The Married Priest And The Iron Mask

by Rev. John Shuster

When a Roman Catholic priest leaves the all-male clerical lifestyle for married life, he departs wearing an iron mask. Some priests are aware of this mask, others are not since they have worn it for so long. A married priest must eventually deal with removing the mask if he is to be healthy and integral. To fully become the married Roman Catholic priest that he is, he must take off the iron mask. It restricts his view, and hides his true face from the Roman Catholic community that needs his ministry of priesthood.

The plates of the mask are messages that are meant to control him. Some messages are clear and public, others are subliminal, but all are crafted to contain the priest he is in his own eyes and to those he meets.

All of these messages are negative and manipulative. The iron mask is used to cripple the priest emotionally and spiritually. Its goal is to compel him to hide the light of his priesthood under the proverbial bushel basket for none to see.

What are the plates/messages, and what truths do they coerce the wearer to hide? Each iron mask is different. Here are just a few examples:

"You are no longer a priest." In reality, priesthood is a permanent charism guaranteed by history, tradition, and even by Canon Law 290: “Sacred Ordination, once validly received, never becomes invalid.” Once a priest, always a priest.

"You never had a vocation to the priesthood." We married priests have been called by God and the community to priesthood, not to be clerics in an institution that has become predominantly gay. We are concerned with spirituality and service, not institutional position and privilege. We are truly ex-clerics, but never ex-priests.

"Your marriage is sinful." Marriage is key to salvation and a most important Sacrament. Our marriages, our wives and our children are beautiful.

"You have been unfaithful to your promises." Married priests are faithful to the earliest traditions of our Roman Catholic Church - before the political suppression of the married priesthood in 1139 by a worldly pope. The laws demanding mandatory celibacy for priests were born of violence and greed – married priests who would not cooperate were imprisoned and their wives and children were sold into slavery. (Ranke-Heinemann, Eunuchs For The Kingdom Of Heaven p. 110 ISBN 0-385-26527-1) Because mandatory celibacy has coercion at its core, no binding contract is legally possible. Married priests have been unfaithful to oppression and manipulation. The enforcement of mandatory celibacy has crippled the Church and created multiple sex and money problems that dog us to this day. For these reasons and many others, mandatory celibacy cannot be from Jesus.

"You have left the sacred company of men and have associated with women." Married priests prefer women. Married priests honor women and find their spiritual fulfillment in the Sacrament of Marriage. The married priesthood is restoring the balance of the masculine and the feminine to the institutional church that was lost so long ago.

"You have compromised your personal holiness with sex." Sexuality is not sinful. It is the way all peoples find intimacy, create family, and grow closer to God. The professed sex-less clerical priesthood is rife with clandestine homosexual and heterosexual activity that is abusive to all involved. How ironic that the bishops and priests who preach so much about sexual purity have been exposed for committing the worst sex crimes imaginable – those against trusting and vulnerable children. Our children.

"You are a scandal to the faithful." People love married priests and their wives. More than 70 percent of American Catholics want their married priests back at the parish and fully active in ministry and church leadership. The reinstatement of married priests is among the first steps in cleaning up, renewing and rejuvenating our beloved Roman Catholic Church.

"You don’t believe in God or the Church, nor do you obey the Pope." We have not left the Church, in fact we have totally identified with the real Church according to Vatican II, the people in the pews. We have proven our faithfulness in the fire of exile. We look forward to an expression of papal authority that no longer fears the feminine while preferring the masculine, one that focuses on the spiritual well-being of its people above all else.

"You and your women are undermining our clerical authority. You are ruining the Church." True authority in the Church rests within the people. The people, not the hierarchy, are the true seat of authority. Servant leadership serves the needs of the people and takes direction from the Spirit of God that lives in the entire Church community. As married priests, we stand among the People.

There are more plates/messages. I’m sure you have your own to add to this short list, but we should not dwell here. THE CHALLENGE IS NOT TO COUNT AND ANALYZE THE PLATES, BUT TO FREE ONE’S SELF FROM THE MASK! Iron masks can be strong and difficult to open, but one key unlocks them all. That key is MINISTRY.

A study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA, 1996) at Georgetown University cites that more than 70 percent of Catholics love their faith, but no longer practice it within the institutional church. These are alienated and discovering Catholics who want priests to walk with them in their spiritual journeys, not the pedantic litany of rules or the approbation of clerics. It is not the law, but the Spirit that gives life. These are the Roman Catholics who will help you remove the iron mask in the hospitality of their homes.

The final proof that a priest has discarded his iron mask lies in his successful re-entry into sacramental ministry. When a married priest tells others he is a priest and welcomes all to Eucharist, he is no longer contained by the political iron mask. He has rededicated himself to the ideals he professed on the day of his ordination. Until the politics of the institutional church change to accept priests who enter into sacred marriage, married priests will use the same house church setting that was the hallmark of the Early Church - the church that was closest to the person of Jesus - to be the priests that they truly are.

frjshuster@aol.com

Humanae Vitae: An Open Letter to the Pope

We are taking a break from our usual concerns to remember the 40th anniversary of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae by reprinting the English version of the ad that ran on July 25th in Corriere della Sera and also to remind readers that lay Catholics overwhelmingly disagree with the Church's position on artificial contraception. The Zogby poll that was taken prior to the Pope's visit to the United States earlier this year revealed that 70% of Catholics of reproductive age do not believe artificial contraception is even a sin and surveys have routinely found that, whether or not they believe it's a sin, almost all Catholic women have used contraceptives at some point in their lives. Most Catholic doctors also reject the teaching of the Church in this matter and would prescribe contraceptives for their patients.

An Open Letter to the Pope

Today, July 25, 2008, the Catholic church marks the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae—the foundation stone for the Catholic hierarchy’s anti-contraception policy that has had a catastrophic impact on the poor and powerless around the world, endangering women’s lives and leaving millions at risk of HIV.

When Pope Paul VI cemented the Catholic hierarchy’s ban on contraception in 1968, he over-rode the findings of a group of experts he had himself chosen.

That group, the Birth Control Commission, had voted overwhelmingly to recommend that the church overturn the ban on artificial contraception, saying that it was neither “intrinsically evil” nor were previous teachings on it infallible. Even after Pope Paul brought in 15 bishops to make the final report, they too were swayed by the logic of the case for contraception and voted to change the teaching.

A “minority report” was produced which said that the teaching on contraception could not change—not for any specific reason, but because the Catholic hierarchy could not admit it had been wrong: “The Church cannot change her answer, because this answer is true…It is true because the Catholic Church, instituted by Christ…could not have so wrongly erred during all those centuries of its history.” It went on to say that if the hierarchy was to admit it was wrong on this issue, its authority would be questioned on all “moral matters.”

Humanae Vitae continues to be a source of great conflict and division in the church. Catholics and non-Catholics alike continue to feel the impact of the Catholic hierarchy’s devastating policy.

The impact of the ban has been particularly disastrous in the global south where, because the Catholic hierarchy holds significant sway over many national family planning policies, it obstructs the implementation of good public health policies on family planning and HIV prevention.

However, even in the global north, Humanae Vitae affects public health policy. Earlier this year, lobbying by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in the US Congress resulted in the dropping of vital family planning services that can prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

The evidence is overwhelming that Humanae Vitae has been an utter failure in convincing Catholics to abandon modern methods of contraception. Studies the world over show that Catholics use contraception, and use and support the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV. The ban has, however, prevented many women and men around the world from accessing reliable family planning methods and condoms.

It is clear to us that the Catholic church cannot move forward until it honestly confronts the paradox of Humanae Vitae: Most Catholics use modern contraceptives, believe it is a moral choice to do so and consider themselves Catholics in good standing, yet the Catholic hierarchy completely denies this reality, forcing the clergy into silence on this and most other issues related to sexuality.

The past 40 years have been marked by a hardening of the Vatican’s attitudes at the very time that the world has moved to a different, more comprehensive view of sexuality and women’s role in society. Pope Paul VI did not succeed in turning back the clock 40 years ago and it is unlikely any other pope will succeed to do so in the future. But many people, especially women in poor countries, will continue to suffer as long as the church hierarchy tries to do so.

Pope Benedict, we call on you to use to use this anniversary as an opportunity to start the process of healing by being true to the positive aspects of Catholic teachings on sexuality and lifting the ban on contraception to allow Catholics to plan their families safely and in good conscience.



