JUST LET THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH—THE PROGRESSIVES’ QUEST FOR A DIFFERENT CATHOLIC CHURCH THAT IS A UTOPIAN DREAM AND DESTRUCTIVE OF THE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta recently chose to think out loud about optional celibacy in the Church. You can read Crux’s take on it HERE.

We’ve been talking about this since the 1960’s, although JPII and Benedict XVI placed it on the back burner. But, as we know, Pope Francis has brought us back to open arguments of the 1960’s and 70’s, never mind that these were settled in an institutional way prior to the current pope. 

Archbishop Scicluna seems to think we would solve the vocation crisis if we allowed married men to become priests and allowed priests to marry. Maybe he was too loud in thinking out loud on this one.

The Church of the East does allow married men to become priests. Their tradition of celibacy is usually associated with monastic life. Bishops may not be married but must come from the celibate clergy. A celibate priest is not allowed to remain in active ministry in the East if he chooses to marry after ordination as in the Latin Rite.

St. John Paul II, following the lead of Pope Pius XII, allowed married Protestant clergy who convert to Catholicism to be ordained priests. They may not become bishops and married bishops who are Protestant when converting to Catholicism can be ordained priests but not Catholic bishops. 

For the 13 years I was pastor of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Augusta, my part time parochial vicar was a married priest having been an Episcopal priest who converted to Catholicism and one of the first to be ordained a married Catholic priest after St. John Paul II’s pastoral privilege. Most Holy Trinity was/is a traditional parish with conservative Catholics and they embraced him, his wife and children. They appreciated the insights that his married life brought to his priesthood and homilies.

Archbishop Scicluna thinks, though, that his radical ideas about those already Catholic priests who have made a solemn promise or vow to life long celibate chastity, should be allowed to marry if they start dating and fall in love. Think about that. What are the implications for all those who make solemn promises/vows before God, including married couples?

What about a married priest who goes out for adulterous relationships, should we lose him to divorce and remarriage outside of the Church. Let him remain a priest.

And what about priests who are homosexual. Does Archbishop Scicluna want to bless priests who are in couple relationships with other priests or friends, parishioners? And then allow them to continue in active ministry. 

And of course, what about women, and the LGBTQ+++ ideologues as it concerns non-binary gendered people, what about them, they, it. 

And what about those who identify as animals, dogs, cats, etc?

Progressives are known for fuzzy thinking, incoherence in their thinking and academic logic and confusion. Maybe that’s what they like doing, to muddy the waters with things that are possible and things that are not. 

They are utopians too. They want a perfect Church, but it is one of they own concoction, not the one of Jesus Christ, who calls us to His perfections, to be like God. That will not happen for most or all of us on this side of salvation but on the other side, once we are in heaven, we will be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. We just have to wait until then and work out our salvation relying on God’s grace, not messing with the character of Catholicism but changing our own character, especially when it is sinful.

Let’s be Catholic not Bergoglian or Sciclunanian. Calvin, Luther and Henry VIII all wanted a different Catholic Church and now two of them have their names associated with their apostasy.