And this is exactly what these people want to blur and minimize. The writer is a priest -- does his sharing this attitude mean he doesn't want the responsibility? Back in the late 60s and 70s, I seem to recall the occasional article in the popular press in which a priest (or bishop) emphasized the importance of priests being "friends" with lay men and women. This was pretty much the time frame in which priests started leaving in droves to get married and the bulk of the homosexual abuse took place. Coincidence?
...importance of priests being “friends” ....
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I think you are definitely right there. I guess that’s where that nonsense of addressing a priest as “Father [first name] began. Never hear me do that!
If we are all “priests” why not just abolish the priesthood altogether, right? I seem to recall reading, BTW, that there are now parishes being headed by laypeople or by sisters. Sad!