Complete list of Signatories to the Open Letter to the Pope


Catholics for Choice
A Critical Mass: Women Celebrating Eucharist – USA
Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church – USA
Brothers and Sisters in Christ – Ireland
Call to Action – USA
Catholic Women’s Ordination – UK
Catholics for a Changing Church – United Kingdom
Catholics for a Free Choice – Canada
Catholics for the Spirit of Vatican 2 – USA
Católicas pelo Direito de Decidir – Brasil
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – Bolivia
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – Buenos Aires
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – Chile
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – Colombia
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – Córdoba
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – El Salvador
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – España
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – México
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – Nicaragua
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir – Paraguay
Centro Bartolomé de las Casas – El Salvador
Chicago Women-Church – USA
Chrétiens sans Frontières de Gironde – France
Colectivo Rebeldía Santa Cruz – Bolivia
Col.lectiu Dones en l'Esglesia – Spain
Comité Oscar Romero – Chile
Comunidad Santo Tomás de Aquino – Spain
CORPUS, National Association for an Inclusive Ministry – USA
David et Jonathan—Association Homosexuelle Chrétienne Ouverte à Tous – France
Demain l’Eglise – France
Dignity USA
Droits et Libertés dans les Eglises/Femmes et Hommes en Eglise – France
Espérance 54 en Meurthe et Moselle – France
European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups
European Network Church on the Move
Gehuwd en Ongehuwd Priesterschap – Netherlands
De Graalbeweging – Netherlands
KerkHardop – Netherlands
Landelijk Koördinatie Punt Groepen Kerk en Homoseksualiteit – Netherlands
Mandragora/Netmal – Brazil
Mariënburgvereniging – Netherlands
Movimiento También Somos Iglesia – Chile
National Coalition of American Nuns – USA
New Ways Ministry – USA
Noi Siamo Chiesa – Italy
Nos Somos Igreja – Portugal
Nous Sommes Aussi l’Eglise – France
Pax Christi Maine – USA
Plein Jour – France
Red Latinoamericana de Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir
Réseaux Résistances – Belgium
Roman Catholic Women Priests – Europe-West
Roman Catholic Women Priests – Canada Est
Roman Catholic Women Priests – Canada West
San Francisco Bay Area Women-Church – USA
Southeastern Pennsylvania Women’s Ordination Conference – USA
Stichting Kerk Hardop – Netherlands
Stichting Magdala—Voor Vrow en Priester – Netherlands
Voice of the Faithful/New Jersey – USA
Werkplaats voor Theologie en Maatschappij – Belgium
Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) – USA
Women’s Ordination Conference – USA
Women-Church Baltimore – USA

Q & A from Archbishop Dolan on married clergy becoming priests

The following is a Q & A sent by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan to priests and deacons explaining how married clergy can become priests.

Q. We were always taught that married men could not be ordained Catholic priests. How is it possible that we could have a married Catholic priest here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee?

A. Celibacy is a discipline of the Catholic Church practiced universally in the West. Although it is highly valued, Pope Paul VI states that celibacy "is not, of course, required by the nature of the priesthood itself. This is clear from the practice of the early church and the traditions of the Eastern rite churches."

Much has been said about practical reasons for celibacy, such as giving the parish priest more time to dedicate to the children of God, etc. When all is said and done, however, we must understand it as a powerful sign of the presence of the kingdom of God. It is not essential to the priesthood, but it is a radical witness to the reign of Christ in the world.

In the West the church eventually adopted the practice of celibacy as a universal discipline. The East, however, never did. Even today Eastern rite priests, in their native lands, may marry before ordination. This historical situation opened the doors to the possibility of a married clergy in the West under certain circumstances - most notably for those whose lifelong traditions allow for a married clergy. This includes certain Protestant traditions.

Q. When did the Catholic Church begin this practice of ordaining married clergymen from other churches after they became Catholic?

A. In his 1967 encyclical, "Of the Celibacy of the Priest," Pope Paul VI called for a study of the circumstances of married ministers of churches or other Christian communities separated from the Catholic Church and of the possibility of admitting those who desire full communion to the Catholic priesthood and to continue to exercise ministry.

Pope Pius XII had already granted special permission for some married Lutheran clergy to be ordained to the Catholic priesthood shortly after the Second World War.

In a 1980 statement, Pope John Paul II allowed an exception for married Episcopal clergy who wanted to become Catholic priests. Since then, Vatican officials also have considered requests from members of other Christian denominations.

Q. Does this mean that the Catholic Church will begin ordaining married men on a regular basis?

A. No. The ordination of a married man remains an exception and one that is granted only in very specific cases involving men who had already been called to ministry in another church or Christian denomination and later came into full communion in the Catholic Church.

Q. Is this practice of married priests wide-spread in the United States?

A. There are approximately 100 active priests in the United States who are married. Without exception they came to Catholicism from other churches. They formerly served the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, or Methodist churches as ordained ministers. At some point they felt the call to communion with the Catholic Church and entered a process of transition. They and their families entered into full communion with the church, and the former Protestant ministers petitioned Rome for permission to be ordained as Catholic priests. They are now active in priestly ministry throughout the country.

Q. Has this practice evolved over the last 28 years?

A. Yes. Originally this practice only applied to men who had been Episcopalian / Anglican clergy. It also involved the situation of whole parishes coming into full communion along with their minister. They were even permitted to use adapted liturgical practices that borrowed from their Episcopalian roots. Over the years, petitions from ministers from other Protestant denominations were considered and permission granted.

Q. If they were already ministers in their own denominations, why does the Catholic Church ordain them?

A. The Catholic Church does not recognize ordination in other churches as valid.

Q. If these men were trained to be ministers in another denomination, how can we be assured that what they teach and preach is truly Catholic?

A. Men seeking to be ordained under these provisions undergo a theological evaluation some time during the first year of the process. Their knowledge of seven subjects is evaluated by a team of experts. The areas tested are: Ascetical Theology, Canon Law, Church History, Dogmatic Theology, Liturgical and Sacramental Theology, Moral Theology, and Sacred Scripture.

Based on this evaluation, a prescribed plan of studies is assigned on a case-by-case basis. After the syllabus is completed the candidate is required to pass one written and one oral exam in each of the seven subjects noted above.

Q. Is it up to the diocesan bishop to make the final decision to admit the man to Holy Orders?

A. The diocesan bishop is required to present the case to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican. A dossier of at least 13 required documents is submitted, including a petition for a dispensation from the impediment of marriage that stands in the way of the ordination. The actual dispensation can only be granted by the pope.

Q. Does this mean that the Catholic Church will now allow priests to marry or that priests who left ministry to marry will be able to return?

A. No. There is historical evidence and contemporary practice that demonstrates that married men have been ordained. However, there is no tradition in the Church of allowing someone to marry after ordination. In fact, should one of the married priests become widowed, he is not permitted to marry again. Also, in keeping with long tradition, a married priest is not eligible to be ordained a bishop.

Archdiocese of Milwaukee to get its first married priest

By TOM HEINEN
theinen@journalsentinel.com

For the first time in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s history, a married Roman Catholic priest with children will be serving the faithful in southeastern Wisconsin.

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan asked his priests and deacons this week which of them would be willing to accept the man - a former Lutheran minister - as an associate pastor at their parish.

The priest and his wife, who have juvenile and adult sons, are moving from the Diocese of Venice, Fla. She has accepted a job here.

Although no married priest has served here, about 100 married priests have been ordained in the United States since the late Pope John Paul II created an exception in 1980 that allows married Lutheran and Anglican or Episcopal priests who have converted to Roman Catholicism to become priests, Dolan wrote in a letter to priests and deacons this week.

The priest, Father Michael Scheip, entered Catholicism in 1988 and was ordained in 1993 for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., by now-retired Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., Dolan's letter says.

Dolan welcomes Scheip and his family and is working on a placement for him, archdiocesan spokeswoman Julie Wolf said Friday afternoon.

In his letter, which some priests received via e-mail on Thursday and others in regular postal deliveries Friday, Dolan says Scheip asked to be considered for a pastoral assignment here. His wife, Mary, has accepted a position at a Waukesha company, and his sons are enrolled in Catholic schools for the fall term, the letter says.

