The child they are expecting has been diagnosed with a serious heart condition.

Father Tomas Hlavaty (pictured) will now be formally removed from the priesthood and returned to the lay state, says Bishop Marco Brunetti of Alba, who praised Hlavaty's "great transparency and sense of responsibility".

Never choose abortion

Hlavaty says prenatal diagnoses have revealed the unborn child has a serious heart defect which will require a series of surgeries after birth.

Nevertheless, he and the child's mother are determined to give the baby the chance to "discover this marvellous world that's life" he says.

"Already at three, four months, the child moved, there's life there" he says.

"Please, never choose abortion."

Celibacy debate renews

Hlavaty's situation has renewed the debate over priestly celibacy.

Crux Now reports that the debate probably reflects Hlavaty's popularity with his parishioners who are publicly lamenting his departure from the six small towns he has served.

Mayor Piercarlo Biestro of Feisoglio, one of the six communities Hlavaty cared for, wishes him well while adding that he's also disappointed.

"Not for Father Tomas, whom we all wish well, but because he's always been appreciated by our communities, above all by the young people for whom he gave a lot."

Brunetti called on Catholics to support Hlavaty and his new family in prayer.

"We're called, in our prayers and in our feelings, to support those who find themselves in difficulty and to continue together to build a Church which, despite its human frailty, is ever more a sign of hope" he said.

A new life

Italian newspaper La Repubblica says Hlavaty has described the circumstances that led to his decision.

"I loved being a priest and I loved the people around me" Hlavaty said.

He told La Repubblica that during the 20 years since he arrived in Italy from his native Slovakia, he discerned his vocation and was eventually ordained a priest in 2015.

While being involved in several ministries, he met a woman and fell in love. Their child is due to be born in December.

La Repubblica says Hlavaty has been absent from his parish for the last two months, the explanation being that he was dealing with unspecified health issues.

He has since said he and the woman he loves plan to move out of the area, where he'll seek work to support his family.

"For the future, I hope to be a good father even if I have very limited experience" Hlavaty said. "But I'm sure of one thing: I'm madly in love with the person with whom I want to spent the rest of my life, and having a child is the most beautiful news a man can have. I'll give it my all."

Source

• Crux Now

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, suggested fostering a true witness to the Faith could reverse the trend.

Cardinal You was visiting Knock for the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.

The conference coincided with the Year for Vocations to the Diocesan Priesthood, a national initiative aimed at addressing the decline in priestly vocations in Ireland.

In an interview with The Irish Catholic, Cardinal You highlighted the necessity of promoting priesthood within families. He underscored that simply calling for an end to the ban on priests marrying does not effectively address the root causes of the vocations crisis.

As evidence, the cardinal pointed to the Orthodox Church where marriage is permitted yet vocations have also declined.

Vocations urged within families

Cardinal You urged lay faithful to actively encourage vocations within their families and communities, emphasising the importance of nurturing a culture that values religious life.

He noted a disparity between those vocalising support for married priests in public forums and their reluctance to encourage their own children to pursue a religious vocation.

"I don't want to cause any controversy obviously, but there are those who are shouting aloud. Their voices are quite loud in the public forum and they would not be stepping up to encourage their son or their daughter to pursue a religious life."

Reflecting on the synodal process and the evolving role of clergy in a changing Church, Cardinal You addressed the inclusive nature of the Church encompassing bishops, priests, religious and laity. He emphasised the collective responsibility of all Christians to live out the teachings of the Gospel, fostering a community grounded in love for God and neighbour.

The Cardinal's stance contrasts with recent calls from some Vatican figures to re-examine clerical celibacy.

For instance, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta earlier this year expressed support for making celibacy optional. "If it were up to me, I would revise the requirement that priest(s) have to be celibate" Scicluna told the Times of Malta.

However, as Cardinal Mario Grech confirmed, the issue of mandatory celibacy is not set down for discussion at the upcoming synodal meetings in October.

Sources

The Irish Catholic

CathNews New Zealand

"There are people who find it difficult to live a celibate life. If you gave them the choice, you could attract a few more to the priesthood," Hollerich told the Luxembourg daily newspaper "L'Essentiel". "In Europe, these 'few' could make a difference."

The Church needs to be understood by people again, "because the times we live in have changed phenomenally", the cardinal continued.

Regarding the blessing of homosexual and remarried couples advocated by Pope Francis, among other things, Hollerich emphasised that he was "absolutely in line with the Pope". Like Pope Francis, he sees himself as a "sinner" and therefore does not want to condemn anyone.

Read More

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta shared his views in an interview with the Times of Malta, saying that allowing priests to marry could prevent them from leading secretive lives that conflict with their vows.

Serving as the adjunct secretary of the Holy See's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Scicluna highlighted the challenges priests encounter due to the celibacy requirement.

He observed that the widespread phenomenon of priests engaging in hidden, long-term relationships underscores the difficulties tied to this ecclesiastical rule.

"Experience has shown me this is something we need to seriously consider" Scicluna said, noting his open discussions at the Vatican while acknowledging that the ultimate decision is beyond his authority.

The current crisis in vocations does not solely drive Scicluna's push for reconsideration, although he acknowledges this issue.

Arguing that the decision to pursue the priesthood should be based on faith, not a compromise between personal and spiritual commitments, Scicluna asks "Why should we lose a young man who would have made a fine priest just because he wanted to get married?"

He pointed out that the rule of celibacy is not doctrinally immutable, implying that a papal decree could modify this tradition.

"If it were up to me, I would revise the requirement that priests have to be celibate" Scicluna told the Times of Malta.

Since the Catholic Church prohibits priests from getting married, some do so in secret and even have children in secret, Scicluna said.

"This is a global reality; it doesn't just happen in Malta" he clarified.

"We know there are priests around the world who also have children, and I believe there are those in Malta as well."

Reflecting on the Church's history, Scicluna noted that celibacy was not mandatory during its first millennium.

He advocated for learning from the Eastern Rite churches which permit married men to be ordained, suggesting a way forward to reconcile tradition with contemporary challenges.

While celibacy continues to have an important role in the church, the archbishop said it should once again become optional for those who wish to live their faith that way.

