Phoenix Survey Comments--Yes
Unless otherwise noted, each bullet indicates separate respondents’ remarks
Ages 25-40 — 1 yes, 0 comments
Ages 41-50 — 14 yes, 6 comments
Diocesan Priests
- Discussion and interchange is always healthy for any group of people – the Church is no exception. Discussion would not weaken Roman authority, but I feel would enhance it.
- Mature married men, please; (for parochial work—the presbyterate only – in the fashion of the ancient Churches of the East)
My concern, based on the 500 yr history since the Council of Trent, diocesan bishops consistently cut corners on the matter of maintaining an educated presbyterate for parochial work. If we think we have problems now, with those who are immature, stalled intellectually, or spiritually shallow—just wait until bishops start scrambling to fill vacancies with hastily trained, poorly screened, & improperly motivated married men so as to have some more “warm bodies” to “plug” a need for “any-body” (which is already evident more times than not in the permanent deaconate, from my experience). From history, quantity always trumps quality, from management’s view in the Church. And with more cheap quantity comes a “disposable” dimension to clergy personnel.
- Discussion on acknowledging the presence, gifts, and blessings of gay priests. Would gay priests be allowed to marry?
- Keep up the good work!
Religious Priests
- Thanks.
- Although I would be more in favor of an open discussion on women’s ordination!
Ages 51-60 – 15 yes, 7 comments
Diocesan Priests
- Without a doubt. After Vatican II we thought surely the next stop will be optional celibacy—Not!
Celibacy joins the ranks of other important issues in our Church that is used as a scapegoat/whipping boy in order for our leadership to avoid their responsibility to lead and take responsibility for their lack of leadership or outright disastrous leadership. Celibacy is not the issue – credibility is!
- Discussion should also include the possible reinstatement of resigned and married priests
- I don’t believe the Church is ready to restructure for a married clergy. It will take a long process to bring it about.
- The discussion is long past due.
- For all our history and accumulated wisdom the Church has tremendous blind spots in the area of sexuality, stemming from the influence of dualistic Greek philosophy and confirmed by erroneous Medieval science and myth. We need an ecumenical council to bring healing and light to this dimension of the human experience. It’s about more than clerical celibacy.
Religious Priests
- Thanks for advocating a discussion. I really don’t care about my privacy being compromised since I have advocated optional celibacy for 35 years. However, I don’t want to call inordinate attention to myself.
- A change is not likely to be retroactive. Tradition supports marriage prior to ordination.
Ages 61-70 – 21 yes, 6 comments
Diocesan Priests
- I was a delegate to the NFPC Convention, voted to pass the Moment of Truth resolution in 1972.
- Yes very much.
- Optional celibacy should be limited to secular priests. Religious priests and monks are limited by their vows and the demands of community life. However, they should also be given the option of becoming secular priests and thereby an option to optional celibacy.
- Yes of course. It’s about time.
- Thanks for the quotes overleaf. You are doing a great service.
Religious Priests
- Thank you for gathering information. We need to provide Mass for people and allowing married priests would help that to happen – Let’s do it! !
Ages 70+ -- 16 yes, 13 comments
Diocesan Priests
- But let’s always follow the Magisterial(um) of the Church
- The Church must be rid of hypocrisy! The Episcopal converts remain married.
- How can we lead as signs of service/kingdom when we are thinking of ourselves first?
If married, a priest’s first obligation is to his spouse/children. We would have a “career” priesthood first and a “vocation” priesthood second. [Then comes a self-descriptive comment that could reveal who is saying this.] Have witnessed the dichotomy in the lives of protestant chaplains: not enough time for family – not enough time for duty. - Obligatory celibacy is in my opinion one of, if not the singularly important factor in the current Church abuse/sex scandal.
- Our mitered heads need to pull out of the sands of tradition, power, etc., and ordain all who are called: male, female, married, single, etc.
