Cupich isn’t a heretic here; married priests are a “discipline,” not a “dogma.” But they certainly are NOT what the Pope meant when he signaled greater autonomy of the local churches.
I think the reason for stopping marriage was to protect church assets from divorce. I could be VERY wrong so don’t attack lol
The general and non-specific “I wouldn’t be surprised by anything” turns into that headline?
Other possible headlines based on that quote:
“Archbishop wouldn’t be surprised if Obama is gay”
“Archbishop wouldn’t be surprised if Sharpton indicted for tax fraud”, etc.
Given there is no biblical prohibition against married clergy (to the contrary) and given that the Apostle Peter was married, I see no problem with allowing priests to marry. Yet, I also have no problem if the Catholic Church wants to maintain the current policy.
I have been saying this for a while.
The compulsory clerical celibacy policy is something which needs to be reviewed and discussed. The policy does not come from the Bible. It was implemented by the Church in the Middle Ages for reasons which have nothing to do with the Bible. Priests in the Bible were married men as were priests and bishops and even some popes in the early Church history. Celibacy is not considered a dogma or a doctrine of the Church. It is considered a discipline and it is subject to change.
But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided.
With marriage comes children, and I can tell you from experience that I do not have the time for thoughtful reflection, patience, and charity that the unmarried priests have. Especially in this day-and-age, theirs is an all consuming profession.
Do we have another Bernardin here?
Ah...and things would be so much better with Dating Priests and Divorced Priests....
Priests were allowed to marry until they started to leave the church property to their heirs ..
then people leaving the Catholic Church won't surprise me.
It would make it harder for the homos to hide out in the seminaries.
Cupich speaks highly of Pfleger.
“He really is a loving pastor of his people, he cares deeply about them. He works hard every day on behalf of folks who many times would be neglected or on the margins,” Cupich says. “I think it’s important to keep in mind that it’s quite admirable the way he does sacrifice himself, and many people recognize that day in and day out.”
He said his discussions with Pfleger “have always been cordial” ... Regarding possible reassignment to a different parish, “Father Pfleger continues to do a good job and I’m sure they [parish assignments office] are taking note of that.”
In case anyone needs a refresher on Fr. Pfleger, here is an excerpt from Michelle Malkin's article of four years ago:
...Catholic Church officials in the Windy City have forged unholy alliances with radical left-wingers and enablers who undermine the faith — and the faithful.
Exhibit A: the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Racial Justice and one of its most notorious priests, the Rev. Michael Pfleger. This week, Chicago Cardinal Francis George — who also happens to be president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — presided over a gala ceremony honoring Pfleger with a “lifetime achievement award” for his “service in pursuit of dismantling racism, injustice and inequalities on behalf of African Americans and all people of color.”
How, pray tell, has Pfleger achieved the officially sanctioned Catholic vision of “racial justice”? By aligning himself with the nation’s worst racial demagogues and using his pulpit at the St. Sabina Catholic Church on Chicago’s Southside to promote poisonous identity politics.
Pfleger (who is white) grabbed the spotlight during the 2008 presidential campaign with jive-talking defenses of his fellow race-hustler and President Obama’s spiritual mentor the Rev. Jeremiah (“God damn America!” and “AmeriKKKA!”) Wright and Jew-bashing hate-monger Louis (Judaism is a “gutter religion”) Farrakhan. The racial justice award-winner called the latter a “great man” and welcomed him to his church.