In the 12th century, the First Lateran Council established a prohibition against marriage for priests, deacons and subdeacons within the Latin-rite of the Catholic Church.

"We absolutely forbid priests, deacons and subdeacons to associate with concubines and women, or to live with women other than such as the Nicene Council (canon 3) for reasons of necessity permitted, namely, the mother, sister or aunt, or any such person concerning whom no suspicion could arise."

This marked the formal inception of celibacy requirements for clergy in this tradition.

However, a significant shift occurred in 1951 when Pope Pius XII introduced special dispensations that allowed converted Lutheran ministers to join the Catholic priesthood as married priests.

This move initiated a gradual acceptance of married former Protestant clergy within the Latin-rite Catholic priesthood.

Sources

• RNS

Even so, there were those who hoped for forward motion on married priests, women deacons and LGBTQ issues.

They will be disappointed by the final report issued by the synod.

For Francis it was not about the hot-button topics.

It was always about the synodal process, which he hoped would overcome divisions in the Church and recommit us to the mission of Jesus — of proclaiming the gospel of the Father's love and compassion for all of humanity and the earth.

If anything, movement on LGBTQ issues was reversed, as can be seen by the fact that the synod refused to even use the term LGBTQ in their report, even though the Vatican and the pope now use the term in their documents.

The 40-page report shows that power in the Church, at least in the synod, has moved from the Global North (Europe and the United States) to the Global South (especially Africa).

Africans were able to insert into the report pastoral concern for those in polygamous marriages but fought tooth and nail to keep any reference to LGBTQ Catholics out of the report.

They were joined by Polish bishops and others in opposition to what they termed "LGBTQ ideology." Many of their comments at the synod would be considered homophobic in the Global North.

The patriarch of Syria even stormed out of the synod rather than sit with someone who had opposing views on the matter. You wonder if they ever knowingly had a conversation with a gay person.

The treatment of LGBTQ issues in the synod's working paper, or Instrumentum Laboris, was better than in the final report. The report did not even describe the debate in the synod.

On the other hand, the synod did not close discussion of LGBTQ issues or use language like "intrinsically disordered."

Rather, it says, "Certain issues, such as those relating to matters of identity and sexuality … are controversial not only in society, but also in the Church, because they raise new questions."

One gay advocate responded, "Have they been asleep for the last 50 years to think these are new questions?"

The report continues on a slightly open note: "Sometimes the anthropological categories we have developed are not able to grasp the complexity of the elements emerging from experience or knowledge in the sciences and require greater precision and further study.

"It is important to take the time required for this reflection and to invest our best energies in it, without giving in to simplistic judgements that hurt individuals and the Body of the Church."

Although this leaves the question open for discussion, the general impression given is, "We have the right answers, we just don't know how to communicate them."

"I'm disappointed not only that LGBTQ were excised," Jesuit Father James Martin, who ministers to the LGBTQ+ community and was handpicked as a delegate by Pope Francis, told The Washington Post.

"But also that the discussions we had, which were passionate on both sides, were not reflected in the final document."

The discussion of women deacons neither advanced nor set back the issue. Rather the report describes the state of the question, which was not changed by the synod:

Different positions have been expressed regarding women's access to the diaconal ministry.

For some, this step would be unacceptable because they consider it a discontinuity with Tradition. For others, however, opening access for women to the diaconate would restore the practice of the Early Church.

Others still, discern it as an appropriate and necessary response to the signs of the times, faithful to the Tradition, and one that would find an echo in the hearts of many who seek new energy and vitality in the Church.

Some express concern that the request speaks of a worrying anthropological confusion, which, if granted, would marry the Church to the spirit of the age.

Again the role of the African members was important here.

While the Synod on the Amazon favored women deacons, the African church does not have many deacons at all. Catechists play a much more important role in Africa.

It is no wonder that there is little interest in women deacons in Africa where there are few male deacons. Women in Africa are dealing with patriarchy and clericalism on a larger scale.

Surprisingly, the possibility of having married priests got less attention at the synod than women deacons. One delegate told me that only three interventions discussed optional celibacy. Others said it never came up in their small groups.

Here all the synod could say was: "Different opinions have been expressed about priestly celibacy.

"Its value is appreciated by all as richly prophetic and a profound witness to Christ; some ask, however, whether its appropriateness, theologically, for priestly ministry should necessarily translate into a disciplinary obligation in the Latin Church, above all in ecclesial and cultural contexts that make it more difficult.

"This discussion is not new but requires further consideration."

If after a month that is all they can say, why did they bother?

This brings us back to Pope Francis' view of the synod as a way of overcoming divisions and modeling how decisions should be made in the Church.

For almost all the synod members, the experience was positive. The conversations in the Spirit at roundtables of about 10 members were especially good.

At first, some bishops were not used to being told by a laywoman that their four minutes were up and they had to stop talking.

But most accepted the process and learned how to participate in a setting where bishops, priests, religious and laymen and women were all listened to with respect.

The problem now is how to repeat that experience around the globe in the year of consultation prior to the next session of the synod in October 2024.

Few people are going to read the 40-page document.

Pastors need a simple set of instructions on how to continue the conversation in their parishes. Hopefully, the Synod Secretariat will come up with a simple roadmap for the interim discussions.

In addition, there are lots of interesting and important items in the report about refugees, migrants, human trafficking and poor people.

It recognised the need to foster peace and protect the earth. It stressed the importance of ecumenism and interreligious cooperation.

It argued for the Church to be more synodal, and expressed a desire for better formation of clergy and laity, as well as the "need to make liturgical language more accessible to the faithful and more embodied in the diversity of cultures."

Every bishop and pastor should be able to find something in the 40 pages to discuss with his community.

Attempting to write a 40-page document in the last week of the synod was a mistake, especially when dealing with a multicultural international group of 364 members. Over a thousand amendments were offered to the first draft.

The official text was Italian with an interim English translation, which I used in this column.

No other translation was available, which left Spanish speakers out in the cold.

The solution was to read the entire 40 pages to the assembly with simultaneous translations before the report was voted on paragraph by paragraph. No one knows when the official translations will be published.

In his homily at the synod's concluding Mass, Pope Francis acknowledged that the work of the synod is not done.

"Today we do not see the full fruit of this process, but with farsightedness we look to the horizon opening up before us," he said.

