The "outing" of priests and bishops, who "always" gave public adulterers communion or wanted to give it, is only one side of the coin. The other side is the hunting, which has now been opened against those priests and bishops, who oppose this "opening". The framework is already established: A priest holding a sermon, a catechesis or a marriage preparation seminar and someone starts to complain about the "backward-looking" and "ruthless" ideas of the priest with reference to Pope Francis. The priest will demonstrate and defend the doctrine of the Church and therefore stand as an "enemy" of the Pope. Because whatever he says, he will raise the impression in his opponent or must allow that it is possible from this that he thus claims, that the Pope is not Catholic. Is it possible to defend the Catholic doctrine against the Pope? It is possible, yes, but also a very difficult task. Aside from that, journalists who will give the "suffering of (the priest) discriminated" a fair hearing are few. The priest will be lynched by the media in no time. His own bishop will let him down quickly in many cases.
The experience of Father Maurizio Vismara, vicar of the Diocese of Pistoia Montemurlo, is already in the making. In a preparation for First Communion, usually a family event, the Chaplain told the parents that he could not give them Communion, who are in an irregular situations. One of those present felt insulted and the case ended up in the media. The daily newspaper Il Tirreno gave him an entire page, in which the priest was attacked who had dared to call to memory the doctrine of the Church, because the "mature" Catholic knows only rights but no duties, at least none that he does not want to know.
And the next target is the priest celibacy?
"That's just a taste. In the coming months we will live to see everything. And maybe even the official announcement of the next target: priestly celibacy. Maybe it is just an unattainable ideal, which is too heavy a yoke for many priests?" said Riccardo Cascioli, the editor of the Catholic Internet newspaper Nuova Bussola Quotidiana .
Schönborns gradualism theory would, if applied to celibacy, just mean that while everyone should strive for the ideal, it is not given to everyone to achieve the ideal in the same rate and to the same extent. Therefore, various levels reached would need to be recognized and appreciated. Or this, then, might be the justification for lifting the celibacy priest.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Sant'Alessandro (Screenshot)
Image: Sant'Alessandro (Screenshot)