"I have spoken with Father Scheip, and he has met with the vicar (Father Curt Frederick, vicar for clergy) and we were both impressed with his sincerity," Dolan writes. "He comes with a genuine desire to be of service to the church here in Milwaukee. . . . I am writing to you to elicit your help in welcoming Father Scheip to the archdiocese. Would any of you be willing to accept his service to your parish as an associate pastor? How can I, as your archbishop, be of help to you and to your people in this regard?"

Many of the married Protestant priests who have become Roman Catholic priests were Episcopalians. Pope John Paul II's granting of the exception for converted, married clergy came after a significant number of Episcopal ministers and their parishioners converted to Catholicism after the Episcopal church decided to ordain women, a church law professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., told the Journal Sentinel in 2003.

The arrival of a married priest is expected to raise questions among the estimated 680,000 or more Catholics in the 10-county archdiocese. Not only are they accustomed to the Western church's requirement of celibacy for priests, which went into effect in the 11th century, they also have been dealing with parish mergers and other effects of a worsening priest shortage.

In his letter, Dolan says area Catholics will need catechesis, or religious education - especially in whatever parish Scheip is assigned - and he provides as an attachment a series of questions and answers that the archdiocesan chancery office prepared.

The first question is: "We were always taught that married men could not be ordained Catholic priests. How is it possible that we could have a married Catholic priest here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee?"

The answer notes that celibacy has never been required of priests in the church's Eastern rite, though it is practiced universally in the West.

"Although it is highly valued, Pope Paul VI states that celibacy 'is not, of course, required by the nature of the priesthood itself. This is clear from the practice of the early church and the traditions of the Eastern rite churches,' " the answer says. "Much has been said about practical reasons for celibacy, such as giving the parish priest more time to dedicate to the children of God, etc. When all is said and done, however, we must understand it as a powerful sign of the presence of the kingdom of God. It is not essential to the priesthood, but it is a radical witness to the reign of Christ in the world."

Wolf had no biographical information available about Scheip, including what branch of Lutheranism he came from.

The St. Petersburg Times of Florida reported in June 2005 that the Scheips have five sons, then ages 9 to 21. The feature story describes the priest's arrival at home after leaving St. Patrick Catholic Church in the Sarasota area.

"He unhooks his priestly collar as he enters the house," the story says. "Sophie the boxer erupts in barks, and Scheip's three boys, those still living at home, gather around. 'How's vacation?' Scheip says as he is enveloped by the noise of the family room TV."

Scheip, who wears secular clothes when he goes out with his wife, plays a Washburn electric guitar at family rock 'n' roll jam sessions in the home, with one son playing bass and another drums, the story says.

Mary Scheip, who strives to keep a low profile for herself and the family, was working full-time in human resources and running a private consulting business in 2005, according to the St. Petersburg Times story.

Lord Patten: Let women and married men become Roman Catholic priests

I'm not sure how I managed to miss this important story out of England...

By Martin Beckford,
Religious Affairs Correspondent
The Telegraph
Last Updated: 8:47PM BST 12 Jun 2008

Senior clergy are also among the 2,000 who have so far signed a petition demanding that action be taken to tackle the "major crisis" of dwindling numbers of Catholic priests.

They claim that there is no real barrier to married men being ordained, despite it being part of the Church's teaching throughout its history, given that married former Anglicans who convert to Catholicism are allowed to become priests.

And in a further controversial move, they also want Catholic leaders in England and Wales to discuss the possibility of women becoming priests, an issue which has already been hugely divisive in the worldwide Anglican Church.

They say training programmes should be set up in colleges and online to "prepare suitable men and women for ministry".

A spokesman for the organisers of the petition said: "The possible ordination of married men has been raised as an urgent matter by bishops worldwide for over 30 years, and is becoming pressing now in this country as the shortage of priests worsens, parishes are merged and the average age of the clergy rises.

"We note with concern that the number of active priests in England and Wales has declined by over one third since 1958 while the number of retired priests is five times what it was then.

"A precedent has already been set in this country by the ordination of married clergy from the Church of England many of whom were received into full communion with the Church following the ordination of women.

"We believe that the Holy Spirit may be telling us that we are not sufficiently open to the emergence of new forms of relevant ministries."

In addition to Lord Patten, the former Tory cabinet member and last governor of Hong Kong, and Baroness Williams, the former Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, senior priests in Manchester, Lanchester, Orpington and Southampton have signed the petition.

The organisers now plan to collect more signatures after Masses across the country on June 29 and then hand the petition to senior bishops at a conference in November.

A couple of UK advocacy and support groups for a married priesthood:

• Movement for a Married Clergy
  
• Advent Group (UK)
  
• Petition for the Admission of Married Men to the Roman Catholic Priesthood
  
  

The Catholic Charismatic Church names a new bishop

Disclaimer: Despite its name, this Brazilian church is not related to the charismatic renewal movement in the Roman Catholic Church and is not recognized by the Church. I'm blogging this story to make a point: The longer the Church fails to deal with the celibacy issue and the consequent priest shortage, the more the faithful will take matters into their own hands, and more and more of these dissident congregations will arise to fill the spiritual void. If you speak Portuguese, click on the church's name to get to their Web site and do not be put off by the photo of Milingo on the home page. While this church is working with Milingo, they are independent and pre-date him. They have an interesting philosophy and...women deacons!


by Paul Xavier (translation from the Portuguese by Phoebe)
Midiamax News
July 25, 2008


The Catholic Charismatic Church is consecrating a bishop and inaugurating a diocese in Campo Grande, an act which immediately provoked reaction from the Roman Catholic archdiocese in the capital. In a note published in the press, the archbishop Dom Vitório Pavanello warned Catholic faithful that the mere act of participating in rituals of the new denomination would incur immediate excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church.

The bishop of the Catholic Charismatic Church, Orvandil Moreira Barbosa, will be consecrated this Sunday (the 27th) in Belém do Pará and returns to Campo Grande on Tuesday the 29th to assume his duties in the Diocese of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which is headquartered in the home of a believer in the Jardim Ieda neighborhood. The ceremony of possession of Orvandil will occur in the working class area of Tarsila do Amaral, where there is a homeless people's camp.

The Catholic Charismatic Church was started 40 years ago in the city of Belém do Pará by a group of lay Catholics who said they were concerned about the lack of religious ministers. In Mato Grosso do Sul, it is new and has two communities: one at Jardim Ieda and another in Cristo Redentor. Orvandil will lead 10 priests and "some one thousand believers," he estimates.

The religious reports that his relationship with the church began at four years of age, when he witnessed the marriage of his father and mother. After that moment, he was dedicated to the priesthood. He entered the Roman Catholic Church seminary, but the celibacy requirement caused him to not be ordained as a Catholic priest. In 1972, he became priest in the Church of England which allowed marriage. In the same year, he got married and later had three children.

In 2004, Orvandil left the Anglican Church and stayed outside of any denomination until the beginning of this year. It was then that he found the Catholic Charismatic Church in Belém and received the invitation to join the clergy. His background helped, Orvandil had participated in movements for democracy during the military dictatorship and is linked to liberation theology, which unites religion with political issues. Representatives of the church asked if he was interested in expanding it to the Central West and the priest finally accepted.

According to Father Orvandil, the Catholic Charismatic Church has the same rites and doctrines as the Catholic Church, and recognizes the Pope as the highest spiritual leader. He believes that the coming of the Catholic Charismatic Church is "tremendous news for the state; we are married priests, we seek quality of life."

Bishop Dom Vitório Pavanello again warned faithful Catholics in a message conveyed by his advisor. He said that "there is no unity between the church and the Catholic Church. Their intention is to confuse the people. In a region, there can only be one bishop, and in the region of Campo Grande, the bishop is Bishop Vitório. Only the pope can appoint another bishop."

When asked about the position of the Roman Catholic Church, the future Bishop Orvandil said that he doesn't want to feed into the controversy and wants to pay a visit to Dom Vitório, after his ordination in Belém. "We must unite around the issues of the people, fight for the salvation of planet," he said.

A priest forever...

Archbishop Milingo (excommunicated head of Married Priests Now) and Don Sante Sguotti (married priest suspended a divinis and head of Chiesa Cattolica dei Peccatori) combined forces last week for a small open-air Mass for some 50 supporters in defiance of the Church's ban on their ministry. The event was dutifully documented by Il Mattino de Padova. The bishop of Vicenza, Mons. Cesare Nosiglia, described the unauthorized Mass as a cause for suffering and a scandal for the faithful and invited Milingo and Sguotti to repent.

