Archbishop Christodoulos in traditional robes - but is it a turn off?Posted on 04/21/2002 12:54:01 AM PDT by Spar
Saturday, October 3, 1998 Published at 20:40 GMT 21:40 UK
World: Europe
Stuffy robes ruin marriage chances, say Greek priests.
Archbishop Christodoulos in traditional robes - but is it a turn off?
Greece's Orthodox priests say their long black robes, pipe hats and overgrown beards are ruining their marriage prospects.
And they are calling for a makeover in an attempt to increase their chances of attracting a wife.
Father Efstathios Kollas, head of the union of parish priests, says only 3,000 of Greece's 11,000 priests are married.
"If the robes create an obstacle for finding a wife, and you know they do, then the church's leadership must do something to modernise our appearance," he added.
Father Kollas, who favours a more simplified frock, argues that the frumpy cassocks are also discouraging educated Greeks from becoming men of the cloth.
He says many candidates for the priesthood fear they will repel potential partners with such attire - not to mention the obligatory long whiskers.
Archbishop says priests can wear earrings
The priests' plea to shed their head-to-foot robes comes ahead of a meeting of the Holy Synod, the Greek Church's governing body.
But it is not yet certain whether Father Kollas's call to revamp the strict dress code will come up for discussion.
The 10-day meeting to begin on Tuesday will be presided over by Archbishop Christodoulos, who at 59 is the youngest archbishop to head the Greek Orthodox Church.
Since his election in April, he has stressed the need to modernise the church, a bastion of conservatism, without abandoning its age old traditions.
In a surprise move last month, he even told young men they could wear earrings when they visit their pastors.
More than 90% of all Greeks are baptised Greek Orthodox, which is the country's official religion.
Unlike Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy permits priests to marry.
"Fairness" is not a concept that one can apply to Traditional Roman Catholic priests. Marriage is not denied to them, it is understood and accepted when they become priests that they cannot marry. If marriage were a goal, they wouldn't have become priests. If they change their minds, they are free to leave the priesthood and marry, or to become priests in a sect that allows marriage.
I call it unfair or a double standard, that I would like explained.
In addition even though under some rare conditions Catholic priests can be married, once ordained they have to be married and celibate, again something the Eastern rite Catholic priests does not have to be. This is called the law of continence:
For further reading see Council in Trullo
Once again I call it unfair or a double standard, that I would like explained and I find few Latin Catholics able to do so.
It doesn't require any further explanation than that which I have already given. Priests cannot marry. They are fully cognizant of this fact when they are ordained, they enter into the priesthood knowingly and willingly and no one drags them kicking and screaming into the religious life. There can be no equivocation. As I said before, if they change their minds and wish to break their vows there are alternative avenues open to them.
You will agree it is a restriction for the Latins, no?
Why is the Latin Catholic clergy restricted in this way and not the Greek Catholic? They are both Catholic under the Pope, so why?
If an Irish Catholic man wanted to join the preisthood but he wanted to be wed first he would not be allowed to join, but if he was a Ukranian Greek Catholic he would be ordained a preist and he could father children legaly with full approval of the Catholic Church.
Again I ask why?
I don't know where you are getting your information, but it is not correct. Traditional Catholics do not have a "hard time" dealing with this, in fact it is not even an issue with them. Those who are liberalized, and represent the Protestantized American Catholic Church, which is a pale and sad copy of the Roman Catholic Church, represent the group who are calling for women in the priesthood, acceptance of gay priests and married priests.
If an Irish Catholic man wanted to join the preisthood but he wanted to be wed first he would not be allowed to join, but if he was a Ukranian Greek Catholic he would be ordained a preist and he could father children legaly with full approval of the Catholic Church.
I would suggest your Irish Catholic man go directly to a seminary under the jurisdication of the Ukranian Greek sect in order to become a priest and if he wants to get married before entering the priesthood, he should convert to some other religion.
Not if they can't dance, don't drive Ferarris, and don't care about saving the rainforest...
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