Married Catholic priest is a sign of changing times

[moobu2]

The Catholic Church is changing and many think it’s a good thing. John Cornelius is the first married man to become a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. On Saturday, Jan. 26, Cornelius, a 64-year-old father of three, was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. He spent 20 years as a priest in the Episcopalian Church before retiring in 2010, when he and his wife, Sharyl, converted to Catholicism. He was allowed to be ordained a priest in the Catholic Church under a 2012 papal exception to the church’s celibacy rule. Buffalo Bishop Richard Malone presided over the ceremony at Immaculate Conception Church in Wellsville, N.Y.
“Yahoo! God is good!” Cornelius said about the event on his blog, Cornelius the Roman.
Traditionally, Catholic priests are not permitted to be married and must take a vow of celibacy upon ordination. However, last year the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, established an ordinariate – a group similar to a diocese – in which former Episcopalians and Anglicans who have converted to Catholicism are able to serve as Catholic priests while maintaining some aspects of the Anglican faith.

http://www.ubspectrum.com/features/married-catholic-priest-is-a-sign-of-changing-times-1.2992343#.USF_jqWsiSo

[Angry Dragon]

1. Catholic priests used to be able to marry

[trotsky]

2. I think this kind of thing has been allowed for quite a while now.

I'm sure it predates this "2012 papal exception." I remember reading about a guy over 10 years ago who was a married clergyman in another Christian church, converted to Catholicism, and was allowed to remain married and become a priest.

It's to the church's advantage these days - they have a severe priest shortage.

[TexasProgresive]

3. Ordination of former Protestant ministers

Goes back to 1951 when a married German Lutheran pastor was ordained a Catholic priest. Most of these have been Anglican converts to Catholicism.

While I would like to see real change for the ordination of married men and WOMEN. I don't see the esptablshment of the ordinariate really a move in that direction. It is mostly a ploy to lure disgruntle Anglicans to the Catholic Church who are at odds with their Church's ordaining women and gays.

[rurallib]

4. one of our parish priests got married when I was in high school

I think it was before either the third or fourth kid was born.
Well, at least he wasn't a pedophile.

[goldent]

5. Not a rare case

A relative of my left the priesthood over a women. Not difficult to understand.

[goldent]

6. I wonder whether some policy changes in the RCC will come via these kinds of backdoors. nt.

[Warpy]

7. This has gone on for a very long time

with the proviso that the relationship be a "chaste" one. That means no sex, no Viagra. That was in the fine print and I guess it was OK with him.

[No Vested Interest]

8. I doubt that's true

I was told, so it's second-hand info, that there was a married priest, with young children, in a parish in Cincinnati ca 10 yrs ago. He was a convert to Catholicism from a Protestant sect, ordained in that religion.
I've also read of Anglican priests in England converting to Catholicism and their whole parish joining them.
There is a television program on EWTN that I often enjoy - "The Journey Home"- which interviews ministers and others who convert to Catholicism. The host is Marcus Grodi, who was an ordained minister who converted, but not to the priesthood., and his ministry is especially to ministers who seeking support and answers to their questions. (There are many shows on EWTN that I dislike heartily for their political perspective, but this one, wisely. steers away from politics).

[cbayer]

10. Not correct.

"Cornelius, who considers himself a traditionalist, took a vow of chastity along with his wife upon his ordination, agreeing that sex is a gift from God for procreation purposes, according to theNew York Daily News. However, he was not required to do so, according to the logistics of Pope Benedict XVI’s exception."

[cbayer]

9. Well, it's the camel's nose, I hope.

We shall see.