A family man drawn to priesthood

Keeping an eye on these Pastoral Provision guys...Why? Because this is what the future looks like. And we will get more and more of them until the Church finally wakes up and realizes: "OK. Married men really CAN be priests."

By Susan Flynn
The Salem News
June 26, 2008

Bart Stevens will bring something unique to the Roman Catholic priesthood — namely, a wife and four young children.

He is a father who wants to be a Catholic father, awed by the prospect of serving both roles for the rest of his life.

"Most people who hear about it are just thrilled," he says. "I imagine it might be more of an adjustment for older folks."

For two years, Stevens, 33, has been an Episcopal priest at Christ Church of Hamilton and Wenham on Asbury Street. On Wednesday, his family will move to his home state of Montana where he will begin work as a lay youth minister at St. Leo the Great Church and pursue his new calling.

A priest with a wife and kids is indeed an oddity. Catholic priests are married to the church. They take a vow of celibacy. They live in a rectory surrounded by solitude, not the sounds of "Clifford the Big Red Dog."

They certainly don't use the word "we" the way Stevens tends to when talking about the big decisions of his life.

But in 1980 Pope John Paul II approved what's known as the "pastoral provision" to allow Episcopal priests in the United States to become Catholic priests. So far, more than 70 men, all married, have been ordained. It's a small number, and many Catholics are unaware that such a possibility exists.

The provision requires a 13-step training/screening process, and ultimately the approval of the pope himself.

Stevens must write a statement to declare his intentions. His wife, Becky, must write her own letter. There will be reviews of his physical and psychological state and the strength of their marriage. He will appear before a board of Catholics, mostly priests, who will determine where additional training is needed.

It will take at least two years before Stevens will become a Catholic priest — and that's not a given, either. And he's OK with that.

"All I know is that I'd rather be a lay minister in the Roman Catholic Church than a priest in the Episcopal Church," he says.

While the Catholic and Episcopal churches are alike in many ways, there is one significant difference — the pope. The Episcopal Church does not abide by one central authority on matters of faith and morals, which Stevens has come to find problematic.

Over the past year, Stevens says he has felt depleted by the controversy, some say crisis, within the Episcopal Church over a ruling that allows gays to be ordained as priests and bishops. What bothers him more, though, is the abundance of gray areas, the lack of a common ground about what an Episcopalian believes in.

"We can't even be on the same page about the old stuff," he says.

There are no absolutes, says Stevens, such as all Episcopalians must believe in the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"In the Episcopal Church, you get to decide," Stevens says. "In the Roman Catholic Church, there are just some things that are not up for discussion."

The authority of the pope is "very" appealing to him. He knows the Catholic Church is where he belongs.

Still, finding the balance to serve a parish and a family – with children ages 7, 5, 3 and 21/2 months — will pose challenges. He has received assurances that the Montana diocese would provide enough of a salary to allow him to support his family. One three-bedroom home they have looked at cost $87,000, far more manageable than North Shore prices.

Stevens stressed that he does not hold out any "secret hopes" that Rome will change its views about married priests. He firmly believes in the value of a celibate priesthood, but he's also grateful for a rule that allows exceptions for people like him.

One priest made a remark that stuck with him. A married priest may be odd, he said, but the wife of a priest is the real curiosity factor. He's confident his wife will win everyone over, and carve out her own niche.

"We have made this journey together," he says.

Archdiocese of Milwaukee to get its first married priest

By TOM HEINEN
Journal Sentinel
Posted: July 25, 2008

For the first time in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s history, a married Roman Catholic priest with children will be serving the faithful in southeastern Wisconsin.

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan asked his priests and deacons this week which of them would be willing to accept the man - a former Lutheran minister - as an associate pastor at their parish.

The priest and his wife, who have juvenile and adult sons, are moving from the Diocese of Venice, Fla. She has accepted a job here.

Although no married priest has served here, about 100 married priests have been ordained in the United States since the late Pope John Paul II created an exception in 1980 that allows married Lutheran and Anglican or Episcopal priests who have converted to Roman Catholicism to become priests, Dolan wrote in a letter to priests and deacons this week.

The priest, Father Michael Scheip, entered Catholicism in 1988 and was ordained in 1993 for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., by now-retired Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., Dolan's letter says.

Dolan welcomes Scheip and his family and is working on a placement for him, archdiocesan spokeswoman Julie Wolf said Friday afternoon.

In his letter, which some priests received via e-mail on Thursday and others in regular postal deliveries Friday, Dolan says Scheip asked to be considered for a pastoral assignment here. His wife, Mary, has accepted a position at a Waukesha company, and his sons are enrolled in Catholic schools for the fall term, the letter says.

"I have spoken with Father Scheip, and he has met with the vicar (Father Curt Frederick, vicar for clergy) and we were both impressed with his sincerity," Dolan writes. "He comes with a genuine desire to be of service to the church here in Milwaukee. . . . I am writing to you to elicit your help in welcoming Father Scheip to the archdiocese. Would any of you be willing to accept his service to your parish as an associate pastor? How can I, as your archbishop, be of help to you and to your people in this regard?"

Many of the married Protestant priests who have become Roman Catholic priests were Episcopalians. Pope John Paul II's granting of the exception for converted, married clergy came after a significant number of Episcopal ministers and their parishioners converted to Catholicism after the Episcopal church decided to ordain women, a church law professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., told the Journal Sentinel in 2003.

The arrival of a married priest is expected to raise questions among the estimated 680,000 or more Catholics in the 10-county archdiocese. Not only are they accustomed to the Western church's requirement of celibacy for priests, which went into effect in the 11th century, they also have been dealing with parish mergers and other effects of a worsening priest shortage.

In his letter, Dolan says area Catholics will need catechesis, or religious education - especially in whatever parish Scheip is assigned - and he provides as an attachment a series of questions and answers that the archdiocesan chancery office prepared.

The first question is: "We were always taught that married men could not be ordained Catholic priests. How is it possible that we could have a married Catholic priest here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee?"

The answer notes that celibacy has never been required of priests in the church's Eastern rite, though it is practiced universally in the West.

"Although it is highly valued, Pope Paul VI states that celibacy 'is not, of course, required by the nature of the priesthood itself. This is clear from the practice of the early church and the traditions of the Eastern rite churches,' " the answer says. "Much has been said about practical reasons for celibacy, such as giving the parish priest more time to dedicate to the children of God, etc. When all is said and done, however, we must understand it as a powerful sign of the presence of the kingdom of God. It is not essential to the priesthood, but it is a radical witness to the reign of Christ in the world."

Wolf had no biographical information available about Scheip, including what branch of Lutheranism he came from.

The St. Petersburg Times of Florida reported in June 2005 that the Scheips have five sons, then ages 9 to 21. The feature story describes the priest's arrival at home after leaving St. Patrick Catholic Church in the Sarasota area.

"He unhooks his priestly collar as he enters the house," the story says. "Sophie the boxer erupts in barks, and Scheip's three boys, those still living at home, gather around. 'How's vacation?' Scheip says as he is enveloped by the noise of the family room TV."

Scheip, who wears secular clothes when he goes out with his wife, plays a Washburn electric guitar at family rock 'n' roll jam sessions in the home, with one son playing bass and another drums, the story says.

Mary Scheip, who strives to keep a low profile for herself and the family, was working full-time in human resources and running a private consulting business in 2005, according to the St. Petersburg Times story.

ACTION ALERT: Support Sister Louise Lears, SC

From the National Coalition of American Nuns and also supported by Women's Ordination Conference:

On June 26, 2008, Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke removed Sister Louise Lears, SC, from the Pastoral Team of Saint Cronan Parish in St. Louis and placed her under an interdict, which prohibits the reception of the Sacraments. In late December 2007, the Archbishop delivered to Sister Louise a formal summons, accusing her of four canon law violations--all connected to her support of the ordination of two women to the Roman Catholic Priesthood in November 2007 in St. Louis.

Throughout the process of investigation, Sister Louise and St. Cronan’s parish community asked the Archbishop for opportunities to communicate personally with him. Instead of engaging Sister Louise in dialogue, the Archbishop acted in a legalistic manner. Instead of a pastoral approach, the Archbishop chose an adversarial process. Instead of using this situation as an opportunity for creative growth, the Archbishop retreated to outdated methods of control. Sister Louise and the community of St. Cronan’s asked for bread, so that they and the church could be nourished and grow. They received stones.

