Cardinal (Schonborn) Petitions for Female Ordination

Rorate-caeli ^ | June 18, 2009

[NYer]

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn

During his visit to the Vatican with a delegation of Austrian Bishops in the past two days, the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna delivered a message from his flock, as Italian news agency ASCA reports:

In the Vatican, Card. Schönborn also presented the so-called "Initiative of the lay faithful" (Laieninitiative), a petition by relevant Austrian Catholics launched earlier this year, which asks for the abolition of compulsory celibacy, the return to activity of married priests, the opening of the diaconate to women, and the ordination of [married] 'viri probati'.

Below is the original ASCA article, in Italian. The relevant paragraph is highlighted.

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VATICANO: CARDINALE VIENNA HA PRESENTATO PETIZIONE CONTRO CELIBATO PRETI

(ASCA) - Citta' del Vaticano, 17 giu - Alla vigilia dell'apertura dell'anno sacerdotale voluto da papa Benedetto XVI, in Vaticano torna a porsi con forza la questione del celibato obbligatorio dei sacerdoti. A sollevare il tema e' stato uno dei cardinali piu' influenti della Chiesa, nonche' stretto collaboratore di papa Ratzinger, il card. Christoph Schonborn. Nella due giorni di incontri Oltretevere che il pontefice e i massimi esponenti della Curia romana hanno avuto il 15 e il 16 giugno con l'arcivescovo di Vienna e altri rappresentati dalla Chiesa austriaca non si e' infatti discusso soltanto del caso di Gerhard Maria Wagner, il prete ultra-conservatore nominato in febbraio vescovo ausiliare di Linz e successivamente costretto a dimettersi per la rivolta dei preti e dei laici della diocesi.

In Vaticano, il card. Schonborn ha anche presentato la cosiddetta ''Iniziativa dei laici'' (Laieninitiativ), un appello di importanti cattolici austriaci lanciato all'inizio di quest'anno, che chiede l'abolizione dell'obbligo del celibato, il ritorno in attivita' dei preti sposati, l'apertura del diaconato anche alle donne e l'ordinazione dei cosiddetti 'viri probati'. Schonborn, che aveva incontrato i promotori dell'iniziativa pochi giorni prima di arrivare a Roma, in un'intervista alla Radio Vaticana spiega che, pur ''non condividendone alcune delle conclusioni, come ho detto piu' volte'', ha presentato il ''Memorandum'' dei laici austriaci - accompagnato da una nota di suo pugno - al prefetto della Congregazione per il clero, card. Claudio Hummes, ''pregandolo di leggerlo con attenzione''. ''Credo - ha spiegato ai microfoni del programma tedesco della Radio Vaticana - che sia importante che qualcuno a Roma sappia cosa pensa una parte dei nostri laici dei problemi della Chiesa''.

Secondo quanto riferisce l'agenzia ufficiale dei vescovi austriaci Kap, durante il suo incontro con i promotori della petizione, Schonborn aveva promesso che avrebbe presentato le loro motivazioni e proposte a Roma, insieme con le relazioni sulle conseguenze che la carenza di preti sta provocando in 46 diverse parrocchie, soprattutto nelle zone rurali. In quell'incontro, l'arcivescovo di Vienna aveva espresso ''comprensione per le preoccupazioni'' dei laici, perche' anche a lui ''sta a cuore la cura pastorale da parte delle parrocchie'', tanto piu' in questo tempo di crisi per le famiglie. ''Senza dubbio - aveva aggiunto - la carenza di preti e' collegata all'aumento del numero di persone che rimangono lontane dalla Chiesa e dalla fede''.

Naturalmente, il cardinale aveva ribadito la ''grande tradizione'' del celibato nella Chiesa. ''Pero' - aveva aggiunto - come ordinario per i cattolici di rito bizantino in Austria, il cui clero e' in gran parte sposato, non ho alcun disagio di fronte ai preti sposati''. I promotori dell'appello, secondo Schonborn, dovrebbero cercare ''non solo cio' che nelle presenti condizioni puo' esser desiderato solo in una prospettiva di lungo periodo, ma anche cio' che e' concretamente possibile'', e li aveva invitati a completare la loro iniziativa con un ''incoraggiamento'' ai giovani perche' scelgano il sacerdozio cosi' com'e' oggi. Un invito prontamente raccolto dai promotori, tra i quali spiccano tre politici di spicco del Partito popolare austriaco (il partito cristiano conservatore, per molti anni al potere, affine alla Cdu/Csu in Germania e alla Dc in Italia): un ex-segretario generale, un ex-presidente del Parlamento e un ex-vicecancelliere austriaco.

