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cleanhippie

(19,705 posts)
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 10:26 AM Apr 2012

Pope Denounces Priests Who Question Catholic Teachings On Celibacy And Women Ordination

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has denounced priests who have questioned church teaching on celibacy and ordaining women, saying Thursday they were disobeying his authority to try to impose their own ideas on the church.

Benedict made the rare and explicit criticism from the altar of St. Peter's Basilica in his homily on Holy Thursday, when priests recall the promises they made when ordained.

In 2006, a group of Austrian priests launched the Pfarrer Initiative, or pastor initiative, a call to disobedience aimed at abolishing priestly celibacy and opening the clergy to women to relieve the shortages of priests.

Last June, the group's members essentially threatened a schism, saying the Vatican's refusal to hear their complaints left them no choice but to "follow our conscience and act independently."

They issued a revised call to disobedience in which they said parishes would celebrate Eucharistic services without priests, that they would let women preach, and they pledged to speak out publicly and frequently for female and married priests.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/05/pope-rips-into-dissident-_0_n_1405074.html?ref=religion
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Pope Denounces Priests Who Question Catholic Teachings On Celibacy And Women Ordination (Original Post) cleanhippie Apr 2012 OP
Well, just for that… NV Whino Apr 2012 #1
This is interesting. rug Apr 2012 #2
Just one more reason that Augustine's influence on the Western Church Leontius Apr 2012 #3
 

rug

(82,333 posts)
2. This is interesting.
Sat Apr 7, 2012, 11:14 AM
Apr 2012

The Pfarrer Initiative http://www.pfarrer-initiative.at/ is associated with the U.S. Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church http://arcc-catholic-rights.net/ .

While the Vatican has asserted scriptural and theological authority for a male-only priesthood, there is still a theological crack in that position which this Initiative is trying to break open.

Celibacy is purely a matter of tradition and church discipline, which even the Vatican concedes is not scripturally or theologically required.

In fact, to me, the import of this pronouncement is that it signals a reassertion of Vatican discipline, power and authority in anticipation of the demise of this Pope. It's putting Schoenbron, a papabile, in a tight spot.

Overall, I agree with Fr, Schueller, "I cannot see it as a very sharp wording."

It's unfortunate that Benedict, "The Servant of the Servants of God". took the occasion of repeating Christ's public act of humility, washing the feet of his disciples, to make this haughty, arrogant pronouncement.

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