The Eucharistic Synod and Priestly Celibacy

CRISIS Magazine e-Letter

October 26, 2005

**********************************************

Dear Friend,

The Eucharistic Synod ended on Sunday and some people are just not
happy.

As you probably know, the gathering brought together an estimated
250 bishops from around the world. They met for three weeks,
discussing and debating a number of issues facing today's Church.
Once the discussions were concluded, they voted on 50 propositions,
ranging from the sacraments to the liturgy to the priesthood.

And that's where the trouble begins.

You see, while some people liked the open dialogue that
characterized the synod debates (and is yet another example of how
Pope Benedict XVI is hardly the close-minded authoritarian his
critics warned us of), they object strongly to what the bishops
decided.

"They opened the issue, talked solutions, then ran as fast as they
could in the other directions," huffed Sister Christine Schenk, CSJ,
to Associated Press. You'll be shocked -- shocked! -- to learn that
Sister Schenk is with Call to Action and FutureChurch.

We Are Church released a statement, quoted in the same Associated
Press story, that decried the bishops' "lack of courage" in not
making the changes they hoped to see. If their "Appeal to the Synod
of Bishops on Eucharist" is any indication, this would include
eliminating the notion of the Eucharist as a sacrifice, the doctrine
of transubstantiation, allowing married priests, women's ordination,
etc. and etc.

In the coming days, we can rightly expect more foot-stomping from
the usual gang. I'm thinking of instituting a Crisis Magazine office
pool on what Rev. Richard McBrien will complain about first. The
smart money is on priestly celibacy, but really, it could be
anything.

The fact is, on the well-publicized issue of married priests,
bishops from around the world discussed and debated the matter
freely... and then voted overwhelmingly to maintain celibacy in the
Latin Rite. Critics claim they lost their nerve. But isn't it simply
more likely that they realized that married priests won't fix the
vocation shortage? Indeed, many Eastern Catholic Churches have
married priests, and a goodly number of those are experiencing the
same crisis as the Latin Rite.

As many careful observers have noted, the proven method for
increasing vocations in a diocese is the promotion of dynamic
orthodoxy... that is, a fidelity to the historic Faith that is
energetic and evangelistic.

Look at the Archdiocese of Denver. Archbishop Charles Chaput has
made it one of the premier dioceses not only in the U.S., but in the
worldwide Catholic Church. And he did it by surrounding himself with
faithful Catholics and by standing up for authentic Catholicism. As a
result, they have more seminarians than they can handle.

That's the solution. Not married priests. Not women's ordination.
Not anything on Charles Curran's "Things To Do Before I Die" list.
Fidelity, pure and simple.

Let's keep that in mind in the days to come.

All the best,

Brian


P.S. Rosa Parks died on Monday. Please join me in praying for her
and for those she left behind. Parks was more than just a hero of the
civil rights movement -- though she was certainly that. She was also
a living example of how one person can stand up for what is right,
and in doing so, change everything. May God bless her.


**************************************************************

To subscribe to the FREE CRISIS Magazine e-Letter, and get the
latest
news, views, and responses to current issues, send an e-mail to
e-letter@crisismagazine.com and write "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject
line.

**************************************************************

To learn more about CRISIS Magazine, visit
http://www.crisismagazine.com/subscribe.htm

**************************************************************

If you no longer wish to receive the CRISIS e-Letter, please send an

e-mail to mail@crisismagazine.com and write "CANCEL" in the subject

line.

**************************************************************

To change your e-mail address, please send an e-mail to
mail@crisismagazine.com with "ADDRESS CHANGE" in the subject line.
Please make sure to tell us your old and new e-mail addresses, so we
can
make the change.

**************************************************************

Please forward this letter to anyone you think might benefit from
it.