Advent Group - Supporting Priests & Religious since 1969
A married priesthood would right many wrongs
- Written by: Alex Walker
The Tablet Blog: Pope Francis has indicated he is open to the possibility of allowing married priests, but as The Tablet reports this week, he says it is up to individual bishops’ conferences to reach a consensus on the issue first and then petition Rome.
Pope says married men could be ordained priests if world's bishops agree on it
- Written by: Alex Walker
A bishop who met with Pope Francis in a rare private audience on 4 April has said in an interview that the two men discussed the issue of the ordination of “proven” married men – viri probati – in a serious and positive way.
Bishop Erwin Kräutler, Bishop of Xingu in the Brazilian rainforest, spoke to the Pope about Francis’ forthcoming encyclical on the environment, and the treatment of indigenous peoples but the desperate shortage of priests in the bishop’s huge diocese came up in the conversation. According to an interview the Austrian-born bishop gave to the daily Salzburger Nachrichten on 5 April, the Pope was open-minded about finding solutions to the problem, saying that bishops’ conferences could have a decisive role.
Read more: Pope says married men could be ordained priests if world's bishops agree on it
BBC My Story
- Written by: Alex Walker
This week's theme is love and the winner is Adeline Harris with her story An Unconventional Love.
The full published book can be downloaded for free from the Winners' page.
Pope Cautions Against Dilution of Priestly Ministry
- Written by: Alex Walker
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 16, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is affirming the importance of the ministerial priesthood in the Church, and is calling for greater attention to the education of clergy.
The Pope said this today during an audience with participants of the Congregation for Clergy's plenary assembly, a Vatican communiqué reported. In this meeting, he also announced his intention to convoke a Year for Priests, beginning June 19, on the occasion of 150th anniversary of the death of the Curé of Ars.
The Pontiff cautioned his audience against confusing the baptismal and ministerial priesthood, stating that the two are distinguished on an ontological level, rather than by a variance in degrees. The second dimension, he said, "arises from [the priest's] sacramental configuration to Christ the Head."
Read more: Pope Cautions Against Dilution of Priestly Ministry
Page 24 of 27