean church who later converted to Catholicism and became Roman Catholic priests.
2007-09-07 02:53:43 · answer #3 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
All due respect, but in some way or another you've got your facts mixed up.
If a priest wants out of the priesthood, nobody is going to stop him. What, do they have him chained to a wall in the Vatican dungeon? It doesn't work that way.
And since you seem to get the words "want" and "won't" mixed up, it's kinda hard to tell what you're saying, but if he wants to leave the church for any or no reason, neither the pope nor anybody else will stop him.
And a Catholic told you that it "is not forbidden but discouraged" for Catholics to get married? That's not right either. The Catholic Church encourages its members to get married.
Now, if you're talking about priests marrying, that isn't allowed. It has long been the tradition of the Catholic Church to either allow a man to become a priest or to marry, but not both.
But Catholics marrying is not forbidden by the Vatican, my "headquarters."
2007-09-07 02:47:41 · answer #4 · answered by Acorn 7 · 5⤊ 3⤋
When a man becomes a priest, he VOLUNTARILY takes the vow of celibacy. He is waiving the privilege of marriage. When a priest impregnates a woman, he is breaking the vow of celibacy - and you don't have a problem with this?
Just because the rest of the world is lax on sexual promiscuity doesn't mean the Church clergy has to become lax on sexual promiscuity.
Priestly celibacy, while a discipline - not Dogma, is still based on the Bible.
Only in RARE cases will the Church grant the Ordination of a married man; usually only when a Protestant minister (with family) wants to convert to Catholicism and become a clergyman. That's all.
When it comes to single men who voluntarily receive Holy Ordination, they are waiving the opportunity to receive Holy Matrimony.
2007-09-07 05:06:34 · answer #5 · answered by Daver 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Priests take a vow of celibacy. they are not allowed to be married in the Catholic church. Funny thought, they were allowed to marry centuries ago, but one of the Pope (a Pius mabye) changed that rule. I'm thinking divorce was costing the church too much money, but that's just a guess.
Anyway, the catholic rules system is weird - if you're in catholic school and get married, they kick you out. If you're in catholic school and get pregnant out of wedlock, you can stay. Doesn't make sense to me. I went to catholic school with a pregnant girl, and we discussed this weird rule often.
2007-09-07 02:53:48 · answer #6 · answered by sandand_surf 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
WHAT? A priest got a woman pregnant?
Where have you been hiding, 'friend'? Why are there so many mestizos in former Spanish colonies? Come one, don't blame it all on the soldiers, now.
BUT, the Catholic church survives, and is STRONG in these places, and I happen to come from such a place.
SO, a priest gets a woman pregnant. He does NOT have to leave the church for that reason!
WHAT'S YOUR POINT?
2007-09-07 02:57:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Priests are not allowed to have sexual relations with anyone and they are married and devoted to God and the Church. As for that particular situation, i can't really say.
2007-09-07 02:48:08 · answer #8 · answered by Becky 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I'm with you on that as well, having alot of friends who are catholic and not liking the system of leadership, much of which is inconsistant with biblical scripture. I do, however, enjoy the bond we have in Christ.
I think that you are speaking of Roman Catholicism and it may not be forbidden in other Catholic churches.
2007-09-07 02:51:18 · answer #9 · answered by sassinya 6 · 2⤊ 4⤋
I'm catholic, but not a practising one and i don't believe in all its views. I don't go to mass every sunday, I think it's a very strict religion and some priests are very hypocritical.
2007-09-07 02:51:00 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