Together with the people of Saint Cronan’s and the National Coalition of American Nuns, we, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Sister Louise Lears as a woman of integrity and courage. We stand with all men and women who seek a church that values gender equality in every aspect of life and ministry, including priestly ordination. We stand with all who feel oppressed by patriarchal and imperial structures in the Church, rather than the loving and compassionate model the Gospel reflects.

It is difficult to imagine that Peter would place Paul under interdict for advocating the admission of uncircumcised Gentiles into the faith community. It is difficult to imagine Jesus harshly punishing a faithful disciple for disagreeing with him. It is difficult to imagine how the Christian faith could develop without the voices of faithful dissent.

It is difficult to imagine a Gospel-based faith community that stifles freedom of conscience. We pray for Church leaders. We ask that they provide, not stones, but the bread of life for Sister Louise, for St. Cronan's community, and for all of us who seek nourishment.


Click here to sign the petition in support of Sister Louise

For additional information about Sister Louise and her case:

• Community supports ousted St. Louis nun (NCR, 7/2/2008)
  
• Archbishop Burke Disciplines Sister of Charity (Zenit, 6/27/2008)
  

Three women ordained as priests

Sorry, folks. I've been getting a little behind on my blogging....


By Michael Paulson
Boston Globe
July 21, 2008

A group advocating for the ordination of women held a ceremony yesterday in a packed Protestant church at which it declared three women to be Catholic priests and a fourth woman to be a deacon.

The ceremony, like several others that have taken place around the world over the past six years, was denounced by the Roman Catholic Church, and critics said the event was a stunt with no religious significance. The Catholic Church has consistently taught that only men can be ordained as priests, and the Archdiocese of Boston said that the women who participated in yesterday's ceremony had automatically excommunicated themselves by participating in what it said was an invalid ordination ceremony.

But the women who participated in the event, along with the several hundred people who spent nearly three hours in the sweltering Church of the Covenant, said they rejected the excommunications and believed that the women had been validly ordained. The women were vested with white chasubles and red stoles and greeted with a standing ovation as they were declared to be priests. They then helped preside over a service at which they declared bread and wine to be consecrated and offered what they called Communion to anyone who wished to receive it.

The ceremony was organized by Roman Catholic Womenpriests, an organization that is not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Catholic Church officials say the women are not Catholic, their ordinations are not real, and any sacraments they attempt to celebrate, including yesterday's Eucharist, are invalid.

"The organization calling itself Roman Catholic Womenpriests is not recognized as an entity of the Catholic Church," the Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement Thursday. "Catholics who attempt to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the women who attempt to receive a sacred order, are by their own actions separating themselves from the Church."

The Womenpriests organization says their ordinations are legitimate because Catholic bishops in good standing ordained their first members to become female priests and bishops. Therefore, they argue, the women being ordained can claim apostolic succession, or direct descent from Jesus's apostles.

"Why is Rome so upset about us? Because they know the ordinations are valid," said Bridget Mary Meehan, the spokeswoman for Roman Catholic Womenpriests. "We are not intimidated. We feel so strongly."

The organization has not released the name of the bishops it says consecrated the first women bishops, saying they would face sanction by the Vatican, but says it will release the names once the male bishops die.

C.J. Doyle, of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, in an e-mail yesterday called the ceremony "a sacrilegious parody of Holy Orders conducted at a Protestant church by a collection of apostates misappropriating the Catholic name." Three women were declared to be priests at the ceremony yesterday: Gloria Carpeneto of Baltimore, Judy Lee of Fort Myers, Fla., and Gabriella Velardi Ward of New York City. A fourth woman, Mary Ann McCarthy Schoettly of Newton, N.J., was declared a deacon.

"I'm feeling such joy, I could rise up," Lee said in an interview after the ceremony. She pointed out that she was wearing a cross from Dignity, an organization of gay Catholics. "I am a priest for the poor and those who live at the margins, and we deserve the full sacraments of the Catholic Church," she said.

The women did not pledge obedience or chastity - the promises made by Roman Catholic priests - and one was introduced to the congregation by her daughter; another by her husband.

The ceremony was presided over by Dana Reynolds of California and Ida Raming of Germany, both of whom have been declared bishops by Roman Catholic Womenpriests. But church officials say the women are neither bishops nor Catholic - that they too have been automatically excommunicated as a result of their actions.

"We know only too well in how many ways Vatican church leaders refuse to acknowledge the equality in Christ that God has established between men and women, and how they constantly try to reimpose the precedence of men over women, which is unchristian," Raming said. "We give witness to the whole world that it is not male gender which is the prerequisite for a valid ordination, but faith and baptism, the foundation of our dignity and equality."

The ceremony was held at the Church of the Covenant, which is affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ. The interim pastor of the church, the Rev. Jennifer Wegter-McNelly, declared the ordination of women "an important part of this church's identity," and said "we stand with you today."

The former president of the Massachusetts conference of the United Church of Christ, the state's largest Protestant denomination, was among several Protestant clergy who attended the ceremony to express their support for the women seeking ordination as Catholic priests.

"Prejudice in liturgical clothing is still prejudice," said the Rev. Nancy S. Taylor, the former conference president, who is now senior minister of Old South Church.

AND A COUPLE OF DISSENTING VIEWS FROM THE HIERARCHY:

Fr. Richard Erikson, Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Boston: ...The ordination of men to the priesthood is not merely a matter of practice or discipline within the Catholic Church, but rather, it is part of the unalterable Deposit of Faith handed down by Christ through his apostles.

The organization calling itself "Roman Catholic Womenpriests" is not recognized as an entity of the Catholic Church. Catholics who attempt to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the women who attempt to receive a sacred order, are by their own actions separating themselves from the Church community of believers. ....(Full statement)

Archbishop John Vlazny, Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon: ...In recent years the media has informed us about the so-called “ordination of women priests.” There are those who proclaim that it’s a matter of justice that women be allowed into the priesthood. Jesus was clearly an agent for justice in his time and he did not call women to the apostolic ministry as he did the twelve apostles. Priests share in that apostolic ministry with their bishops.

Certainly a woman can pretend to be a priest. There are also many men who pretend to be priests but who are not ordained validly, let alone legitimately. But because they claim to be priests and are talented and generous, many choose to accept them as priests and participate in their alleged sacramental celebrations. This is a serious blow to the sacramental integrity which is a hallmark of our church.... (Full article)

Protesters suggest alternative Ten Commandments

SBS World News Australia
7/18/2008

Demonstrators against World Youth Day posted ten alternative commandments opposite the Pope's temporary residence at St Mary's Cathedral, as the pontiff sat inside watching the Stations of the Cross parade on television.

The gesture aimed to emulate Martin Luther, who nailed a document criticising Catholicism to a cathedral door in Germany in 1517. The move sparked the Reformation, resulting in the emergence of Protestantism.

The modern-day commandments were stuck with blu-tak, instead of nails, across the road from the church, as security prevented protest organisers from coming any closer to the Pope's accommodation.

Orchestrated by the Australian National Secular Association, the move followed an earlier protest in which demonstrators gave the commandments and condoms to passing pilgrims.

ANSA's 'new' commandments - found below - call on the church to revise its treatment of women and homosexuals, and to change its stance on condoms in the interests of welfare. They also demand the church take responsibility for sex abuse victims who have suffered at the hands of its priests.

"Federal and State Government paid $160 million to support this event, and they can do it because there is no constitutional separation of church and state at any level," said ANSA director Max Wallace.

Wallace adds that the church is one of Australia's five wealthiest corporations, its largest landholder and largest private employer, with a net income of $15 billion.

"It beggars belief that an organisation of this scale couldn't find $160 million to put down on their own event," he says. "The modus operandi of the church is like any corporation. It privatises profit and socialises cost," he adds.

"What Australians don't know is that most religious organisations that satisfy the tax office's requirements are tax exempt," he said.


Ten commandments for the Twenty-First Century Church

• You shall eliminate all barriers to equality based on sexuality including a woman’s right to choose, women priests and gay marriage.
  
  
• You shall not endanger life and welfare through suppression of sexual and reproductive health and shall distribute condoms and other forms of contraception to prevent HIV/AIDS in all parts of the world.
  
