Pope Benedict XVI, priesthood and marriage, the meaning of love

Pope Benedict XVI is due to release his first encylical soon. The subject of the encyclical is related to the true meaning of love. It will cover the issue of the way in which love is being abused in our society today. Since Cardinal Ratzinger has become the Bishop of Rome there has not been much in the way of news that has indicated which way things will go in the near future, so I was rather surprised that the BBC had reported on the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October, and that I had missed reading about the outcome of one of the topics discussed - celibacy and marriage within the priesthood. It appears that despite the hardships of not having enough priests, the Bishops from around the world have rejected the idea of allowing priests to marry. They continue to endorse the vow of celibacy for newly ordained priests. The reasons for this attitude are many and varied, and it is interesting that on the whole the MSM has overlooked this particular decision that was made by the Bishops, not by the new Pope alone. The liberal faction of the Catholic Church has been pushing for ages on this subject. Whenever there is mention of the scandals that have rocked the church, the cry goes out to let the priests marry, and that the panacea for the scandals will be married priests. However, it is the Bishops who disagree with the pundits on the issue. Yes, the Bishops, and in turn the priests who serve under them, have rejected the idea of marriage within the priesthood. From a practical and spiritual point of view, it makes sense for priests to remain celibate. A pastor must be available at all hours of the day or night to serve those in need of his services, especially those who are dying. Most pastors run a parish that has several thousand members in the congregation, and the demands upon their time are quite heavy. A wife and children would suffer greatly under these extraordinary demands. Also the salary of the pastor is not that high when compared to the earnings of other men with their standard of professional qualifications. If he had a wife and children, then this would be an added burden to the parish community. Then there is always the possible scandal that would come if the marriage broke down due to the demands of being a priest, and a divorce was to follow. The reasons that I have outlined are the issues that Rome addresses each time a request is made for a man who was once a pastor to a Protestant congregation, to become a priest within the Catholic Church. The wife has to be aware of the added burdens and she has to consent to these difficulties prior to the man being accepted for the priesthood. (yes there are married men who are Catholic priests today).