As we already have married priests, those that moved across from the Anglican tradition, I can see no theological argument against them.
A group representing approximately 1,000 U.S. Catholic priests has
asked their bishops "to start the dialogue" toward the ordination of
married men to the priesthood.
In letters mailed Jan. 23 to all members of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops, the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests said they
made the request primarily with concern for "the pastoral care of
souls," and that married priests are needed "to serve the pastoral needs
of the people."
"The time has come. The door is open. The need for this is urgent," the priests said.
The letter is signed by 12 members of the priest association's
leadership and staff, representing nine dioceses and one religious
order; its executive secretary Franciscan Sr. Jackie Doepker also signed
her name to the document.
Fr. Bob Bonnot, a priest in the Youngstown, Ohio, diocese and chair of the priests' association, told
NCR that
to his knowledge there has not been a response so far from the bishops'
conference or individual bishops. He said they are not asking the
bishops to respond to them, but to take up the issue among themselves.
He added that the association has encouraged its members, where
appropriate, to discuss the issue of married priests with their
individual bishops.
"This might be an issue that
priests in some situations would say, ‘Bishop, we think you ought to be
thinking about this.’ It’s up to them to make that decision," Bonnot
said.
Among the reasons the priests cited in their letter for beginning the conversation:
- the Roman Catholic church's inclusion of ordained married clergy
from other Christian denominations, such as the Anglican church;
- calls from the laity for a discussion of married priests;
- the continued declining number of active priests -- and resultant parish closures;
- and the spiritual, mental and physical health of current priests,
particularly those experiencing "an increasing and sometimes
overwhelming workload."
"The health and vitality of the priest's role within the faith
community is critical to the life of the Roman Catholic tradition and
its ministry. Given the signs of the times and the diversity and
challenges facing the church at this time, the ministerial priesthood
needs creative options. The witness that could come from married priests
serving the church with celibate priests is a crucial option to be
explored," the letter said.
"There are many voices in the church waiting to be heard on this -- including our own," said the priests.
The priests' association based its request of married priests on the
belief that Pope Francis is open to the possibility, if brought to him
by a national bishops' conference. They referenced an April 2014
interview in an Austrian newspaper in which the pope reportedly told a
Brazilian bishop that it was up to regional bishops' conferences to seek
and find consensus on church reforms, and then bring them to Rome.
According to a report on the interview
by the U.K.-based Tablet, Bishop Erwin Kräutler told the
Salzburger Nachrichten that
in a conversation about a shortage of priests in his Xingu diocese,
Francis expressed open-mindedness to finding solutions.
"The Pope explained that he could not take everything in hand
personally from Rome. We local bishops, who are best acquainted with the
needs of our faithful, should be
corajudos, that is 'courageous' in Spanish, and make concrete suggestions," the bishop said, according to the
Tablet.
Kräutler confirmed that he and the pope discussed the ordination of
viri probati ("proven
married men") into the priesthood. "It was up to the bishops to make
suggestions, the Pope said again," the bishop said.
In their letter, the U.S. priest association asked their bishops to
"accept the offer of Pope Francis to consider the possibility of
ordaining married
viri probati as priests." They requested the
bishops begin a broad consultation process that would seek input from
diocesan staffs, parish priests, deacons and the laity.
Bonnot told
NCR that at this point the association does not have additional actions planned, and that it will give the issue "time to brew."
The request to review the
possibility of married priests was among eight resolutions the
Association of U.S. Catholic Priests considered at its third annual assembly,
held in St. Louis in June. The group, largely composed of Vatican
II-era priests, formed in August 2011 as a support network for priests
and to allow for them to speak in a unified voice.
"We’re trying to be a voice of joy and hope in our pilgrim church and
that we think that expressing the views of priests with regard to
issues such as this is something we hope is a positive contribution to
the life of the church in this exciting time," Bonnot said.
