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I always thought that they were celibate because the church didn't want responsibility for any children married or indeed even unmarried priests may produce....

Muffyxx

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23 Feb 2013 23:44




I always thought that they were celibate because the church didn't want responsibility for any children married or indeed even unmarried priests may produce....




That was a spectacular failure in past centuries wasn't it? :-D :-D :-D

Indeed :-D

and another allegation hits the headlines

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283536/Britain-s-Catholic-bishop-accused-inappropriate-behaviour-priests.html

lololol should I put on my surprised face? Nah!!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283190/Pope-resigns-Vatican-backlash-dossier-rumours-linking-Church-gay-network-sex-parties.html

Oh dear, does anyone remember some of us and our reactions to the word 'resign'?

I'll tape my mouth NOW. :-D

Not convinced that story is necessarily the smoking gun..but..like Sue...smelt a rat from the start and still do..........

Oh no.......... my heart sinks each time that sort of story is released. :-(

Will we ever know the truth behind it all......... :-(

Is it only the Daily Mail which releases these headlines?



However, IF the time ever comes when priests are eventually allowed to marry, I do wonder how the authorities will handle it.


Errol, it isn't a foregone conclusion that someone marrying a priest 'knows what they are in for' believe me. They may 'think' they know, but reality can be very, very, different.


We had a dear friend whose wife left him after several years of marriage.....she had, admittedly, been part of a group of girls who thought the new curate was very 'dishy' and, I can remember her saying to me proudly "and I was the one who got him". It seems as though being married to the curate didn't actually live up to her expectations. He was a broken man and he was the one who brought up their three young children.


I have known clergy wives who married men who were in perfectly ordinary secular jobs who then later, had the 'call' to go into ministry. Some wives adapted well to the change in lifestyle - some didn't.


If you are unsure as to Joeva's sources re the history of celibacy then please, do your own research and come back to us.


This subject is certainly an interesting 'hot potato' but one which, I would imagine, is very much on a back burner within the catholic church at the moment.

I have just counted 28 traditions within Roman Catholicism that have no base in Scripture. Infallibility of Pope, continued virginal state of Mary, Mary as co-redemptrix of sins, celibacy of priests, Pope must die in office.

I think they have realised they can concentrate on being the "wicket keepers" of Christianity whilst letting some of the rest of the non essential add-ons disappear slowly.

And I look at retirement of a Pope for the first time in 600 years as a step forward. In my denomination he would - until quite recently - be called a "worn out old preacher" (sic) and pensioned off. He will be a retired man tomorrow and I wish him a long and prayerful and happy retirement.

And I look at marriage of priests as a second step forward towards unification firstly with other Catholic (non Rome) churches. And perhaps establish closer links with Protestanism also (which occasionally needs a stiffer backbone imho)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/21/pope-retired-amid-gay-bishop-blackmail-inquiry

It's not just in the Daily Mail.

Wrt knowing what you're getting into when marrying a priest/vicar I wouldn't have a clue. However, I'd make damn sure they knew what they were getting into when they married me...it works both ways ;-) :-D

I started this thread an my opening post was a question as to whether Catholic Priests should be allowed to marry or not, it did not and was not, intended to be about allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Cardinal Keith O'Brien or anyone else in the Catholic Church, so let's not turn it into a discussion about that :-|

All I will say is, Scotland has a very thorough criminal investigation system which is operated in conjunction with The Lord Advocate and the Procurator Fiscals. The holders of these offices have the power to direct investigations by the police, a power usually only used where there is an issue of public interest at stake. I am therefore surprised the individuals who complained to the Papal Nuncio did not take their complaints to the police :-S

No doubt as the Conclave to elect a new Pope draws closer more and more allegations will appear. In the meantime if anyone wants to discuss these sort of allegations I suggest they start a new thread.

I am a thricer at church today - two English, one Welsh service. So will not be able to follow any of debate till this evening.

I just hope it does not go down a yucky Daily Mail route. (Glass houses, Leveson comes to mind)

I felt at beginning of debate I had established that Roman Catholic priests and nuns behave remarkably similarly to the general population. Possibly a bit more constrained in their behaviour but not much.

And, like politicians, they are public figures open to public scrutiny. And they make good copy and sell papers and books.

If anyone did an in-depth survey about the habits of regulars at your local pub, you would be more than a little shocked. But only Jeremy Kyle will be at all interested :-) :-)

Apologies to OFITG.

My final comment on the links: this isn't just in the yukky Daily Mail, it's in all the European newspapers including the Italian press and therefore worldwide.

It's absolutely no good starting a new thread because it will be RRd before the page has refreshed.

Sue

Threads often go off at tangents, it's par for the course on GR, no reason why this one should be any different, I'd say.

I'm not a catholic and have no respect whatsoever for the catholic church. I suspect some married priests will just behave as badly as some celebate priests have done for centuries. And the church will attempt to cover it up.

Should they be allowed to marry? I'm not sure. They know what the job description is when they start training. But as St Paul the Mysogynist says,

"if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion."

Ephesians 4:29-32 ESV /
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.


Romans 12:18 ESV /
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

1 John 4:20 ESV /
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.


The above quotes are from out of the bible that if you think about them may be relivent to what this thread is about each in thair own small way. It's just a pitty sometimes that people don't think of the things they read when on chat boards like this one. :-)

supercrutch, no need for an apology,

My comments were general comments, as I do not want to be part of a discussion that degenerates into something which at the moment are only allegations, if it does then I will delete my thread.

We saw from recent events when Lord McAlpine was wrongly named as a paedophile, the damage that can be done to peoples reputations from spreading rumours based on allegations :-(

Before anyone asks, I am not a Roman Catholic, I am a Scottish Protestant and I subscribe to the view that no individual has the right to be elected to be God or Christ's chief apostle here on Earth.

seems to me that the general consensus of opinion is that they should be allowed to marry - it's human nature

AnnCardiff, I agree, I have been going back through the thread and think that is the consensus of most people :-)