"The Lord will guide us and help us to be a more synodal and missional Church, a Church that adores God and serves the women and men of our time, going forth to bring to everyone the consoling joy of the Gospel."

Now that the first session of the synod is over, the ball is in everyone else's court. We are invited to continue the conversation in the Spirit.

Those like me who are impatient for change need to remember the words of Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich who described the Church as "the people of God, walking through history, with Christ in her midst."

"It is only normal that there is a group walking at his right, another at his left, while some run ahead and others lag behind," explained Hollerich.

"When each of these groups looks at Christ our Lord, together with him they cannot help but see the group that is doing the opposite: those walking on the right will see those walking on the left, those running ahead will see those lagging behind.

"In other words, the so-called progressive cannot look at Christ without seeing the so-called conservatives with him and vice versa. Nevertheless, the important thing is not the group to which we seem to belong but walking with Christ within his Church."

Let's keep walking toward the horizon.

• The Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit priest, is a Senior Analyst at RNS. Previously he was a columnist at the National Catholic Reporter (2015-17) and an associate editor (1978-85) and editor in chief (1998-2005) at America magazine.
• First published in Religion News Service. Republished with permission.

Rev. Edwin Githang'i Waiguru, a former Roman Catholic missionary, said marriage was a dream come true for him.

On Sunday (October 22) Waiguru married a woman and was ordained in the Catholic Charismatic Church, a splinter church, on the same day.

Before Sunday's wedding, Waiguru had lived in an African traditional marriage and had become the father of two children. Though never ordained, Waiguru made headlines for publicly celebrating his journey.

"I joined the seminary almost 20 years ago. I am also grateful that God has seen it worth to use me to bring something new to the world," Waiguru told journalists after the wedding near Nairobi.

"It is possible to serve God, have a family and a lovely wife."

Calls for change

Other former Catholic priests here hope the prelates gathered for the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican consider priestly celibacy and marriage.

The Rev. Peter Njogu (pictured), a former Catholic priest who is now a bishop of the Restored Apostolic Church in Kenya, sees the possibility of change regarding the celibacy rule.

"The pope has said there is no celibacy law that is cast in stone," said Njogu.

"They can change the celibacy rule — that mandatory celibacy for all serving clerics. We are following to hear if there is any change that can come because that is the only way to solve the problems we are having in the church."

Local bishops have opposed the former priests' efforts, calling them "traitors" and warning people against joining their churches.

"I think this matter is being handled by our teams at the synod," said an African Catholic bishop who did not wish to be named, "but I don't see how one can break the rules and at the same time demand a change."

A popular Ugandan preacher and gospel music artist, the Rev. Anthony Musaala who was suspended from the priesthood for advocating for married clergy, said "It is a long-standing issue and it will eventually be addressed."

Sources

Religion News Service

CathNews New Zealand

In a candid interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) am Sonntag, Bishop Felix Gmür (pictured) also acknowledged past mistakes in addressing abuse cases within the Catholic Church and called for the admission of women to the priesthood.

"It's time to abolish mandatory priestly celibacy," Bishop Gmür of Basel told NZZ on September 24.

The bishop elaborated: "Celibacy means that I am available to God. But I believe that this sign is no longer understood by society today. Many think: What is wrong with this person? Does he have a problem? When a sign is no longer understood, it must be questioned.

"I have no problem at all imagining married priests," the 55-year-old bishop added.

Women priests

Moreover, Gmür advocates for the inclusion of women in the priesthood, challenging the long-standing exclusion.

"The subordination of women in the Catholic Church is incomprehensible to me. Changes are needed there," he declared.

His stance aligns with a broader societal movement towards gender equality.

"I am in favour of the ordination of women; it will also be a topic at the synod that will soon take place in Rome," Gmür stated.

Errors handling abuse cases admitted

Gmür's admission of errors in handling abuse cases is a striking move, indicating a willingness to confront the Catholic Church's troubled past. He emphasised the need to question prevailing conditions within the Church, asserting that the time is ripe for sweeping reforms.

Gmür is in favour of an external monitoring of the church investigation into the cases of abuse as demanded by the Roman Catholic Central Conference.

In response to the abuse scandal, the Swiss Bishops' Conference plans to establish an ecclesiastical criminal and disciplinary tribunal for the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland.

However, this still has to be discussed with the Pope since such a tribunal is not provided for in canon law, said Gmür.

But, the proceedings under church law are subordinate to state law, "so they do not replace secular criminal proceedings."

Sources

Swiss Info

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

This proposition, which suggests a potential waiver of clerical celibacy, aims to foster greater inclusivity and representation of First Nations Australians within the Church.

The views of Archbishop Coleridge (pictured) were shared during an interview with The Australian newspaper.

However, he clarified that the sensationalist headline, "End of celibacy nigh, says Brisbane Catholic Archbishop Mark Coleridge," may have exaggerated his statements.

"The headline went quite a way beyond what I actually said, but the article was fair enough," Archbishop Coleridge said in a subsequent interview with The Catholic Leader.

"Clerical celibacy is an undoubted value"

While Archbishop Coleridge doesn't foresee the complete abandonment of celibacy, he firmly believes that the question of its applicability is pertinent, particularly within Indigenous communities.

"Clerical celibacy is an undoubted value, but it's not an absolute value," he expressed.

"I have been more or less happily celibate through my life, and the Church would be greatly impoverished if celibacy were wholly abandoned.

"But the question is whether it should be mandatory for all, and the context of the question is the changing profile of the priesthood and the current needs of the People of God," the Archbishop concluded.

As the immediate past president of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Coleridge's insights carry substantial influence.

This becomes even more pertinent with the upcoming Synod on Synodality in Rome commencing in October.

Within this historical gathering, discussions surrounding clerical matters will undoubtedly play a crucial role.

In his interview with The Australian, Archbishop Coleridge candidly predicted that mandated priestly celibacy could see significant modifications. Although he couldn't definitively pinpoint when or how this transformation might occur, he emphasised that the question itself demands attention and contemplation.

Sources

Catholic Leader

CathNews New Zealand

Archbishop Coleridge (pictured) stressed the need for the Catholic Church to evolve in order to thrive, especially in diverse cultural contexts.

