www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Panel recommends ending married priest ban for american ECs

Hopefully Rome will listen and act quickly in this matter!

News item and full statement [usccb.org]

Sadly, I do not think it will happen.

Just go ahead a do it! What is Rome going to do? Excommunicate entire Churches? I don't think so! How would that go over?

It already has in the Maronite and Byzantine Ruthenian Churches.

I have heard from an authoritative source in the USCCCB that Pope Francis does not wish to enforce the ban and may soon formally abolish it.

The idea I have is that Pope Francis knows the Eastern churches well, he was ordinary for the Ukies back in Buenos Aires, so I imagine he must be sympathetic to these issues.

Also, it fits his personality to respect the sui iuris churches autonomy. He talks so much about collegiality and subsidiarity, what better example?

Now this would have been an interesting question to ask him on the Papal plane, much more than the "ecumenical effect" of ordaining married men in the Latin church!

If it has happened in the Ruthenian Church.....it was an extraordinary circumstance. Ask Metropolitan William....he will tell you that this will not be a normal procedure anytime soon.

I have been told otherwise by Ruthenian clergy.

That would be great news if accurate.

I was often told the same thing when I was with the Ruthenians....but it never panned out.

It has been many years since I was in the Byzantine Catholic Church. Perhaps things are changing? Has Metropolitan William said anything about it?

Things are changing...

Appreciation is due to long time Consultation members, Archpriest Peter Galazda of the Canadian UGCC and Protopresbyter James Dutko of the ACROD for their perseverance in pushing this issue at the Consultation over the past several years since Cardinal Sandri and others threw down the figurative gauntlet. Their common experiences in life regarding the impact of Cum Data Fuerit - albeit one's family remained Greek Catholic and the other's did not - taught them to KNOW that the issue was not just a 'minor' Eastern Catholic concern or,as several of the Roman Church representatives initially insisted 'an internal Catholic concern', but rather it was and remains as a visible and palpable sign to the Orthodox about what was rightly viewed as a lack of respect to the east from certain quarters in Rome. Many years to the good fathers for their vision and perseverance.

Many years to the good Fathers! I'm related by marriage to one of them!

Many years!!

Alex

My brother is the other one...

Dear DMD,

It's all in the family, one way or another!

Alex

That's the thing with 'halychan' and 'rusnaci'... one big , sometimes contentious, othertimes loving family..we can fight each other until the cow comes home (they only had one...) but don't anyone else tell us what we are or what to do! lol