  
• You shall abolish celibacy as a requirement for priesthood.
  
  
• You shall adequately apologise and compensate, on an ongoing basis, all past, present and future victims of sexual, physical and mental abuse by church officials.
  
  
• You shall never engage in cover-ups and ensure that all offences are reported to authorities immediately.
  
  
• You shall never use the legal system to frustrate genuine litigants by extending cases over many years.
  
  
• You shall declare all your financial activities, pay taxes on your substantial income, and all your financial affairs shall be on the public record for scrutiny.
  
  
• You shall embrace constitutional separation of church and state and never allow governments to use taxpayers’ money to fund your rituals and religious activities.
  
  
• You shall embrace transparency and allow researchers access to all your records and keep no secrets of past activity.
  
  
• You shall not lie.
  

The story of my departure -- a gay priest's confession

This interview with a Hungarian ex-priest is interesting for its thoughtfulness.

Anita Simonfalvi
HVG.hu
July 17, 2008

He served as a provincial Catholic priest for almost a decade. When he realised he was gay, he abandoned his vocation and became a social worker in a homelessness hostel. He continues to serve, acknowledging his sexuality, but no longer within the Church. He spoke to hvg.hu on condition of anonymity.

hvg.hu: When did you realise you were gay, and how did you react to this?

Priest: My calvary began when I was an adolescent. I never had any luck with girls. There were always girls I liked but I never developed a real relationship with them. I was in my 20s when I was first with a man, and it was a searing experience for me. It felt like a tragedy, and I even considered suicide. I eventually ended up going to a psychiatrist. I worked as a skilled labourer for 10 years, graduated from high school, and then I joined a parish and got admitted to a seminary. I studied for five years, and I had believed that these deeply distressing feelings would disappear from my life if I was made a priest. I was wrong. There were many sides to my calling, one of which was the oath of celibacy which allowed me to ignore my sexuality altogether. I hoped that this could be taught. I thought there would be techniques, like those used by singers when they learn to sing a high C. I hoped I could learn in the same way. When it became clear that this problem wasn't going away, I had been a priest for almost 10 years already. I had to accept that I couldn't do anything about this problem. The question was whether I could carry on as a priest, but making a compromise, leading a secret life, accepting that I was unable to adhere to my oath of celibacy. Or I could decide to abandon my vocation.

After hesitating for a long while, I chose to leave. After soul-searching, I realised that sexuality was such a central part of a person, that you can't just sublimate it. There are theories saying that if people live for others, giving themselves entirely, then these desires vanish. But in my life, self-sacrifice was not enough to get rid of those feelings. After five years of suffering, I took the painful decision, and after that I had no doubts.

hvg.hu: Could you talk to anybody about this inner struggle? A friend or a fellow priest?

P.: In the first years of my priesthood I went to a psychologist. I had the traditional Christian belief that homosexuality is a sin. The psychologist's help was not enough, so I began to read about the issue, and I began to see the situation more clearly. Bela Buda wrote a very good book about sexual behaviour, which devotes almost 100 pages to questions of homosexuality. I realised that homosexuality is just a variant of sexuality. It's like being left- or right-handed.

There is no moral difference between right- and left-handedness. You can stroke with either hand - and you can hit with either. It's not about your orientation. Ethically, the only question is whether a relationship is voluntary, based on free commitment and love, or whether it's about blackmail, violence or some kind of threat. I don't believe a relationship between two people of the same sex which is based on mutual understanding is a sin. Of course, I'm going against church teachings by saying this. But you can't stand there at the pulpit and say that. I decided I'd be most honest if I voluntarily give up my Church career. I wanted to be faithful to my self-recognition and I didn't want to live a deceitful double life. But I remained a believer, and I continue to go to Church every day.

hvg.hu: How did you convince yourself to change?

P.: Nowadays, there is a real stigma attached to priests who leave their vocation. I think it was always like this. This is only part of the problem, because I enjoyed my vocation and I should have liked to stay faithful to it. I think I was a talented preacher, and my flock liked and acknowledged me. All this suddenly vanished. The things that had fulfilled me disappeared from my life.

That's probably why it took me so long to make my mind up. I hadn't been strong enough to leave the vocation while I had no alternative. When I realised if I left priestly orders I could work with the poorest people, I realised I could carry on my vocation in a different way.

I wrote to the head of my order, telling him I couldn't stick to my oath of celibacy. His answer was surprising: he said we should sweep the problem under the carpet. I could deal with the problem without leaving. In other words, the church had no answer. It can't take too hard a line, because these are facts of life, whereas legalising the practice would be impossible. The head of the order wrote an ambiguous letter, leaving it to me to decide. I had already taken a final decision, so I decided I would declare my desires to the world, and carry on doing what I had done before.

hvg.hu: Benedict XVI has said homosexuals should be banned from being priests.

P.: That would lead to drastic consequences. There are no precise numbers, but I suspect that around 30 per cent of priests are gay.

Homosexuality is more widespread in the priesthood than in the world at large. But being a priest doesn't make you gay, even if it does mean not being with women and being surrounded by men. But many gay people choose the priesthood because they are more sensitive than others, which is useful for a priestly life. Similarly, many actors and artists are gay. It's also worth asking why somebody's sexuality matters if they've already taken an oath of celibacy - they're not allowed a sex life in any case. So it's clear that we're dealing with a load of taboos that haven't been properly discussed. The church will have trouble with homosexuality until the Final Judgement. They don't have an answer.

hvg.hu: How did you leave the order?

P.: I escaped. I went for a training session and I didn't return home.Well, a few weeks later I went to collect my stuff. My fellow monks talked to me civilly, to make things go smoothly, but the human link had been broken. I cut myself off from them, and I bore the consequences. The first few months were hellish. I had left a community that I'd been an organic part of. I lost the people who had become my friends, almost my family, over 10 years of service. Some believers were able to understand by decision, but some still refuse to return my greeting, even though I had visited their families frequently. I only survived because I had resolved to carry forward my vocation, even if I had to leave the priesthood. It wasn't that easy, of course. If somebody stays inside the church, he can work much more effectively than somebody who has to do his fighting on his own.

hvg.hu: Do you support civil partnership for gays?

P.: For many gays, there is a real desire to make their relationship official. I don't have a strong view on civil partnerships, but it surprised me when Hungary's bishops went to see the Pope that he praised them for protesting against registered civil partnerships.

hvg.hu: Christianity isn't about homosexuality or your view on it.

P.: The ability to bless their relationships would give a kind of legal legitimacy to the lives of gay Christian couples. It wouldn't be a marriage, just a blessing. You can bless so many things nowadays: cars, flats, books - so why not gay couples? There needs to be a way to allow them to confess and receive absolution. Everyone just looks at this from a legal perspective. Of course, inheritance rights would be a big gain, but a Christian needs more than that spiritually. I don't see much chance of this happening now. Even though gay Christians need a community just as much as any other believer.

hvg.hu: What about gay couples adopting children?

P.: Some gays want to copy straight couples' lives down to the last detail. These are the models they learned at home, and they want to identify with that model. If they have a relationship, they want children. I'm not sure this is a good thing. However much they try to play the classic father-mother roles within the relationship, it will always seems false and awkward - and it could distort the child's personality.

It's still humiliating being gay today. I've survived situations that completely threw me to the floor and I have been ashamed of myself and ashamed to be seen by other people. A straight person can live his sexuality without any difficulties, whereas gay often feel the need to hide. I've had to search for happiness in train stations and public toilets before for want of other opportunities. I've been forced into impersonal, occasional relationships, because there I didn't have a chance of getting to know people in a normal way. If there was real acceptance, then perhaps we too could live our lives according to our own orientation. It would be good if there was tolerance not just on paper but in people's minds and hearts.

Fort Myers woman to be ordained, risks excommunication

And speaking of women's ordination...

By Anthony Anamelechi
The News-Press
July 15, 2008

Fort Myers resident Judith A.B. Lee, known as "Pastor Judy" among her Church in the Park congregation, will be ordained Sunday as a priest - at the risk of being excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

Lee is one of three women venturing to Boston to receive their Holy Orders through the Roman Catholic Women Priests organization.

The Catholic News Agency reported the Vatican's stance on the issue.

"Any women who attempt 'ordination' or any bishops who attempt to 'ordain' women are automatically excommunicated from the Church by their actions," the Vatican declared in May.

