Clerical kidnappings, elections, and COVID dominate Catholic news in Americas
- Apr 13, 2021
A top Vatican official charged with organizing a major symposium on the priesthood next year has said the discussion will touch on several controversial hot-button issues such as priestly celibacy, the women’s diaconate, clericalism, and the clerical sexual abuse crisis.
In a recent interview, the new president of the German bishops’ conference signaled openness to both married priests and women’s ordination, and appeared to criticize a lengthy essay by Pope Benedict XVI on the root causes of the clerical sexual abuse crisis.
The absence of a clear result on married priests in Querida Amazonia doesn’t necessarily mean the debate is over.
The controversy surrounding retired Pope Benedict XVI’s contribution to a new book on priestly celibacy demonstrates just how much both substance and appearances matter.
The current fracas surrounding Benedict XVI and a new book on priestly celibacy is eerily reminiscent of the tempest that erupted in 2003/2004 around St. John Paul II’s alleged endorsement of Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ,” expressed in the infamous soundbite, “It is as it was.”