|
|
Statement of the National Federation of Priests’ Councils Made in Response to Letter of 128 Milwaukee Priests
Introduction:
At their Fall meeting held at the Cenacle Retreat and Conference Center in Chicago from September 29 through October 2, 2003, the National Federation of Priests’ Councils responded to a request from priests around the country seeking the NFPC position concerning a letter sent to Bishop Wilton Gregory by 128 priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The letter urges that diocesan priesthood now be open to married men as well as to celibate men. This consideration of optional celibacy is seen as a means of enhancing the number of candidates for the priesthood. The priests of Milwaukee spoke out of a pastoral concern that the Catholic Church needs more candidates for the priesthood, so that the church’s sacramental life might continue to flourish.
The National Federation of Priests’ Councils understands that this request is of a mind that differs with the present discipline of the Roman Catholic Church, which mandates celibacy for all ordained to the priesthood of the Latin Rite under ordinary circumstances. Seeking to find a way of reconciling this issue, the Federation turned to the process of “dialogue”, looking to the model presented in the Decree On Ecumenism #4, whose concern is precisely the unity of the church. The model for dialogue is presented even more explicitly in the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Reconciliation et Paenitentia III.I.25.8
In the Decree On Ecumenism #4, guidelines are laid down for dialogue:
First: Expressions, judgments and actions which are not truthful and fair in representing the situation are to be avoided;
Second: The dialogue is to be such that truer knowledge and a more just appreciation of the teaching is arrived at.
Third: There is to be common prayer when possible.
Fourth: The dialogue entails an examination of one’s own faithfulness to Christ’s will for the Church in order to, where necessary, undertake with vigor the task of renewal and reform.
Finally, Such dialogue is to be carried out by the catholic faithful prudently, patiently and under the attentive guidance of their bishops.
In Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, Pope John Paul says:
“The Church in fact uses the method of dialogue in order the better to lead people to conversion and repentance…authentic dialogue, therefore, is aimed above all at the rebirth of individuals, through interior conversion and repentance, but always with a profound respect for consciences and with patience and at the step-by-step pace indispensable for modern conditions.
“In order to overcome conflicts and to ensure that normal tensions do not prove harmful to the unity of the Church, we must all apply to ourselves the word of God; we must relinquish our own subjective views and seek the truth where it is to be found, namely in the divine word itself and in the authentic interpretation of that word provided by the Magisterium of the church. In this light, listening to one another, respect, refraining from all hasty judgments, patience, the ability to avoid subordinating the faith which unites to the opinions, fashions and ideological choices which divide – these are all qualities of a dialogue within the Church which must be persevering, open and sincere. Obviously, dialogue would not have these qualities and would not become a factor of reconciliation if the Magisterium were not heeded and accepted. (Reconciliation et Paenitentia III. 25.4; 25.8)
It is with this spirit and in this context that the National Federation of Priests’ Councils offers the following position statement:
Position Statement:
The recent letter of a group of priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee urging that in the future celibacy be optional for candidates to the diocesan priesthood has occasioned several requests for a response from the National Federation of Priests’ Councils.
The NFPC acknowledges the long tradition of a celibate priesthood in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and recognizes that by exception to this general practice, some married men are ordained priests. It supports the efforts of priests to deepen their commitment to celibacy and to foster healthy living of the celibate life.
The NFPC understands that the issue of married priests is raised out of love for the Church and a concern for the pastoral care and sacramental life of the church in the face of a declining number of priests. It shares this concern and, therefore, encourages a dialogue on the ordination of married candidates to the priesthood in the belief that open and honest discussion about the priesthood is healthy and beneficial to the Church.
|
|
|