Canon Law 1024 also states that "A baptized male alone receives sacred ordination validly."

Still, Lee said she is excited about this new stage in her spiritual development.

"There's a bittersweetness," she said, "but beyond that, there's peace."

The ordination will be held at the Church of the Covenant, a non-Catholic church with dual membership in the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA), in Boston.

Gloria Carpeneto of Baltimore and Gabriella Velardi Ward of New York City will be ordained also.

The Roman Catholic Women Priests is an international initiative within the church to support women and men who are theologically qualified, committed to an inclusive model of the church, and who are called by the Holy Spirit and their communities to minister within the Roman Catholic Church.

Bridget Mary Meehan, spokeswoman and member of the organization, said women are called to the priesthood in the same manner as men through serving the people of God.

Meehan said the group's members have been excommunicated by the church.

"There's no question that we're violating Vatican law," Meehan said, "but we are doing it in prophetic obedience to the spirit."

In North America, the group has 30 female priests, 12 deacons, 18 candidates for ordination and one bishop.

Lee said the group is breaking in good conscience a rule that they say discriminates against women.

"As Rosa Parks did when she sat on the bus," Lee said, "we are sitting on the bus."

Lee said she was raised a Methodist but converted to Catholicism in 1991.

In 1998, she worked at Florida Gulf Coast University and helped to develop the master's of social work program. She holds a doctorate of ministry degree and a doctorate in social welfare.

Lee said she has a twinge of sadness about not being recognized by the Catholic Church. She said she is "praying the church will open their eyes and their ears."

Lee's Church in the Park ministry hold services every Friday night in Fort Myers' Lions Park.

She said the church offers food, clothing and counseling to more than 100 members, the majority of the congregation being homeless.

The Rev. Walter Fohs of Lamb of God Church in Estero said Lee more than deserves the ordination. Lamb of God holds joint services with Lee's congregation.

"She is tireless in her work at Church in the Park," Fohs said.

He said the ordination is also vital to the Catholic community as "a necessary sign of the future of the church."

Fohs said, without criticism of the Catholic Church, that a Christian ministry "has to be inclusive and speak to a wider population."

Lee's congregation has different backgrounds with members seeking help and guidance.

"Everybody loves her," Kenneth Summersett said.

Summersett, who attends the Friday services, said Lee is willing to help.

"I don't know what I would do if I didn't have her around," he said.

Catholics appeal to Benedict on ordination of married men, women

Web editor's note: Do follow the link to Catholics for Ministry to see what our brothers and sisters in Australia are doing about church reform.

Barney Zwartz
The Age
July 12, 2008

More than 200 Australian Catholics have written to Pope Benedict, asking him to start a 30-year trial in Australia of training and ordaining married men as priests to help ease the crisis in numbers.

The letters ask the Pope, who arrives in Sydney tomorrow for the week-long World Youth Day festival, to ordain married men immediately and consider ordaining women.

The campaign was organised by Catholics for Ministry, which last year sent a petition from nearly 17,000 Catholics to Australia's bishops, making similar requests.

"Our church is crumbling before our eyes," wrote a mother of six who is hosting overseas pilgrims. "We look at our community and see our priests struggling. I look at the anger and concern of tired priests and bishops and also see the real hurt, sadness and even anger of parishioners who are denied the sacraments."

A South Australian layman wrote: "Holy father, it is very easy to stay behind the walls of the Vatican and ignore what the people of Australia are trying to tell you, as does the emu with its head in the sand. In almost every parish in Australia there are ordained priests sitting in the pews. Their only fault — they got married."

The letters — written by laymen and women, church workers, people in religious orders, married deacons and priests — ask the Pope to intervene directly. They have been sent to Rome, according to organiser Terry Curtin, because the Pope's impenetrable security means he cannot be reached in Australia.

The letter writers say Australia does not have enough priests now to celebrate Mass and the sacraments, that parishes are being closed or merged, and that some rural priests must travel more than 600 kilometres every weekend to offer Mass.

The average age of priests is now 61, and too few are being trained to replace those who will soon retire.

The writers ask that the church in Australia be allowed to mount a 30-year experiment in which "carefully selected and thoroughly trained" married men are ordained.

They say that women do three-quarters of the pastoral work in Australia, but are not represented among senior church leadership.


And a humorous note on security in Sydney, courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald:

A clerical first

Will the Pope's special message for World Youth Day be an announcement that the Catholic Church has given the go-ahead for the ordination for women priests?

We were forced to wonder if Rome had shifted on the controversial issue when a colleague, Kelly Burke, wandered into work to pick up her new youth day media accreditation pass. Much to her surprise she found the document bore a photograph of herself which was identified by the words "Monsignour Kelly Burke". To ward off any possible repeat of the Chaser's APEC jape last year, Burke, like thousands of others including priests and nuns, was required to submit to rigorous checking to obtain accreditation. And this included a NSW Police check. Declaring Burke a monsignor could raise serious security issues in these dangerous times. But the police have had long experience at spotting the differences between men and women, and as they issued Burke's pass without qualms, we can only conclude she is the first woman to be ordained by the Catholic Church. It's highly likely she was able to leapfrog priestly duties straight to monsignor status due to her experience as the Herald's former religious affairs reporter.

New-style church being born in France due to shortage of priests

David Rice
The Irish Times
July 08, 2008

RITE AND REASON:Perhaps what is already happening in the French Catholic Church is an indication of where Irish Catholicism is headed, writes David Rice.

IT HAS often been said that France has her crises before the rest of Europe - whether it be the French Revolution itself, or the student revolt of 1968, or the alienation of people from the churches.

There is one such crisis where France is ahead of Ireland, and that is in its shortage of Roman Catholic priests. France is also ahead in its response to that shortage. In essence the lay people have taken over the local church and run it for themselves.

In one diocese in northern France there is only one priest to serve 27 parishes. It means the priest has been reduced to the role of circuit rider who drops by on rare occasions to offer a Mass and consecrate some hosts. For the rest of the time the people run their church themselves. In 2001 the diocese of Nice had to reduce its 265 parishes down to 47.

One of these, the recently created parish of Nôtre Dame de l'Espérance, runs along a celebrated strip of the Mediterranean coast, with five churches. There were five priests; now there is just one, who cannot cope on his own. Yet all five village churches are flourishing.

The secret is that each church has an appointed lay person, called a relais local, whose duty is to run both church and parish, and perform almost all functions save uttering the words of consecration and administering those sacraments only a priest is allowed to do.

A principal function of the relaisis to conduct a Sunday Communion service in the absence of the priest - for all practical purposes a Mass without the consecration. There is frequently no priest at a funeral any more.

At the Église Sacré Coeur in Beaulieu, I attended one such funeral, conducted by the relais localefor the church. She received the coffin. There were words of welcome, the singing of hymns, a short eulogy of the deceased, readings from scripture, a brief reflection by the relais, the lighting of candles beside the coffin, a blessing of the coffin with holy water, and prayers for the deceased. It lasted about half-an-hour. There was no Mass, as there was no priest. But there wasn't a Communion service either.

This new de facto structure in the parish is not confined to relais locales. Marie-Anne Hosley, an energetic Frenchwoman whose mother hails from Co Down, has lately been appointed general manager of the parish with its five churches. While her official title is économe, she assures me it is more about admin than money.

Although unpaid herself, she manages a payroll of nine people, including cleaners, organists and two parish secretaries.

Other lay people - men and women - are equally active in many of the former roles of the priest - parish visitation, counselling, pre-marriage instruction, attending the sick, bringing communion, chaplaincies to hospitals and retirement homes and in some areas to scout and youth groups.

Also it is lay people who, almost exclusively, perform the crucial role of imparting their faith.In the neighbouring diocese of Monaco, Bernadette Keraudren gives many hours guiding catechumens - those who want to become Christian or Catholic.

The catechumens go through about two years of guidance, all done by lay people. None of this is stop-gap until better times come. This is for keeps, because better times are not coming. Soon there won't be any priests at all. Or so few that it simply won't count. So people here see a totally new church ministry evolving, which will inevitably become more formalised.

But the dearth of priests means that the people will ultimately be left without the sacraments and without the Eucharist, the centre of their faith. That is why the relais, and all these other layfolk who are de facto running the church, are asking, when will the Vatican wake up to the facts of life and allow or recognise new ministries?

