From Catholic World News
Pope Emeritus Benedict, Cardinal Sarah author new book on priesthood, celibacy
“The priesthood is going through a dark time,” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal Sarah say in their new book. “Wounded by the revelation of so many scandals, disconcerted by the constant questioning of their consecrated celibacy, many priests are tempted by the thought of giving up and abandoning everything.”
A new book by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah will discuss the priesthood and clerical celibacy, and what the authors see as threats and challenges facing priestly ministry in the Church today.
From the Depths of Our Hearts: Priesthood, Celibacy, and the Crisis of the Catholic Church, co-authored by the former pontiff and the current prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, will be published in English by Ignatius Press (which also publishes Catholic World Report).
The book came into being during the summer and fall of 2019, as the worldwide Church’s attention was turning to the Vatican’s Synod on the Amazon, which examined questions surrounding priestly ministry and celibacy in particular.
The authors insist that priestly celibacy is more than “a mere precept of ecclesiastical law,” and argue that a renewal of priestly celibacy is necessary for a renewal of a Church rocked by scandals, according to a press release from the publisher. In a quote included in the press release, the Pope Emeritus and Cardinal Sarah state, “The priesthood is going through a dark time. Wounded by the revelation of so many scandals, disconcerted by the constant questioning of their consecrated celibacy, many priests are tempted by the thought of giving up and abandoning everything.”
The book includes an introduction and conclusion by the two authors, and one chapter by each individually. In the introduction, the Pope Emeritus and Cardinal Sarah state that they “fraternally offer these reflections to the people of God and, of course, in a spirit of filial obedience, to Pope Francis.”
“Their book is not just about priestly celibacy, important as that is in itself,” Ignatius Press founder and editor Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, said. “It is about, as Pope Benedict describes it in his first paragraph: ‘the lasting crisis that the priesthood has been going through for many years.’ But it is about more than that; it is about the nature of the Church and of Christian discipleship. This is a book that all should read. It is powerful and personal — from the depths of their hearts.”
The book will be available for pre-order this week and is expected to ship February 2
3 comments:
"...the Pope Emeritus and Cardinal Sarah state, “The priesthood is going through a dark time. Wounded by the revelation of so many scandals, disconcerted by the constant questioning of their consecrated celibacy, many priests are tempted by the thought of giving up and abandoning everything.”
Is the situation that bleak among priests? I had heard for decades — from 1978 A.D. to 2013 A.D. — that the Church had been packed with so-called "John Paul II," as well "Pope Benedict XVI" priests.
That is, holy, joyful priests.
That has continued from 2013 A.D to date.
Within my diocese, I have encountered one holy, happy priest after another.
Seminaries throughout Africa and Asia have, for decades, produced holy, upbeat priests.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
What we seem to be seeing here is a counter-agenda to the one Francis's supporters and cronies are claiming he (Francis) espouses. The fact that these reflections are offered to the Pope in a spirit of 'filial obedience' recalls the 'filial correction' of 2017, and although it is a more subtle admonition, it is an admonition none the less.
My hunch is that PF is grooming Tagle as his successor and the changes will come about in the next pontificate, which could be a long one (he is only 62). Elections to the papacy are (unfortunately) driven by geopolitical considerations, and it is a safe bet that the next pope will be from Africa or Asia, and he will not be Sarah or Ranjith.
That the result could be a schism does not bother PF (he has admitted as such) and as long as Marx and co. get their way in their vision for a new Church, they are not concerned either.
Battle lines are already being drawn, and I know which side I'm on. I would rather the power-politics of the late 15th and early 16th centuries since they did not involve doctrine. The present crisis is about what the Church actually believes. It dates back to the Second Vatican Council and therefore my entire adult life. I will die a Catholic but by that time there might not be a recognizable Catholic Church in which to live or die.
Christ will never abandon his Church (or so we are told by those who bury their heads in the sand and do nothing). But a Church which abandons Christ? That's quite another thing.
The tactical issue is whether the insurgents have established themselves within the Church so solidly that they can evict the faithful in the schism ala the SSPX, or if they will take their novel ideas and go elsewhere.
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