Coleridge has proposed that Indigenous priests be granted an exemption from the celibacy requirement, arguing that the church would struggle to recruit celibate clergy within certain cultures.

The Archbishop cited the case of West Australian Labor senator Patrick Dodson, the sole Indigenous man ever admitted to the Catholic priesthood, who eventually left the priesthood.

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council chair John Lochowiak said devout Indigenous men had shunned the priesthood because it meant choosing between their family-orientated culture and serving God.

"A big part of our worldview is family … you're expected to have children as an Aboriginal man, and it is a big thing to turn your back on that to become a priest," Lochowiak told The Australian.

"For most of us, it is just too much. I think that is why you have had only one Aboriginal priest ordained after all these years, so I would welcome the (celibacy) question being looked at."

The discussion of ordaining married men is not entirely new within the Catholic Church.

A lesser-known provision allows married ministers from Anglican and other Protestant denominations to become Catholic priests, maintaining their marital status and family life.

Pope open to change

The celibacy issue was notably brought to the forefront after a special Vatican conference in 2019 suggested suspending the celibacy rule in the Amazon region of South America to address the shortage of priests.

Though Pope Francis initially showed openness to this idea, further contemplation was deemed necessary.

Archbishop Coleridge refrained from using the term "inevitable" to describe a relaxation of the priestly celibacy rule but emphasised the likelihood of change. He noted that there will likely come a point of maturation where allowing married men to become priests will seem like a natural progression rather than a sudden upheaval of tradition.

The push for change to priestly celibacy is gaining support from other church leaders as well. Bishop of Darwin Charles Gauci expressed openness to discussions about ordaining married men, particularly within Indigenous communities, respecting their cultural context.

"I am of the opinion that it is a question that will continue to be raised," he told The Australian. "It is certainly not going away. I would not say that (change) is ­inevitable - the universal church has much to decide on this ­matter."

Change does not contradict church teaching

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference National Centre for Pastoral Research director Trudy Dantis said the ordination of married men did not contradict church teaching and should be considered.

Dr Dantis said calls for the ordination of married men as Catholic priests - allowed in Protestant denominations as well as Eastern Orthodox churches - had emerged "quite strongly" in Australian consultations for the Synod on Synodality.

"Given that this model does not contradict church teaching, I believe it is worthwhile considering alongside the current celibate clergy model which continues to have strong value and appeal for many," she said.

Archbishop Coleridge said he would not be attending the Synod on Synodality in October, convened by the Pope. It would be up to others to push for changes to priestly celibacy.

In line with church practice, he will offer his resignation as Archbishop of Brisbane to Francis on turning 75 next month.

Sources

The Weekend Australian

The Australian

CathNews New Zealand

Francis spoke with Argentine journalist Daniel Hadad.

"There is no contradiction for a priest to marry.

"Celibacy in the Western Church is a temporary prescription: I do not know if it is settled in one way or another, but it is temporary in this sense," Francis said.

"It is not eternal like priestly ordination, which is forever, whether you like it or not. Whether you leave or not is another matter, but it is forever.

"On the other hand, celibacy is a discipline."

When asked if celibacy "could be reviewed," Francis responded: "Yes, yes. In fact, everyone in the Eastern Church is married. Or those who want to. There they make a choice.

"Before ordination, there is the choice to marry or to be celibate."

It isn't likely making celibacy optional would lead more people to join the priesthood, Francis said.

He noted there are already married priests in the Catholic Church in the Eastern rites.

The also said earlier that day he had met with an Eastern Catholic priest who works in the Roman Curia who has a wife and a son.

Back in 2019, Francis's personal view on celibacy was that it is "a gift to the Church".

At that time he said, "I would say that I do not agree with allowing optional celibacy, no."

He also said he thought there was room to consider some exceptions for married clergy in the Latin rite "when there is a pastoral necessity" in remote locations due to a lack of priests, such as in the Pacific islands.

Francis also outlined his views on a number of issues of interest to the 21st century Church.

Homosexuality

Asked about homosexuality, and whether he would give communion to a gay person who complied with church teaching, Francis did not give a direct answer.

Instead he said:

"... if a person is gay but is honest and seeks God, "who am I to judge?"

Parents with gay children should not kick them out, but keep them at home and "accompany them".

Speaking against the criminalisation of homosexuality in certain countries he mentions inclusion.

"The great answer is given by Jesus: Everyone. All. Everyone is inside. When the exquisite ones didn't want to go to the banquet: go there to the crossroads and call everyone, good, bad, old, young: everyone," he said. The Church is made up of sinners.

Divorced and remarried Catholics

Francis has a suggestion for divorced and remarried Catholics. "I advise separated couples to go to their bishop, go and present their situation to him," and see what the bishop advises.

Women at the Vatican

More women working in and around the Vatican are necessary because "machismo is bad. And sometimes celibacy can lead to machismo," Francis says.

The economy

In the pope's opinion, both the social market economy and market capitalism are depersonalising. But a social market economy, as John Paul II defined it, "I think it is the one that is appropriate to the thought of the Church," Francis says.

Source

• CNA
• CruxNow

A document including the priesthood proposals was unveiled by the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) that groups Spain's leading bishops at a 600-strong gathering in Madrid.

The document was drawn up after consultations with more than 215,000 people, mostly lay people but also priests and bishops.

The CEE will debate the proposals on Saturday in Madrid. Among them will be suggestions put forward by the Archdiocese of Barcelona, led by Cardinal Juan José Omella. He is also the CEE's president, representing Spain's 70 archdioceses.

The recommendations will be presented to the Vatican in October next year at its General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The first synod was established by Pope Paul VI in 1965 for the Vatican to consult its bishops about issues concerning the Church.

The CEE document stresses "the need to discern in greater depth about the question of optional celibacy for priests and the ordination of married people; to a lesser extent, the issue of the ordination of women has also arisen," it said.

"There is a clear request that, as a Church, we hold dialogue about these issues... to be able to offer a more holistic approach to our society," it said.

It also emphasised the need to "rethink the role of women in the Church", to give them "greater leadership and responsibility", notably in places "where decisions are made".

There was also "a need for greater care" for those who have been divorced or remarried or have an alternative sexual orientation.

