Pope Francis’ Brazilian pick for cardinal urges openness to ordaining married priests in region

[Michie]

Brazilian Archbishop Jaime Spengler, OFM, one of the 21 men chosen by Pope Francis to become a cardinal in the next consistory on Dec. 8, confirmed plans for a trial run of an Amazonian rite of the Mass and urged “openness” to the idea of married priests to serve certain communities facing a shortage of priests.

The 64-year-old is a prominent figure in the Church in his home country and throughout South America, heading both the Catholic bishops’ conference of Brazil and the Latin American bishops’ conference (CELAM).

A descendant of German immigrants, Spengler has been a member of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor for more than 40 years and a priest for almost 34 years.

Continued below.

Pope’s Brazilian pick for cardinal on married priests, Amazonian rite

Archbishop Jaime Spengler again indicated he is open to ordaining married men, so-called “viri probati,” to serve as priests — a subject debated at the Amazon synod.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

 

[RileyG]

I have no problem with married men becoming priests, it's a discipline that can always change.

I will let the theologians and experts decides what is best for the future of the Church.

 

[Gnarwhal]

I never thought I'd be sympathetic to the concept of married priests but here we are. Though I tend to think if the Church is going to permit married men to enter the priesthood in the Latin Church it ought to be sort of a "reduced" role. My rationale for that is they'd be opening it up to married men under the pretense that vocations are strained and the clergy need back up. Priests are overworked, bishops are struggling to staff all their parishes, etc. But these married priests would still have their own families they're responsible for, so perhaps a married priest ought to sort of occupy a space between deacon and (celibate) priest where he celebrates Mass and hears confessions but many of the other things that a priest does outside of those set hours like visiting hospitals and prisons are left to the celibate priests since those things often happen during "family time" anyway.

I dunno, maybe those are fundamentally non-negotiable and I'm just talking out of my rear.

 

[Michie]

While married priests would not be a dealbreaker for me as I realize it’s a discipline…I have a hard time comprehending marriage for a priest, as busy as they are. Even in a reduced role. How could he be a good and present husband and father to his family? Priests are often chasing their own shadows. Not to mention the emergencies that come up. The financial situation is not promising either.

I know in my Protestant days there was many complaints about the lack of home life pastors had and the lack of time to devote to it.

Most Catholic priests run circles around Protestant pastors. So I have a hard time imagining how this could work in the longrun.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

I never thought I'd be sympathetic to the concept of married priests but here we are. Though I tend to think if the Church is going to permit married men to enter the priesthood in the Latin Church it ought to be sort of a "reduced" role. My rationale for that is they'd be opening it up to married men under the pretense that vocations are strained and the clergy need back up. Priests are overworked, bishops are struggling to staff all their parishes, etc. But these married priests would still have their own families they're responsible for, so perhaps a married priest ought to sort of occupy a space between deacon and (celibate) priest where he celebrates Mass and hears confessions but many of the other things that a priest does outside of those set hours like visiting hospitals and prisons are left to the celibate priests since those things often happen during "family time" anyway.

I dunno, maybe those are fundamentally non-negotiable and I'm just talking out of my rear.

If there were more priests maybe they would be less busy. How are the Episcopal priests who converted to Catholic with wives and families doing?

 

[RileyG]

While married priests would not be a dealbreaker for me as I realize it’s a discipline…I have a hard time comprehending marriage for a priest, as busy as they are. Even in a reduced role. How could he be a good and present husband and father to his family? Priests are often chasing their own shadows. Not to mention the emergencies that come up. The financial situation is not promising either.

I know in my Protestant days there was many complaints about the lack of home life pastors had and the lack of time to devote to it.

Most Catholic priests run circles around Protestant pastors. So I have a hard time imagining how this could work in the longrun.

I also agree. It’s almost like having two full time jobs, if anything.

 

[RileyG]

If there were more priests maybe they would be less busy. How are the Episcopal priests who converted to Catholic with wives and families doing?

I’m sure they’re still busy, but there aren’t an abundance of episcopal priests to begin with, let alone those who converted to Catholicism.

 

[Gnarwhal]

If there were more priests maybe they would be less busy. How are the Episcopal priests who converted to Catholic with wives and families doing?

I know that was rhetorical, but I couldn't tell ya. I've only met one (Ordinariate priest) but he was old and kids were out of the house.

I'm thinking of this from the perspective that I'd love to help alleviate the strain on my own diocese in the sense that Mass and confession times stop suffering, but I'm not a people person either so I'd rather not deal with pastoral things. I'd say then that the priesthood isn't my vocation but then I already knew that because I'm married.

 

[Lady Bug]

I used to be sympathetic to priests being married, but I think that you'd be trying to serve two masters. Try doing some Google searches for how stressful it is to be a preacher's wife, for example. I don't see how people can say that married pastors do "just fine." Maybe they do just fine in their job (the Protestants may call it a job but it's a vocation to Catholics), but I still don't see how you can be truly devoted to your marriage and/or family if you have to put 100% into your flock. One of the two is going to take a backseat. I'm really not sure that the priesthood is compatible with marriage. No wonder Jesus said that some people become eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. No kidding.

If a priest is already married before joining the priesthood, maybe that's different, but does he have to remain celibate once ordained? That would be awkward on his marriage.

I get really tired when people act like it's just the men who are struggling with celibacy as priests, and not the women, but that's another topic, I guess.