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| Minn. Priest: 'Celibacy Is Largely a Myth'; Report: Benedict XVI Canceled Two Private Vows of the Legionaries of Christ; New Book Critiques 'Golden Compass' By Matt C. Abbott Renew America November 23, 2007 http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/071123 I received the following (edited) e-mail from Father Jack Nordick, of the New Ulm, Minn., Catholic diocese: "What we need to consider is that priests are as human as all the rest of you, and indeed subject to the same foibles. That means that celibacy is largely a myth, with perhaps no more that 15 percent of all priests actually maintaining celibacy throughout their entire careers. As Jesus himself noted, (Mathew 19; 8-12) celibacy is not something that can be imposed but is a gift given to few. Considering other life situations, one wonders why celibacy for priests matters so much. "As such, those of us who, at least up to now, have succeeded in keeping our promise of celibacy should not think of that as something we did on our own or a reason for greater honor. It is only a gift, and as all gifts, one that still needs to be cherished and honored. That doesn't make me a prude, or perfect, or without sexual interest or reactions. Only that somehow, and not because of some greater will power, I have never found myself in a situation where I could not say no. I do not regard as inferior, those who responded to life's urges in a different way. "[This is] considering the high sexual charge in our social environment; and the lack of concern for every kind of heterosexual dalliance; and the lack of reprimand for those bishops who had oversight for the passing around of known pedophile priests. "Our Church and our society have a long way to go before we can point fingers at priests who fall in love. But if we would deny communion to bishops who passed around pedophile priests, now that would be something." A reader sent me the following English translation of a Nov. 19, 2007 story on Milenio.com.
They deal with promises related to internal aspects of the order. The first prevents any criticism by members of their superiors or of their decisions; the second prohibits religious from seeking positions within the congregation itself. Vatican sources have told Notimex that the measure was taken by the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life following disciplinary actions in 2006 against Legionary founder, Marcial Maciel Degollado. In May of that year the Apostolic See announced that the Mexican priest was being obliged to follow a "reserved life of prayer and penitence." This followed an investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "for crimes falling within the exclusive jurisdiction of this office." Sources stated that the abolition of the private vows is a "measure parallel" to that of Maciel's sanction and that it was personally ordered by Benedict XVI and given to the current director of the Legionaries of Christ, Alvaro Corcuera. These vows, which are included in the text of the congregation' s constitutions, specifically state that one is "never to desire, seek or scheme to acquire responsibilities or positions in the congregation for oneself or for others." They also state that no one may ever "criticize the outward actions of governance or the person of any director by written word or by any other means. If it is known for certain that a religious has broken this promise, [one must] inform his immediate superior." According to a letter written by a former legionary, Emilio Bartolomé, and confirmed as being true by Vatican officials, Corcuera has carried out a series of visits to Legionary houses throughout the world. The purpose of these visits has been to inform superiors of the abolition of the vows and the "relaxation" of certain restrictions placed on seminarians, such as those related to visits with family members. Previously restricted to a few times a year, visits between seminarians and their families will now be more regular and less restrictive as part of the pope's directives to the order. The norms related to family visits were approved by the congregation' s Chapter General (or assembly) and cannot be changed by the director general. Only another Chapter General or the pontiff himself can modify them. Sources conclude that, "since no Chapter General has taken place and the constitutions have not been modified, this confirms that it was a papal decision." Mr. Vere and Ms. Miesel were recently interviewed by ZENIT about their book, titled Pied Piper of Atheism. On a related note, Mr. Vere and Ms. Miesel both enjoy the controversial Harry Potter books, so I thought I'd ask them what their thoughts are on J.K. Rowling's stunning (ahem) revelation that the character Albus Dumbledore is homosexual. Mr. Vere responded: "It was a silly thing to do. All it does is undermine the work. Additionally, if I were a homosexual, I would be insulted by this revelation, as Dumbledore's boyfriend was the dark wizard responsible for the rise of Nazism." Ms. Miesel had a different take: "My reaction to Dumbledore is a big 'So what?' He's not predating on students and there are no leather bars in Hogsmeade. Notice exactly how that datum came out and what Rowling said in a subsequent interview: 'I discovered early on that Dumbledore was gay.' No one who hasn't written fiction can appreciate the way characters take over beyond an author's conscious control. One can read back some subtle points about Dumbledore's personality from this datum, but it matters very little, except to writers of slash fiction." Contact: mattcabbott@gmail.com |
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