"We feel that, as a Church... we must welcome and accompany each person in their specific situation," it said.

The document was unveiled just months after politicians approved Spain's first official investigation into child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.

The Church itself also took its first steps earlier this year towards addressing alleged abuse by clergy. It engaged lawyers to conduct a year-long investigation that will take cues from similar investigations in France and Germany.

Sources

South China Morning Post

The International News

The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) recently issued a 19-page internal document, "At the School of Jesus Christ: for an authentic priestly life."

The paper aims to "break the silence" on this issue.

The bishops, who reviewed the text during their March plenary assembly, have not yet made the document public outside of clerical circles.

In the text, the bishops express sorrow, "noting" that some priests "do not lead an authentic priestly life."

They emphasise "the incompatibility of the responsibility of fatherhood with ministry and priestly life in the Roman Catholic system". The bishops insist on the need for these priests to adopt "a responsible behaviour towards children born of a woman and a priest."

They urge priests to "take complete care of them and to request a dispensation from priestly obligations from the Holy Father."

The document was sent to all priests in the 48 dioceses of DR Congo on March 4. This was one day after it was officially announced that Pope Francis would be visiting the country from July 2-5.

Pope Francis has made the fight against all sorts of abuse in the Church one of his major battles.

While he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis expressed himself on the issue in a book entitled 'On Heaven and Earth'.

"If a priest comes to me and says that he has got a woman pregnant, I gradually help him understand that natural law takes precedence over his rights as a priest," he explained.

"As a result, he has to leave the ministry and take responsibility for the child, even if he decides not to marry the woman" the future pope said. "Because if he has the right to have a mother, the child also has the right to have a father with a face."

Nearly a dozen Catholic priests have been dismissed in the DR Congo this year for reasons that have never been made clear.

The press releases announcing the dismissals have attracted attention precisely because of their evasiveness.

The Diocese of Tshumbe said it had dismissed three priests in March without providing a reason. Inquiries were met with a wall of silence.

Sources

La Croix International

Xaverian International

German bishops' conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing (pictured) and Archbishop Ludwig Schick have added their support to Cardinal Reinhard Marx who spoke strongly in favour of voluntary celibacy at the beginning of February.

Schick is advocating ordaining ‘viri probati' - "men who are tried and tested in marriage" while also giving increased support to priests who choose to remain celibate.

He wrote in the German daily Fuldaer Zeitung that a good mixture of married and celibate priests could prevent clericalism and abuse of power.

The requirement that most priests in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church be celibate has theological and spiritual foundations and not only practical motivations, an international conference on priesthood was told on Monday.

Canon lawyer Gianfranco Ghirlanda SJ said the church has never claimed that celibacy is 'intrinsic' to the priesthood.

He noted the Eastern catholic churches have maintained the discipline of having both celibate and married clergy, and the Latin church has welcomed married priests coming from other denominations.

Celibacy "is not a divine law, because otherwise the discipline of the Eastern churches would not be possible, and it would not have been possible to have married priests in the early church, even if they were called to continence" he said.

A married priesthood "is not a second-class priesthood," because married priests also proclaim the Gospel, lead the Christian people and celebrate the sacraments, Ghirlanda explained.

Celibacy or marriage "does not touch the priesthood in itself".

In the Code of Canon Law for the Latin church, celibacy is seen as a gift from God that enables priests "to adhere more easily to Christ with an undivided heart and dedicate themselves more easily to the service of God and his people" he said.

Catholic theology, spirituality and church law on priesthood aim to promote a 'self-giving love'.

In this, celibacy is not lived "in a repressive way as mortification and denial" but as an expression of the biblical call to a "purity of heart".

Another speaker, Father Emilio Justo who is a professor of theology, agrees with Ghirlanda.

In the first millennium, married priests were common, he said.

He believes however, there were "predominant tendencies" favouring celibacy and requiring married priests to forgo sexual relations with their wives.

The requirement to live marriage in this 'abnormal way' was primarily theological, he said, and was based on a priest's role as mediator between God and the faithful, a role that required 'purity'.

This is not a ritual purity, 'but it is related to holiness' and conformity to Christ, who offered his whole self to God for the salvation of the world, he said.

It is a call to communion: "The church is the space where the ordained minister loves and is loved".

Source

• NCR Online
• The Tablet
• Image:National Catholic Reporter

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich - the 63-year-old Jesuit who leads the Archdiocese of Luxembourg and who is president of COMECE (the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union) — speaks frankly about these and other issues.

La Croix: You are a former missionary to Japan, a Jesuit, an archbishop of Luxembourg, a cardinal... Have you always sought God in the same way?

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich: When I arrived in Japan as a young priest, it was a great shock. At that time I was a young man steeped in the popular Catholicism of Luxembourg.

With other Jesuits, each one coming from a different Catholic background, we arrived with a model of Catholicism that we all saw very quickly did not correspond to the expectations of Japan.

For me, this represented a crisis.

I had to put aside all the piety that had been the richness of my faith until then and give up the ways that I loved.

I was faced with a choice: either renounce my faith because I could not find the ways that I knew, or start an inner journey. I chose the second option.

Before I could proclaim God, I had to become a seeker of God. I said with insistence: "God, where are you? Where are you, both in traditional culture and in postmodern Japan?"

When I returned to Europe ten years ago, I had to start over again.

To be honest, I thought I would find the Catholicism that I had left in my youth. But that world no longer existed.

Today, in this secularised Europe, I have to do the same thing: seek God.

Has Europe today once again become a land of mission?

Yes, it has been for a long time.

The Luxembourg of my youth was a bit like Ireland, with great processions, strong popular piety, etc. When I was a child, all the children went to church. My parents didn't go, but they sent me, because it was normal to do so.

I remember at school, a child in my class didn't make her first communion and that created a scandal. Now the thing that causes the scandal is when a child actually does make it.

But upon reflection, I can see that this past was not so glorious. I obviously didn't see that as a child, but I realise now that there were already many cracks and hypocrisies in that society back then.

Basically, people didn't believe any more than they do today, even if they went to church. They had a kind of cultural Sunday practice, but it was not inspired by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Do you think this cultural Catholicism is finished?

Not quite yet. It varies in different parts of the world. But I am convinced that Covid will accelerate this process.

