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| The Holy Father reveals plans for providing priests with fraternal support and parishes with more priestly contact - but will the Bishops buy it? |
The Holy Father/Peter Seewald interviews have focused on the condom issue (which has received more than enough coverage) but there are many deeper and more interesting perspectives revealed by our Holy Father.
Francis Phillips of the Catholic Herald makes some excellent points regarding Pope Benedict's views on priestly celibacy...
Thinking this would be a great pity. The conversation ranged over a large number of topics, to which the Holy Father responded with great frankness and originality. I am thinking especially of his reply to a question raised by Seewald on the need for married priests. This is part of what the Pope said:
“I believe that celibacy becomes a very meaningful sign, and above all possible to live, when priests begin to form communities. It is important for priests not to live off on their own somewhere, in isolation, but to accompany one another in small communities, to support one another, and so to experience, and constantly realise afresh, their communion in service to Christ and in renunciation for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven."
The concept of a commune priest does not necessarily mean shared accommodation, the Pope, I believe, is not prescriptive in this respect, he wants parishes to look at themselves in a 'non parochial' way. This is of particular interest to me at present as our priest is moving elsewhere in the Diocese and we will miss him terribly but, above all else, we will miss the EF Mass.
A general pooling of resources of 6 to 8 priests could bring massive benefits, not just to the priests themselves but to the laity also.
Administration duties would be reduced, the priest shortage would disappear, pastoral actvities could be tackled on a peripatetic basis, the onus of night calls could be put on a rota basis and the Extraordinary Form of Mass could be made available in a wide number of parishes.
That's it then. Summorum Pontificum sorted! Vocations will increase, we will have better priests!
The only question is.......will the Bishops buy it?
The concept of a commune priest does not necessarily mean shared accommodation, the Pope, I believe, is not prescriptive in this respect, he wants parishes to look at themselves in a 'non parochial' way. This is of particular interest to me at present as our priest is moving elsewhere in the Diocese and we will miss him terribly but, above all else, we will miss the EF Mass.
A general pooling of resources of 6 to 8 priests could bring massive benefits, not just to the priests themselves but to the laity also.
Administration duties would be reduced, the priest shortage would disappear, pastoral actvities could be tackled on a peripatetic basis, the onus of night calls could be put on a rota basis and the Extraordinary Form of Mass could be made available in a wide number of parishes.
That's it then. Summorum Pontificum sorted! Vocations will increase, we will have better priests!
The only question is.......will the Bishops buy it?
Francis always has good insightful posts..so pleased you use this..
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