Non a caso, pur senza esserne l'argomento ''centrale'', molti dei temi sollevati dalla petizione dei laici austriaci sono stati affrontati nei colloqui avuti in Vaticano dai vescovi austriaci. Secondo quanto riferisce ancora Schonborn, papa Benedetto XVI all'inizio e alla fine della due giorni di incontri ha ribadito con forza l'importanza del celibato dei preti, collegandolo all'anno sacerdotale che si aprira' domani in Vaticano. ''Il Santo Padre - ha spiegato l'arcivescovo di Vienna - ha detto qualcosa che ci ha molto colpito sulla questione del celibato, che naturalmente in Austria, e soprattutto nella regione di Linz, e' un tema molto 'caldo'. Ha detto che la questione, in fondo, e' se crediamo che sia possibile e che abbia senso vivere una vita fondata solo e soltanto su una cosa, Dio''.

Nell'intervista a Radio Vaticana, Schonborn riferisce anche che durante i colloqui e' stato dedicato ampio spazio al ruolo dei laici, e che il caso della diocesi di Linz - scossa, come la Chiesa austriaca, da ''divisioni'' e ''profonde tensioni'' che e' inutile negare perche' sono ''fatti'' - e' un esempio positivo per il gran numero di laici attivi, che si riflette ad esempio in una partecipazione alla messa domenicale superiore alle media del Paese. ''C'e' stato accordo tra i responsabili della Chiesa romani ed austriaci che e' un bene che ci siano cosi' tanti laici impegnati nella regione... Abbiamo un bisogno impellente di laici che siano parte attiva della societa'''.

Dopo il caso Wagner, nella diocesi di Linz sono emersi alcuni casi di preti che vivevano da anni con una donna, contribuendo cosi' a riportare all'attenzione dell'opinione pubblica austriaca la questione del celibato sacerdotale.

asp/sam/bra

[SeekAndFind]

St. Peter was married.

Yes he was. In fact the Bible mentions his mother-in-law.

For more than half of the church's existence, priests, bishops, and popes were married men with families. This partial list of names and dates will provide you with an insight into the family origins of our Roman Catholic faith. These family values are being reborn in today's married priest couples.

MARRIED POPES

St. Peter, Apostle, (D.C. - 64 A.D.) First married pope.

St. Felix III, (483 - 492) Two children.

St. Hormidas, (514 - 523) Married before ordination.

St. Silverus, (536 - 537) Wife's name: Antonia.

Hadrian II, (867 - 872) One daughter.

Clement IV, (1265 - 1268) Two daughters.

Felix V, (1439 - 1449) One son.

POPES WHO WERE SONS OF POPES AND OTHER CLERGY

St. Damasus I, (366 - 384) Son of St. Lorenzo, son of priest

St. Innocent I, (401 - 417) Son of Pope Anastasius I

Boniface, (418 - 422) Son of a priest

St. Felix, (483 - 492) Son of a priest

Anastasius II, (496 - 498) Son of a priest

St. Agapitus I, (535 - 536) Son of Gordianus, priest

St. Silverius, (536 - 537) Son of Pope St. Hormidas

Deusdedit, (615 - 618) Son of Stephen, sub-deacon

Theodore I, (642 - 649) Son of a bishop

Marinus I, (882 - 884) Son of a priest

Boniface VI, (896) Son of Bishop Hadrian

John XI, (931 - 93)5 Son of Pope Sergius III

John XV, (989 - 996) Son of Leo, priest

POPES WHO FATHERED CHILDREN AFTER THE CELIBACY LAW OF 1139

Innocent III, (1484 - 1492) Several children.

Alexander VI, (1492 - 1503) 2 grandchildren were Cardinals.

Julius, (1503 - 1513) Three daughters.

Paul III, (1534 - 1549) One daughter, three sons.

Pius IV, (1559 - 1565) Three sons.

Gregory, XIII (1572 - 1585) One son.

Sources:

Kelly, J. N. D. The Oxford Dictionary of Popes. Oxford Press. 1986.

H.C. Lea. History of Sacerdotal Celibacy in the Christian Church. 1957.

E. Schillebeeckx. The Church with a Human Face. Crossroad, 1985.

U. Ranke-Heinemann. Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. Doubleday, 1990.

A. L. Barstow. Married Priests and the Reforming Papacy. The Edward Mellen Press, 1982.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“Cdl. Schonborn is older than dirt.”

He’s 64!

[SeekAndFind]

I’d also like to add that the great St. Patrick ( contemporary of St. Augustine ), who evangelized Ireland, was the grandson of a priest.

[Romulus]

Schoenborn is quite conservative and he is very unlikely to support this nonsense personally.