In Luxembourg, we have one-third fewer churchgoers. I'm sure they won't come back. Among them are people of a certain age who will find it painful to return to religious practice, to go to a church.

But there are also those Catholics for whom Sunday Mass was an important ritual, providing stability to their lives.

For many, calling oneself Catholic is still a kind of disguise endowed with a general morality. It helps them to keep up with society, to be "good Christians", but without really defining what that means.

But this era must end. We must now build a Church based upon faith.

We know now that we are and will be a minority. We should not be surprised or saddened by this.

I have the sweet certainty that my Lord is present in Europe today.

And you have no doubts about that?

Oh no. No doubts at all. It's not a question that haunts me anymore.

When I was younger, I was afraid I wouldn't find it. It was as though I was haunted by this fear. I had to find out or I would sink. Now I am much more peaceful.

Is that the wisdom of age?

I don't know if there is such a thing as wisdom of age. (Laughs.) I would be happy if there were!

But deep down, we always do the same stupid things, and we always come up against the same wall. At least we know that the wall is there, and that it will hurt.

I also know now that I am only an instrument of the Lord. There are many others. This awareness makes me always a little suspicious of all those who say they have the unbeatable formula for announcing God.

There is no magic recipe?

No. There is only the humility of the Gospel.

And when you were younger, did you believe in magic recipes?

Yes, of course, I believed in them. But it is a beautiful folly of youth. It also shows the enthusiasm of young people.

Why is the message of Christianity still relevant today?

Because people have not changed in two thousand years.

We are still looking for happiness and we don't find it. We are still thirsty for infinity and come up against our own limits.

We commit injustices that have serious consequences for other people, which we call sin. But we now live in a culture that tends to repress what is human.

This consumer culture promises to fulfil human desires, but it fails to do so.

Yet, in moments of crisis, of shock, people realise that a whole host of questions lie dormant in their hearts. The message of the Gospel is exceptionally fresh in responding to this search for meaning and happiness.

The message is still relevant, but the messengers sometimes appear in costumes from times gone by, which is not the best service towards the message itself.

This is why we need to adapt. Not to change the message itself, of course, but so that it can be understood, even if we are the ones announcing it.

The world is still searching, but it is no longer looking in our direction, and that hurts. We must present the Gospel message in such a way that people can orient themselves towards Christ.

This is precisely why Pope Francis launched the Synod on Synodality last October, for which you are general rapporteur. You said recently that you do not know what you will write in the report?

I have to be the one to listen. If I make a lot of proposals, it will discourage people who have a different opinion. So it is the people who have to fill my head and the pages.

This is a synod. It must be open. As the pope says, it is the Holy Spirit who is the master builder. So we must also leave room for the Holy Spirit.

This method is important today because we can no longer be satisfied with giving orders from the top down. In all societies, in politics, in business, what counts now is networking.

This change in decision-making goes hand in hand with a real change in civilisation, which we are facing. And the Church, as it has always done throughout its history, must adapt to it.

The difference is that this time the change in civilisation has an unprecedented force. We have a theology that no one will understand in 20 or 30 years. This civilisation will have passed.

This is why we need a new language that must be based on the Gospel. And the whole Church must participate in the development of this new language: this is the meaning of the synod.

As president of COMECE, you took part in a meeting in Rome at the beginning of October with the European right-wing and centre-right parties. On leaving, Cardinal Pietro Parolin encouraged them not to consider Christianity as a supermarket from which only certain values can be chosen. Does this temptation exist among politicians?

Yes, clearly.

On the right, they take up Christian symbols. They like rosaries and crucifixes, but this is not always linked to the mystery of Christ.

This is related to our past European culture. They want to refer to a culture in order to keep it. This is a misuse of religion.

On the left, I also know politicians who say they are committed Christians, who fight against climate change, but who vote in the European Parliament to make abortion a fundamental right and to limit freedom of conscience for doctors. That is also taking religion like a supermarket.

One can be a Christian Democrat, a socialist, an environmentalist, etc., and still be a Christian. This diversity of political formations is of great benefit to society.

But politicians often tend to keep their religious preferences private. In this case, it is no longer a religion, but a personal conviction.

Religion requires a public space to express itself.

But isn't it more difficult for Christians to get involved in politics?

First, it is true that there are fewer Christians. Secondly, it is true that they are less and less involved in politics.

We see this after each election.

On the other hand, it is obvious that the message from the bishops to society is no longer getting through. You have experienced this in France for several years.

This is the consequence of our being in the minority.

To help people understand what we want, we must enter into a long dialogue with those who are no longer Christians, or who are Christians only on the periphery.

If we have certain positions, it is not because we are conservative but because we believe that life and the human person must be at the centre.

To be able to say this, I think we need to have dialogues and friendships with decision-makers or politicians who think differently.

Even if they are not Christians, we share with them an honest concern to collaborate for the good of society. If we do not want to live in a compartmentalised society, we must be able to listen to each other's stories.

Does this mean that the Church must give up defending its ideas?

No, it's not about that. We must try to understand the other, to build bridges with society.

To speak about Christian anthropology, we must base ourselves upon the human experience of our interlocutor. For although Christian anthropology is marvellous, soon it will no longer be understood if we do not change our method.

And what use is it to us to speak if we are not heard? Do we speak for ourselves, to make sure we are on the right side? Is it to reassure our own followers? Or do we speak to be heard?

What are the conditions for this listening?

First of all, humility.

I think that even if it is not necessarily conscious, the Church has the image of an institution that knows everything better than others. So therefore it needs a great deal of humility, otherwise, it cannot enter into a dialogue.

This also means that we must show that we want to learn from others.

Here is an example: I am totally opposed to abortion. And as a Christian, I cannot have a different position.

But I also understand that there is a concern for the dignity of women, and the discourse we had in the past to oppose abortion laws is no longer heard today. So what else can we do to defend life?

When a discourse no longer carries weight, we must not be obstinate in using it, but look for other ways.

In France, many believe that the Church has lost a large part of its credibility because of the sexual crimes committed within it. How do you position yourself in relation to this crisis?

First of all, I want to say that these abuses are a scandal.

And when we see the numbers in the Sauvé Report, we can see that it is not the lapse of a few. There is a systemic fault somewhere, and it needs to be addressed.

