September 17, 2013
Bill Donohue comments on the way the media are trying to
push for reforms in the Catholic Church:
The internal affairs of any religion should be the business of its congregants,
yet when it comes to the Catholic Church, the media offer a dispensation.
Recent comments by the Vatican's
secretary of state, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, who simply restated the Church
teaching on celibacy, have ignited the passions of the media.
Last week, NBC "Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams, and ABC
"World News Tonight" anchor Diane Sawyer, both questioned whether the
Church is going to drop its celibacy requirement for priests. NBC followed with
a story by Tracy Connor that teased the issue further: "Meet Father Dad:
How Married Priests Would Change the Catholic Church." The conclusion:
"More students in the seminaries, more people in the pews, and the pitter-patter
of little feet padding through the rectory." They forgot to explain why,
if this were likely, the Protestant mainline denominations are sinking.
Here's the real news: the Catholic Church in the Eastern Rite has long
permitted priests to marry, and it is in full communion with the pope; Anglican
married priests who convert and become Catholic priests are accepted in the
Catholic Church. As Archbishop Parolin said, the teaching on celibacy is a
discipline, not a dogma, and therefore it can be changed. It was expected, but
not mandated, that priests be celibate in the Church's first thousand years; it
was encoded as a discipline in the 12th century. So, yes, the Church can drop
its stricture on celibacy. Whether it should is not for the media to decide.
Right on the heels of married priests comes the call for women priests. This is
more difficult: Pope John Paul II effectively closed the door on this subject,
citing the Church's inability to change Scripture. No matter, many are huffing
and puffing over the alleged ordination of an old lady two days ago in Albany: a faux Catholic
group claims to have ordained Mary Theresa Streck. What is really amazing about
this story is the serious coverage it was given by the media. They should have
questioned why poor Mary wasn't made a bishop.