- If there are 7 sacraments (and I do believe there are) then why cannot a priest use all 7.
If this is true for the priest it should be so for women – some day soon since men are refusing to commit. - Change this with haste –
Of course Rome will take forever!
The following is a lengthy typed response by one of the respondents:
While I do think that celibacy needs to be discussed in the church, I also feel that this alone is not the problem or the root of the problem that the church is presently facing.
I offer the following suggestions:
1. The monarchical structure of the church that breeds secrecy, power and control
invades the fundaments of what it means to be an American Catholic. It is no wonder that American Catholics have not embraced their faith with the Gospel as the norm. The norm has been the church.
2. Now that the truth has come out (partial) about the sexual scandal in the American church…will we seek the resignation of every American bishop who broke civil and ecclesiastical laws, or have we found our scapegoat in Cardinal Law and few others….
3. I know of no priest who has escaped the full blunt of the law. Will justice of the Gospel
be realized?There can be no church catholic and otherwise that:
1. Sees excommunication, withdraw(al) of faculties, and scare tactics as signs of compassion, forgiveness and mercy.
2. Sees women as a threat to the fabric of what church means as People of God (which means) all people of God.
3. Sees business as usual as the status quo for solutions and protection of its hierarchical structure.
4. Sees itself as self-serving and sacrosanct from the words and deeds of the Gospel, which it claims, as its own.The future of the Church is in the hands of the laity as its leaders and the clergy as its ministers.
Religious Priests
- This issue could be a beginning for other issues. Bernard Haring’s book: “My Hope For The Church,” mentions several more issues.
- Thanks
- Thank you for opening the discussion here.
- A parishioner told me years ago: “Father, they should make you guys marry. Then you’d know how tough it is.”
- Keep pushing! Long overdue
Survey Comments—No
Ages 25-40 – 2 no, 1 comment
Diocesan Priests
- Whatever we say about celibacy, we say about the state of life our Lord and Savior lived. If it was a worthy state for Jesus, it is a worthy state for all priests who share his priesthood.
Ages 41-50 – 6 no, 2 comments
Diocesan Priests
- Why waste your time and energy, on this topic, when there are so many good things waiting to be done? Your group “Call To Action” has lost its credibility, cut your losses and move on.
- I’m glad to spend $.37 of your money to answer this ridiculous survey. Please send more!
Ages 61-70 – 2 no, 2 comments
Diocesan Priests
- This shows where your loyalty lies and it is not with the Church! Shame on you and shame on those you’ve fooled!
- You are a scandal to the Church, if you don’t like – leave it and now
Ages 70+ – 8 no, 4 comments
Diocesan Priests
- I believe that priests who have bound themselves to celibacy must stand by their commitment. However, I strongly support the ordination of qualified (already) married men do (to) the priesthood. I know several married deacons who would make excellent priests.
- I feel certain the celibacy should be kept in the priesthood. Priests are another Christ—“in personal Christ.” We give over our total lives over to Christ & His Church. Married priests: You are committed to Christ & wife divided – choose one or other.
- A celibate clergy is the glory of the Western Church. At my age, I don’t need privacy.
- If ever we need celibates it’s now in this awful culture where sex is (the) “in-thing”
Survey Comments—Not Sure
Ages 70+ – 3 not sure, 3 comments
Diocesan Priests
- Quid ad aeternitatem? What about eternity? [What for/of/about eternity?]
- The next question is: Are Catholic people ready to support a Pastor and his wife/children? How many wives would want to live in a rural parish, a poor parish, or a Black parish? A married clergy may solve some problems but it would create others. Divorces can be nasty.
Religious Priests
- My commitment to celibacy comes first from my profession of vows as a religious. I can see some merit in optional celibacy, but I feel it would have a negative impact on religious orders and congregations, some of which are now struggling to survive.
Survey Comments—from Incomplete Forms
- Please – have the decency to just join other Protestants and leave the Catholic Church. Thank you. Ciao.
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