But rather than be a shepherd, was nevertheless willing to pimp himself out as an errand boy, the bearer of insulting and destructive demands? Sorry; the Cardinal is a paid-up member of that sophisticated elite. Worst case of helium poisoning I've ever seen.

[livius]

Cdl Schonborn is only 64, unfortunately.

[Tax-chick]

But mentally ...

[nickcarraway]

Well, perhaps. But since it’s going to be presented as an endorsement by a cardinal, maybe it’s not such a good idea.

[Tax-chick]

I agree, bad idea even to be the messenger of such a thing.

[Verginius Rufus]

That should be Innocent VIII, not Innocent III (who was earlier--1198 to 1216).

All of children of the Renaissance popes were illegitimate. St. Francis Borgia was a descendant of one of Alexander VI's children, and Queen Catherine of England (wife of Charles II) was a descendant of St. Francis Borgia.

[m4629]

Cardinal Schonborn told Vatican Radio, “Despite the fact that I do not agree with some of the initiative’s conclusions, frankly I believe that it is important that people in Rome know what some of our laypeople are thinking.”

You lousy shepherd Cardinal S, you got it backwards. It is important that your laypeople abide by what the Church in Rome is thinking, trusting her collective wisdom over the centuries. It is your duty to see to that, Cardinal S. Why are you presenting their case instead of teaching them effectively?

By the same token, if the people in Rome should listen to what the US laypeople are thinking, and, 67% of them don't believe in the Real Presence, probably higher percentage believes that artificial contraception is fine, how do you think the Mission of Christ would turn out?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but, you have just lost the final round of ballots in the next Conclave Cardinal S. Better get back to learning to be an effective teacher again, however unpopular.

[livius]

St Francis Borgia was the Duke of Gandia (near Valencia, Spain) and had been married and had a number of children; he became a priest and joined the Jesuits after the death of his wife.

St Francis Borgia was also related to Ferdinand of Aragon (descended from one of Ferdinand’s illegitimate children).

[nickcarraway]

Are you sure he lobbied for Cardinal Martini? Since he is a protege of Pope Benedict, and likely to find favor, I would think he would have supported Cardinal Ratzinger.

[nickcarraway]

Do you have any evidence that St. Peter was married when he became a priest? There are priests today that were ordained as widowers.

[livius]

Well, I couldn’t say personally, of course, but that’s what I read on a Spanish blog famous for the accuracy of its gossip! For what it’s worth...

I think he’s a protege only marginally; I have always thought of this as a sort of marriage of convenience, that is, he didn’t overtly oppose orthodoxy, unlike certain other bishops, but he was always a bit slippery. He was made a cardinal by JPII in 1998.

He seems to have gotten a little more overt in his opposition to BXVI lately, for some reason. He speaks English and has his own very professional looking website in English (maintained by somebody else, I imagine), and it looks to me for all the world like a campaign website.

[Verginius Rufus]

There may be a passage somewhere in the letters of St. Paul which implies that St. Peter (Cephas) was still married, but I can't locate it.

I Timothy 3.2-4 speaks of a bishop being the husband of one wife (mias gynaikos andra) and having children.

There is similar language in Titus 1.5-7, where first he speaks of elders (presbyterous) and then of a bishop (episkopon). The term presbyteros is the source of the English word "priest."

[red irish]

Why can't these priests MAN UP? It is called the SACRED LITURGY,it is Christ and his Gospel,not balloons and party favors!!!!!!!!!! Please Lord send us John the Baptist who had moral courage.

[NYer]

I’d also like to add that the great St. Patrick ( contemporary of St. Augustine ), who evangelized Ireland, was the grandson of a priest.

So is my pastor but he chose the celibate life. The Eastern Catholic Churches have married priests but marriage precedes ordination. Married priests may not remarry, nor serve as bishops.

As a point of reflection, the greatest difficulty today with a married priesthood is precisely the cultural view of marriage. Marriage as a sacrament entails marriage to one woman for life. Societal norms today support divorce and homosexual marriage. To compound matters, consider the additional expense a parish would need to absorb in order to support a priest's wife and children, their living expenses, cars, insurance, college education, etc. There will be no changes in the Latin Church for now, if ever.

[nickcarraway]

Can you post a link to the blog? Thanks.

[livius]

The website is: www.cardinalschonborn.com.

Looks to me like he’s already started his campaign.

[Notwithstanding]

I will certainly be dicussing this with a close friend of mine who continues to work closely with this cardinal on church matters. They have been close friends and collaborators for decades.

I am having trouble believing the spin that the cardinal is off the reservation. Perhaps he is mismanaging PR, but the cardinal compiled the catechism we all appreciate so much and the gesture of presenting a petition he has declared to be deeply flawed is more likely imprudence rather than an indicator of heterodoxy.