It appears the rumblings about Pope Francis' openness to the question of allowing married men of proven virtue to be ordained to the Priesthood are becoming louder and louder. In my preceding post, I highlighted the remarks Cardinal Kasper made in an interview published on the website of the German Bishops' Conference.
The Cardinal was very direct in stating that Pope Francis is open to receiving proposals from Conferences of Bishops in countries where there is a dearth of Priests available to provide for the spiritual and Sacramental care of the faithful.
Frankly, I have consistently questioned and challenged the mindset of previous Popes and the Bishops who have insisted that the canonical discipline of celibacy trumps the mission of the Priesthood to be the continuous and effective salvific presence of Christ among the People of God.
Yet, while I am very enthusiastic about the possibility of admitting married men to the Priesthood, I do believe that this solution comes with difficulties and challenges, to be sure.
So, let's talk about the idea of married Priests for a moment, honestly and maturely.
If the Church is really going to admit married men to the Priesthood, then the hierarchy and the Catholic faithful need to be realistic and not create a fantasy similar to that which surrounded the celibate Priesthood. That is to say, a Priest, married or not, is a fallible human being, a sinner called from among sinners to minister in the name and person of Christ.
And so, as the celibate Priesthood has been shown itself to be vulnerable to the weaknesses of human sinfulness, so too the Priesthood of the married will be subject to the frailties of the wounds that flow from Original and personal sin.
If the Church is going to embrace married men in the Priesthood, then the Bishops and the Catholic faithful need to understand that, along the way, there will be failings among these married Priests. There will be incidences of divorce, adultery, family issues involving children and extended family members.
It won't be pretty when these things take place (as they are bound to happen), but the Church needs to stop pretending the Priesthood somehow makes the Priest invulnerable to the human condition of brokenness that all humanity suffers.
It is appropriate and fitting that we expect the Priest to be an example of the life of charity and sincerity the Gospel inspires, but we must be reasonable in those expectations and accept the fact that all of us depend upon the Grace and the Mercy of God as we struggle to be faithful to Christ.
For too long, the Church perpetuated the false image of the Priest as a sinless servant. Nonsense. And in perpetuating the illusion, cover up and concealments added to the human tragedies. As recent incidences have shown, Priests are subject to (perhaps even more vulnerable) to the temptations and failings of the world, the flesh and the Devil. The illusory pedestal upon which the Priesthood stood for far too long was destroyed, once and for all, in the scandals of recent years.
Of course, the response of the official Church has been what is always is: condemnation and punishment.
Rather, the Church needs to remind us that when we stray from the wisdom and the resource of Christ's Grace, our lives become chaotic, without direction, selfish and self-destructive. This is true of all of us, from the Pope to the lay person.
What the Evangelical response should and must be in the face of human failing is the Mercy of Christ and the possibility of redemption, even from the worst of sins.
So, if we are to ordain married men to the Priesthood, we must accept the fact that some will fail and not respond as Pharisees but as Alter Christus, as Christ Himself.
We shall see what the future holds for the Priesthood of the Latin Church, a Church so different than the one in which I was ordained so many years ago. The Holy Spirit continues to be with us, to inspire, to protect and to guide us. That is a source of great assurance to me and, hopefully, will be to you as well.
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