Vatican allows married priests for Eastern Catholics in diaspora

praytellblog.com is carrying the news that Pope Francis has lifted the ban on the ordination of married men to the priesthood in Eastern Catholic churches outside their traditional territories, including in the United States, Canada and Australia.
The ban was not being observed by some Eastern Catholic bishops in recent decades, but in more recent years Rome tended to look the other way. Now the situation is regularised, with any Eastern Catholic church free to abolish mandatory celibacy.
Each Eastern church is sui juris, (one who is not under the power of another) and so the Ruthenians can ordain married men to the priesthood anywhere now, while the Maronites and Syro-Malabars, for example, are free to retain the discipline of celibacy in the diaspora, though Rome does not require it of them.
The story is carried also on the following links:
 http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/vatican-lifts-ban-married-priests-eastern-catholics-diaspora
http://www.catholicregister.org/home/international/item/19206-vatican-lifts-ban-on-married-priests-for-eastern-catholics-in-diaspora
 
.
.

Similar Posts

  • Pope Francis speaks to the Joint Session of the United states Congress

    Standing ovations for Francis from Congress but is anyone actually listening?
    Are we, the church. listening?
    Are Church administrators and curial officials listening?
    Caroline Wyatt, BBC religious affairs correspondent, says in a report “Above all, Pope Francis in the US has challenged his audiences to think, and to cast aside ideological divisions in favour of unity and mercy – to reflect on how to help the poor and those without. ……. Then, he left in his small car that makes a big point about the environment, showing that sometimes, actions can speak louder than words.”

    Francis used the example of four people to highlight his points. “Three sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.”

    Liberty; liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; the rights of persons; the capacity for dialogue and openness to God:
    They’re as needed in our church as in U.S. society.
    It’s time for action.

  • How small is small?

    Chris McDonnell in his recent article in the Catholic Times offers his opinion on comments made by Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput about the benefits of having a “smaller, lighter Church if her members are also more faithful, more zealous, more missionary and more committed to holiness”.
    Chris sees the comments as a backlash by some in the context of the “interesting change taking place in the United States as the conservative nature of the US hierarchy is gradually being eroded by the appointment of bishops more in tune with the openness of Francis.”
    He further states that “To advocate a smaller, purer church challenges the very nature of a pilgrim Church, where the open arms of a Christian welcome demands that we offer what we have and accept others who might wish to share the journey.
    It all smacks of religious sectionalism that takes no account of the bumps and difficulties that we all experience.”

  • Marriage Annulment Process Changed

    Pope Francis has announced new procedures for the annulling of marriages.
    The documents making the announcement, Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus and Mitis et misericors Iesus, are still only available in Italian and Latin.
    We carry a report on this move from Crux.
    http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2015/09/08/pope-francis-streamlines-process-for-granting-annulments/
    Is this an important step for reform and Francis’ message of Mercy?
    How relevant is it for the majority of catholics who divorce and remarry?

  • Synod on the Family – Please fasten your seat belts

    We carry two reports about the Synod on the Family.
    Gerard O’Connell in America Magazine gives an account of the first week and the reports of various language groups.
    ‘The first week revealed not only the ethnic but also the theological and cultural diversity of the synod fathers, which French language group “A” described as “a unique experience of Catholicity.” ‘

    In the second article Sandro Magister, comments in www.chiesa.it on a letter reputed to have been sent to Pope Francis from 13 Cardinals who are said to be a little disgruntled by proceedings at the Synod.
    One of their objections is that members of a committee to draft a final document at the Synod “have been appointed, not elected, without consultation.” Interesting they think people should be elected, not appointed, to important positions and that there should be consultation!!

Join the Discussion

Keep the following in mind when writing a comment

  • Your comment must include your full name, and email. (email will not be published). You may be contacted by email, and it is possible you might be requested to supply your postal address to verify your identity.
  • Be respectful. Do not attack the writer. Take on the idea, not the messenger. Comments containing vulgarities, personalised insults, slanders or accusations shall be deleted.
  • Keep to the point. Deliberate digressions don't aid the discussion.
  • Including multiple links or coding in your comment will increase the chances of it being automati cally marked as spam.
  • Posts that are merely links to other sites or lengthy quotes may not be published.
  • Brevity. Like homilies keep you comments as short as possible; continued repetitions of a point over various threads will not be published.
  • The decision to publish or not publish a comment is made by the site editor. It will not be possible to reply individually to those whose comments are not published.