We should not be afraid of the injuries that this might inflict on us, which are absolutely nothing compared to those of the victims. We, therefore, need to be very honest and be prepared to take some hits.

A few weeks ago I was in Portugal, where I was celebrating Mass. There was a little boy there who, while serving Mass, looked at me as if I were the good Lord. I could see that he saw me as a representative of God, which I was, in fact, during the liturgy.

Abusing such children is a real crime. It is a much more serious offence than if a teacher or a sports coach were to commit such acts. The fact that this was tolerated to protect the Church hurts. We turned a blind eye! It is almost irreparable.

Now I come to your question. Some people have lost confidence.

In order to regain it, when possible, one must have great humility. When one accompanies a community or a person, one must always keep in mind the principle of absolute respect for those whom one accompanies. I cannot put aside even one person.

It seems obvious to me that these questions will be on everyone's mind and in everyone's heart during the synodal process. We need to embrace change.

If there is a systemic fault, do you think systemic changes are needed?

Yes. Obviously, in my diocese, like many others, we have a charter of good conduct that everyone has to sign, priests as well as laypeople who work for the Church.

Before ordination, we also subject seminarians to eight psychological sessions designed to detect paedophilia.

We are doing all we can, but it is not enough. We need a Church that is structured in such a way that these things are no longer possible.

What does that mean?

If women and young people had been given more of a voice, these things would have been discovered much sooner.

We must stop acting as if women were a marginal group in the Church.

They are not on the periphery of the Church, they are in the centre. And if we do not give a voice to those who are at the centre of the Church, we will have a big problem.

I don't want to be more specific: this question will inevitably be asked at the Synod, in various cultures, in diverse contexts.

But women have been ignored too much. We must listen to them, as we do to the rest of the people of God.

Bishops must be like shepherds who listen to their people. It's not just for them to say, "Yes, I hear, but that doesn't interest me". They need to be in the midst of their flock.

What other changes need to be made?

The formation of the clergy must change.

It must not be centred only on the liturgy, even if I understand that seminarians attach great importance to it.

Lay people and women must have a say in the formation of priests. Forming priests is a duty for the whole Church, so the whole Church must accompany this step, with married and single men and women.

Secondly, we need to change our way of looking at sexuality. Until now, we have had a rather repressed vision of sexuality.

Obviously, it's not about telling people they can do just anything or abolishing morality, but I think we need to say that sexuality is a gift from God.

We know that, but do we say it? I'm not sure.

Some people attribute the increase in abuse to the sexual revolution. I think exactly the opposite: in my opinion, the most horrible cases occurred before the 1970s.

In this area, priests also need to be able to talk about their own sexuality and to be heard if they are having trouble living out celibacy. They must be able to talk about it freely, without fear of being reprimanded by their bishop.

As for homosexual priests, and there are many of them, it would be good if they could talk about it to their bishop without the latter condemning them.

As for celibacy and the priestly life, let us ask frankly if a priest must necessarily be celibate.

I have a very high opinion of celibacy, but is it indispensable?

In my diocese, I have married deacons who carry out their diaconate role in a marvellous way, who give homilies through which they touch people much more powerfully than we who are celibate. Why not have married priests too?

In the same way, if a priest can no longer live this solitude, we must be able to understand him, not condemn him.

I'm old now, so this doesn't concern me as much...

Have you felt the difficulty of living this solitude?

Yes, of course.

At certain times in my life, it was very clear. And it is also obvious that every priest falls in love from time to time. The question is how to behave in this case.

First of all, one must have the honesty to admit it to oneself and then act in such a way that one can continue to live out one's priesthood.

• Interview by Loup Besmond de Senneville. First published in La-Croix International. Republished with permission.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, one of Pope Francis' most trusted aides, has spoken out in favour of banning mandatory clerical celibacy. He also supports allowing Catholic priests the option of marrying.

Four days earlier, Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin made the same recommendation in an interview with Der Tagesspiegel, a Berlin-based daily newspaper.

"It would be better for everyone to create the possibility of having both celibate and married priests," Cardinal Marx said.

"For some priests, it would be better if they were married. Not just for sexual reasons, but because it would be better for their lives and they wouldn't be so lonely," the cardinal said.

"I think that things as they are cannot continue like this," he added.

Cardinal Marx commissioned the ‘Munich Report' on clergy sexual abuse in his Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

The report severely assesses sexual abuse perpetrated between 1945-2019 in one of Germany's largest dioceses.

It alleges that at least 235 priests sexually abused "497 known victims", pointing out that the numbers are likely even higher.

The report found that former Munich and Freising archbishop, ex-pope Benedict XVI, mishandled four abuse cases in Munich in the 1980s before becoming a pontiff.

Archbishop Koch said that although celibacy is a "strong testimony of faith", it does not have to "be the exclusive route to priestly ministry".

The 67-year old Koch said he knows "how strong the faith and preaching power of many married people is".

"I always say this to young priests: living alone is not so easy", said Cardinal Marx.

"And if some say: without the obligation of celibacy, they will all get married! My answer is: so what! If they all marry, it would at least be a sign that things are not currently working."

Sources

La Croix International

National Catholic Reporter

According to Bishop Wellington de Queiroz Vieira of Cristalandia and a member of the current Amazon synod the real issue is a lack of holiness.

de Queiroz says combating priest shortages in the Amazon region by ordaining mature married men does not address a greater problem.

He says he thinks the real obstacles to increasing local priestly vocations are scandals and a lack of holiness in bishops, priests, and deacons.

de Queiroz, 51, says clergy need to be close to their people. However, quoting Pope Francis he adds:

"But very often we do that, but do not convey the perfume of Christ. And we are not able to convey the real message."

The reality instead, is that clerics often either drive people away from Christ, or become proclaimers of themselves.

"We are not always holy priests and holy bishops in our own churches," he says.

People need to think about changing themselves before changing as a Church.

He says in his opinion, the instrument to reawaken vocations lies in the holiness of the evangelizers.

"I am convinced that if I live a holy life, I will not lack ordained ministers," he says.

This is because young people are looking for models of holiness and will be drawn to it when they see it.

"We have an obligation to provide examples of holiness."