"Vatican Two talked about us all being priests," Hosley says. "The priesthood of the laity. So maybe the church will soon have a new form of priest." That could mean that, in one fell swoop, there would be women priests and married priests. Many here believe that time is not far off.

• David Rice, a former Dominican priest, is the author of six books

© 2008 The Irish Times

Bishop Clemente Isnard: “Priests should be able to marry''

Bishop Clemente Isnard launches a book in which he defends ideas such as the end of celibacy and the ordination of women

By Rodrigo Cardoso (translation from the Portuguese by Phoebe)
Istoé Independente
July 3, 2008

In the introduction of Reflexões de um bispo sobre as instituições eclesiásticas atuais (“Reflections of a bishop on the ecclesiastical institutions today”), Dom Clemente Isnard says that all apostolic Roman Catholics should bring their modest collaboration for the good of the Church. Without fear and without hesitation. This is what he does in the recently launched work, despite opposition. The bishop emeritus of Nova Friburgo (RJ) says that he has been under pressure from the Brazilian National Bishops’ Conference (CNBB) not to publish the book and had one contract with a (Catholic) publisher cancelled, but decided to move forward. A representative of the generation of bishops who led the CNBB in the 70s and 80s, Dom Clemente has been historically associated with the progressive wing of the church, which advocates the reading of the Gospel in the light of social issues and was neutralized by the Vatican beginning with the pontificate of John Paul II. Without fear and enjoying the freedom of retirement, the religious leader defends his bold positions in an interview with Istoé.


Istoé – Do you think the celibacy of priests should be mandatory?

Dom Clemente - Priestly celibacy is not part of the essence of the Catholic priesthood. In the Eastern Catholic Church, also united to Rome, many priests are married. Priests should be able to unite in marriage.

Istoé – How long have you been advocating this idea?

Dom Clemente - During my episcopate, two priests asked for dispensation from celibacy. I facilitated this as much as possible, but with deep regret, because the priests were very good. One of them, because he had received dispensation and married, did not celebrate Mass but he did perform other priestly functions. I allowed him to do baptisms and marriages, but could not allow the celebration of the Mass and hearing confessions. My successor (Dom Alano Maria Penna) cut all of this out.

Istoé - In your case, how do you see celibacy?

Dom Clemente - I am a monk and celibacy is essential for the monk. I have never had any doubts about my celibacy.

Istoé – Why do you think that it is a good idea for the Church for women to have the right to celebrate Mass?

Dom Clemente - There are many canonical rulings in the Church that exclude women from certain duties. [Women] [p]residing in base communities celebrating the Mass, for example, would be one solution for the lack of clergy.

Istoé – How do you evaluate the current Brazilian episcopate?

Dom Clemente - The required number of bishops brought a certain decline, exacerbated by the criteria of the conservative Roman Curia, which makes the appointments. For the Vatican, directing a docile episcopate -- one which follows all the guidelines – is more comfortable.

Istoé - Benedict XVI seeks to strengthen doctrine, not allowing changes, even if it means losing believers. What is the impact of that stand?

Dom Clemente - The evil is not "reinforcing the doctrine." The evil is letting onself become paralyzed.

Istoé – You received pressure not to publish the book. How did that happen?

Dom Clemente - I received a letter from the bishops of Eastern Region I (of the CNBB), signed by all, asking that I not publish the book. I understand that the Apostolic Nuncio prohibited the Provincial of Paulists from publishing the book through the Paulist publishing house. They then broke the contract they had made earlier.

Istoé - Why only now -- emeritus and 91 years old -- have you decided to bring together all these controversial views?

Dom Clemente – Because I have only now developed what is necessary to propose such controversial views. Dom Hélder Câmara, for example, wrote that he converted at 56 years of age.

Phoebe's footnote: I truly love these old guys -- the late Abbé Pierre, Cardinal Carlos M. Martini, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, and now Dom Clemente! It's a shame that we don't get similar insight and compassion from the younger generation in the hierarchy.

Finding ways to keep parishes open

By David Yonke
Toledo Blade
July 5, 2008

As the number of Catholic priests in the United States declines and the ranks of Catholics increase, dioceses across the country are trying to do more with less. Many times that leads to the closing of parishes.

But some Catholic groups are making a push to find alternatives so that church doors will remain open.

“Closing the parish community should be the absolutely last resort,” said Sister Christine Schenk, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph religious order and the executive director of the Catholic reform group FutureChurch.

She will speak Wednesday night at the monthly meeting of United Parishes in Kansas, Ohio.

She acknowledges that the numbers are cause for concern: There are 18,000 active diocesan priests in the United States today, and if present rates of ordination, retirement, and death continue there will be 11,500 priests 20 years from now.

Meanwhile, the number of Catholics in the United States has been rising from 45 million in 1965 to more than 63 million today.

While the U.S. Catholic Church is clearly facing a major challenge over the shortage of priests, Sister Schenk said in a recent interview that there are viable options bishops should consider.

“We don’t think it’s a good idea to shrink active, vibrant parishes to fit the number of priests,” she said. “What we’re recommending instead is that we keep parishes open with parish life coordinators.”

She said there are 550 parishes in the United States that are led by parish life coordinators.

“They can do the administrating, and then priests come in for sacramental leadership,” she said. “This is permitted under Canon Law. It is not an unknown. And the experience, by and large, has been quite positive.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’s National Pastoral Life Center said that lay ecclesial ministers are helping to meet the needs of parishioners when there are fewer priests, “taking on a wide array of pastoral responsibilities that advance parish life.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Pastoral Life Center said lay ecclesial ministers are helping to meet the needs of parishioners when there are fewer priests, “taking on a wide array of pastoral responsibilities that advance parish life.”

More than 30,000 lay ecclesial ministers are working at least 20 hours per week in paid positions in American parishes, the conference reports.

Despite the increasing role of lay ecclesial ministers, the number of parishes in the United States has been dropping as diocesan bishops order closures and mergers, generally citing the lack of available priests.

In Toledo, Bishop Leonard Blair closed 17 parishes and merged 16 others into six new parishes in 2005. In May, Bishop Blair announced that three parishes in Paulding County will be merged into one.

Since 2005, the number of parishes in the 19-county Toledo diocese has been reduced from 157 to 131.

United Parishes, the nonprofit group that invited Sister Christine to speak, was formed by members of closed parishes in the Toledo diocese.

“There are 40 dioceses actively engaged in reconfiguring or downsizing parishes,” Sister Christine said. “Camden [N.J.] just went from 124 to 65 parishes. Allentown [Pa.] is closing around 40 or 50. Buffalo is closing 50 parishes. Cleveland is projecting as many as 48 parishes will close. The sad part is that even with all this downsizing, in another 10 years we could be looking at another round of closings, considering the demographics.”

In its mission statement, the Cleveland-based FutureChurch is described as “a national coalition of parish-based Catholics who seek the full participation of all baptized Catholics in the life of the Church.”

Sister Christine said the organization believes the long-range answer to the priest shortage will require the ordination of women and making celibacy optional for priests.

Meanwhile, however, FutureChurch “respects the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church and its current position on ordination.”

Last year, the group created a Save Our Parish Community project designed to provide resources to parishes that are targeted, or fear being targeted, for closure or merger.

“We’re not saying that every parish should stay open no matter what. Some parishes do need to close,” Sister Christine said. “If they have shrinking membership, shrinking funding base, declining sacramental base, no apostolic outreach to others, then maybe it’s time to look at the handwriting on the wall.”

But too many vibrant, healthy parishes are being closed unnecessarily, she said.

“If you close a parish, you’re breaking up communities and I think that’s tragic. When I look at parishes like St. James in Kansas [Ohio], it breaks my heart. It reminds me of why our mission is so important.”

St. James, which was ordered closed in 2005, lost an appeal to the Vatican and is pursuing efforts in civil court.

Sister Christine said lay people could provide valuable insights and alternatives to closings if the church hierarchy would listen, but their input often is not taken seriously by dioceses in determining parish closings.

“They’ll say the people were involved in the decision-making process, but often what happens is something other than what was recommended,” Sister Christine said.

Sister Christine Schenk will speak to the United Parishes meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Kansas United Methodist Church in Kansas, Ohio, in Seneca County. More information is available online at www.futurechurch.org or by calling 216-228-0869.