Posted on 10/10/2003 9:50:37 AM PDT by american colleen
Maybe he's a chameleon... he didn't advocate or see how women could be priests when he wrote "Priests in the United States" in 1971 and he doesn't now in 2003 from what I read.
I read this study as well - interesting in light of the fact that the above is not what Sipes or the media present.
and if you read his X rated novels, you will notice that the priest, by their celibacy, are more valuable to those around them.
Excellent and true point! I've read a couple of his novels years ago... but I have a 78 year old (1st cousin 3x removed) in Newfoundland who sends his read Greeley novels to me, so I probably have most of them. He's corresponded with Greeley on and off through the years and thinks the world of him... I have several copies of Greeley's replies to my cousin... and Greeley comes across as a very nice, sincere Catholic priest.
(Greeley says his sociological studies show that couples who pray together have a better sex life. I didn't read the data, but it works for me....)
Well.... my husband is an agnostic.... uh.... ;-)
Sounds like Canon Law has changed? But I guess it depends on the interpretation of Canon Law. Last week the DRE in my parish told us (and the candidates for Confirmation) that a Catholic no longer needs to be Confirmed in order to be married in the Church.
Some quotes:
Father Greeley, a balding, 72-year old who wears a priest's trademark black, Roman collar, has often found himself at loggerheads with the Catholic Church; on a broad range of matters -- from the Church's opposition to artificial birth control to its objection to women priests.
Another:
At the same time, Father Greeley favors -- as he puts it -- a "relaxation" of the celibacy rule in the Catholic Church to attract more seminarians.
"The truth is that, for most of the Church's history, it was a vow that wasn't really enforced. It probably is going to have to be relaxed -- maybe even in the next papacy. Because there are so many bishops in the world that think that and keep quiet about it, and because priests are needed. We need more priests."
Greeley favors celibacy, but's not really opposed to married or women priests.
That's the thing about Greeley. He ticks everyone off evenly. For as often as he hints that he favors relaxing celibacy, he cites the theological and socialogical reasons for keeping it and then, right here in this column, he places at least a portion of blame for the dearth of vocations on mothers and priests not encouraging boys to enter the priesthood and this is in the context of him chiding priests for publicly calling for a married priesthood. He never really encourages female ordaination (the link you provided is someone else's idea of him, not his own words about himself) but then he asks a lot of "socialogical questions" about female ordination for his "work." Giving the impression that he may favor it... and then in yet another study he calls educated Catholic women who disagree with Church teachings "dissidents" but says it's the Church's fault for encouraging the education of women starting @50 years ago - he says when you educate people to think for themselves, then they no longer need authority (and backs that up with yet another study).
He's not weird, but he's kind of a conundrum - just like he likes it.
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