De Queiroz describes holiness as including simplicity of life, openness to dialogue, respecting differences, unwavering proclamation of the Christian life, compassion for those who suffer, charity and accepting challenges.

He thinks there should be another solution to priest shortages in the Amazon that needs to be considered.

At present, he notes there is an unequal distribution of priests in the region.

In some areas there is a higher concentration of priests than in others, but they lack a "missionary spirit" to leave and travel to the more remote and challenging areas of the Amazon.

"We need to change this mentality," he says.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Catholic News Agency

Ouellet says a deepened understanding of celibacy is preferable to grabbing at quick solutions to resolve the current lack of priests.

He makes the claim in his newly published book "Friends of the Bridegroom: For a Renewed Vision of Priestly Celibacy."

Ouellet says he is "skeptical" of the proposed idea in the Amazon of ordaining to the priesthood "viri probati" - older, married men.

Without naming names, he says he also knows some in higher positions "in the Roman Curia" who have similar doubts.

"I am not against the fact that there is a debate, but I think at this time of history and of the Church there is a need of reflection…" he says.

"And so, my intervention is to substantiate the debate, to give something substantial to aid discernment.

"I remain skeptical out of convictions and knowledge of the Catholic tradition in the Latin rite, so I think this has to be very much taken care of in the debate".

Ouellet says he remains open to what will happen during the synod.

Ouellet also says he knows Francis has mentioned having no intention to change Church practice on priestly celibacy in the Latin rite.

He has not excluded the possibility of an exception, however.

Ouellet has given Francis two copies of his new book and that Francis is happy he is joining in on the viri probati debate.

He says in writing it, he thought it was a good time to contribute his years of "knowledge, wisdom, and experience" to the Church's discussion of priestly celibacy, and in the particular context of this month's Amazon synod, to the debate on "viri probati."

"I think that priestly celibacy, but also religious consecration, is a powerful witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ and to his call to follow him and to leave everything to be with him, and to do what he asks us to do.

The close link between celibacy and the priesthood "is the fact that the priest is in charge of ... proclaiming and giving the definitive and ultimate Word of God to the world," he says.

"The link between celibacy and the priesthood in the Latin Church comes from the apostles and it has been kept through the centuries despite times of decadence, of difficulties, of refusal...

"It's been always difficult, but it remains an extraordinary witness to the divinity of Christ and to the presence of the Risen Lord among us so that we give him an answer, because he is there, calling us to communion."

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: America Magazine

Clerics trek from one town to the next, sometimes requiring military transport to get to their remote destinations.

Communities can go months without a visit.

The church, as a result, is struggling to hold its influence.

One new proposal to ease the shortage would allow older, married men in the region to be ordained as priests.

South American bishops have advocated for the idea, and Pope Francis has indicated some willingness to narrowly open the door to married men in this specific case.

But the proposal has set off a debate about whether Francis is trying to bolster the ranks of the priesthood or upend its deep-rooted traditions.

A vocal band of conservatives says permitting married priests in the Amazon could alter — and undermine — the priesthood globally, weakening the church requirement of celibacy.

"I see a destruction of the priesthood," Swiss Bishop Marian Eleganti said in a phone interview, claiming that liberal bishops and cardinals under Francis's "shadow and protection" were working to enact the changes. "This is the beginning of the end for celibacy."

The Amazon would not be the first exception. Married Anglican ministers, in some cases, have been welcomed into the Catholic priesthood after conversions.

And Eastern Catholic churches, even those in communion with Rome, allow for married men in the priesthood.

But conservatives note that the rationale for installing married clerics in the Amazon exists, too, across Europe, North America and other parts of the world, where seminaries are closing and dioceses are sharing priests.

"It is the elevation of a model," said Roberto de Mattei, president of the conservative Lepanto Foundation in Rome.

The discussion has gained steam ahead of a Vatican meeting, scheduled for October, focused on the church in the Amazon.

Although the meeting has many broad aims — helping the environment, aiding indigenous communities — one paragraph in the event's working document mentions the possibility of ordaining older men "even if they have an existing and stable family" as a way to make up for the Amazon's severe priest shortage.

The text affirms the standard church teaching that celibacy is a "gift for the Church" and says the proposed exception is a "way to sustain the Christian life."

With Francis more willing than his predecessors to consider how the faith might adjust in the modern age, and with a conservative pope emeritus still living in Vatican City, the church has been riven by cultural battles over everything from homosexuality to Communion for divorcées.

But the idea of altering a tenet of the priesthood has caused an unusually public conservative backlash, even by the standards of Francis's papacy. Continue reading

• Image: RNS

Kasper, who is considered one of Francis's close theological advisers, says such a change could be made during this year's Synod of Bishops on the Amazon set for this October, if the prelates were to ask Francis about it.

The ordination of women, even to the diaconate, is out of the question, however.

Kasper says this is because it would undermine a "millennia-old tradition".

At the same time, Kasper notes, the Catholic Church would "collapse" without women.

"If the bishops agreed through mutual consent to ordained married men - those called viri probati - it's my judgement that the pope would accept it," he says.

"Celibacy isn't a dogma, it's not an unalterable practice."

Kasper says he would prefer to see celibacy continuing to be an "obligatory way of life with a commitment to the cause of Jesus Christ".

However, he points out, "this doesn't exclude that a married man can carry a priestly service in special situations".

Kasper's views seem at odds with those of Francis, who in January addressed the issue of possibly ordaining married men, during the in-flight press conference on the way back to Rome from Panama.

"I would rather give my life than to change the law on celibacy," Francis said at the time.

"I'm not in agreement with allowing optional celibacy. No," he said.

He added, however, that he believes theologians should study the possibility of "older married men" being ordained, in "far, faraway places," such as the islands in the Pacific.

Even then, he said, they should be ordained only to celebrate Mass, hear confessions and anoint the sick.

At the time, Francis also said the question of married priests is a matter to be "prayed on" and discussed by theologians, and is one he personally hasn't meditated on enough.

"It's not for me to decide. My decision is, optional celibacy before the diaconate, no," referring to the fact that future priests typically are first ordained as deacons.

"I will not do this. I don't feel like standing in front of God with this decision," Francis said.

Source

• Crux
• Image: Crux Now