Last
weekend, the Tablet covered one story extensively, the issue of married priests
in the Western Latin Rite.
The
debate had been sparked the previous week by the publication of a letter under
the signature of +Crispian Hollis, the Emeritus bishop of the diocese of
Portsmouth
. In his letter
July
4th, he made it clear that circumstances demand a re-examination of
the discipline of celibacy as a condition of acceptance for ordination. “A
church that cannot celebrate the sacraments for the people of God can scarcely
be the Church that Christ founded”
Now this week, two more
retired bishops, Thomas McMahon, emeritus bishop of
Brentwood
and John Crowley, emeritus bishop of
Middlesbrough
, have had letters published in support of Crispian Hollis.
The Tablet editorial and two articles,
together with a further half a dozen letters ensure that the issue cannot be
overlooked.
I cannot help feeling that we are nearing a tipping
point. It is now that the laity need support the ordained and make clear that
the matter is of some urgency and requires examination by a commission on behalf
the Church in
England
and
Wales
. The case has already been made by +Leo O’Reilly bishop of
Kilmore in the
Republic
of
Ireland
, for the Irish hierarchy to set up such a commission. We can
do nothing less. At this stage, asking the pertinent questions, developing
issues that must be addressed, realising the needs of the people is the least we
can expect.
What we now need is for a number of serving bishops
to publicly state their support for the case, rather than leaving it to those
who have relinquished responsibility for their diocesan community. + Crowley
writes in his letter this week that when he, some ten years ago, said that we
need both celibate and married priests…”That
article earned me a ‘ticking off’ from Rome and I was reminded that for a
bishop to advance such views in public was unwise and unhelpful”
That’s how we did things then, stifled informed conversation; that must no
longer be an acceptable way of undertaking our discussions.
In the article towards the end of the Tablet-
‘Calls grow from bishops to ordain married men’ - Cardinal Vincent Nichols
is quoted as saying that he did not see it as a “pressing
issue” which is a pity. If the need of our communities for the
Eucharist is not a pressing issue then I wonder what is.
We have the experience in
England
to walk this path, for with so many married men, originally
ordained in the Anglican Church and now serving as ordained priests in the
Catholic Church, we have already some understanding of the argument.
With the Year of Mercy at hand, what more merciful
action would there be than an offer to welcome back to ministry those who
reluctantly left to marry, some of whom would still be willing to return?
It is time that bishops’ conferences exercised
responsibility to their people and began planning now how such a change in
circumstances might proceed. We lose nothing by talking round a table of
Christian charity; we lose a great deal by pretending the problem will quietly
go away. That way we will be left with a crisis and little time to solve it.
END
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