News outlets are proclaiming that Pope Francis is about to relax the rules on married priests, possibly opening the door to allowing priests to wed. The only problem with these reports is they are fake news.
Pope Francis gave an interview to Die Zeit in which the topic of married priests was discussed. Unfortunately, the media has seized upon his comments and construed them to suit their own agenda without paying much attention to his actual words.
Pope Francis spoke about a class of men known as the viri probati. The Latin term refers to men who are “proven.” Such a class exists within the deacons of the Church, some of whom are faithfully married, and others widowed who maintain a celibate life. It is these men Pope Francis mentioned the Church could someday explore what work they could do if admitted to priestly service.
Pope Francis said, “Then we have to consider what tasks they could perform, for instance in isolated communities.”
This is far from a resounding yes. Instead, Pope Francis is indicating he is willing to discuss the possibility of admitting some of these men to priestly service under particular circumstances and to fulfill specific duties, where a priest is otherwise unavailable.
To agree to discuss a topic is not the same as to accept a conclusion. However, the press has already twisted his words to suggest that priests will soon be permitted to marry.
The problem is so bad that the media previously suggested the Pope endorsed atheism as a legitimate path to salvation!
In some places, the Church has a problem with priestly vocations. Certainly, God is calling many men to the priesthood, but in our time it is difficult for men to hear the voice of God amid the clamor of pop culture.
To admit the viri probati to priestly service is a band-aid solution to an underlying problem. We must teach young Catholic men how to turn down the volume of pop culture and how to listen more closely for God. For once these men hear the power of God speaking directly to their heart, all the distraction in the world will not affect them. There is no sweeter sound than the voice of God.
Perhaps this is the question the media should ask the Pope. How can young people better discern what is real and important from what is false and vain?
But that doesn’t sell as many papers.
TO BE LIKE JESUS IS THE QUESTION; (Some may say, “How is it POSSIBLE?”, BUT then they NEED TO BE counter questioned, “DID NOT Jesus tell us, “BE PERFECT AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT”? And THE QUESTION continues about FOLLOWING JESUS and living by his EXAMPLE…….Keeping his Word….EVANGELIZING….
OF his 12 APOSTLES, ONLY ONE – PETER, was known to have been MARRIED FOR SURE, but when he left everything and FOLLOWED THE LORD, it was DIFFERENT. Once Peter HIMSELF asked THE LORD, “What about us, Lord, We have “LEFT EVERYTHING FOR YOU… The Lord’s REPLY about how they would be rewarded : Father, Mother, land, children….THE VERY SAME THING 100 fold in this World and EVER LASTING LIFE in the World to come. On ANOTHER OCCASION, when a question arose, the Apostles said, “In that case it is better not to MARRY”. And the Lord replied, “This gift is not given to everybody.
AND TODAY WE HAVE a CHURCH (or let us say Churches) FULL OF LEADERS, BISHOPS, who in TRUTH and IN PRACTICE HAVE NOT this GIFT of THE LORD. How many of these BISHOPS are TRUE APOSTLES in PRACTICE, for they occupy the offices of THE TRUE APOSTLES OF THE LORD?
In the Gospel of LUKE Chapter 14, we READ :
(The Cost of Being a Disciple)
“ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, WIFE and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
From the rest of the 12 APOSTLES, NO ONE is KNOWN for SURE, to have been married, when in the Lord’s SERVICE.
After the APOSTOLIC YEARS, FALSE APOSTLES from within INSTITUTIONALIZED The Church of the Lord. With this ALL sorts of EVIL and CORRUPTION crept in and……CONTINUES : The Church BECAME MANY, MANY, CHURCHES. Theology and Philosophy started to create their OWN FIRST PREMISESES. Like a drop of MILK, watered with a hundred buckets full, GOT SOLD for MILK. In the same WAY, Christ, his Church, his Word, ALL got disfigured and diversified by POLITICIANS and LEADERS.
Instead of true APOSTLES, WE HAVE NOW TOO MANY BISHOPS without THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE GIFT from The Father whom Jesus SENT to enable his own.
In a CORRUPT CHURCH, In a mostly MAN-MADE CHURCH, RELATIVIZED CHURCH, all sorts of people without DIVINE FITNESS are found as AUTHORITIES and they are trying to BRING THE KINGDOM OF GOD on earth by FURTHER relativisation and corruption. KNOWING ALL THIS, the Lord had said, “Will there be FAITH left on earth when the Son of Man comes back?”
BUT WE HAVE SOME HOPE. In some places like THE DIVINE and THE SEHION Retreat Centres, Kerala, INDIA, we have TRUE APOSTLES of The Lord in ACTION. Here things happen as in the
four Gospels and The Act of The Apostles of the Bible.
TO BE LIKE JESUS IS THE QUESTION; (Some may say, “How is it POSSIBLE?”, BUT then they NEED TO BE counter questioned, “DID NOT Jesus tell us, “BE PERFECT AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT”? And THE QUESTION continues about FOLLOWING JESUS and living by his EXAMPLE…….Keeping his Word….EVANGELIZING….
OF his 12 APOSTLES, ONLY ONE – PETER, was known to have been MARRIED FOR SURE, but when he left everything and FOLLOWED THE LORD, it was DIFFERENT. Once Peter HIMSELF asked THE LORD, “What about us, Lord, We have “LEFT EVERYTHING FOR YOU… The Lord’s REPLY about how they would be rewarded : Father, Mother, land, children….THE VERY SAME THING 100 fold in this World and EVER LASTING LIFE in the World to come. On ANOTHER OCCASION, when a question arose, the Apostles said, “In that case it is better not to MARRY”. And the Lord replied, “This gift is not given to everybody.
AND TODAY WE HAVE a CHURCH (or let us say Churches) FULL OF LEADERS, BISHOPS, who in TRUTH and IN PRACTICE HAVE NOT this GIFT of THE LORD. How many of these BISHOPS are TRUE APOSTLES in PRACTICE, for they occupy the offices of THE TRUE APOSTLES OF THE LORD?
In the Gospel of LUKE Chapter 14, we READ :
(The Cost of Being a Disciple)
” Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, WIFE and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
From the rest of the 12 APOSTLES, NO ONE is KNOWN for SURE, to have been married, when in the Lord’s SERVICE.
After the APOSTOLIC YEARS, FALSE APOSTLES from within INSTITUTIONALIZED The Church of the Lord. With this ALL sorts of EVIL and CORRUPTION crept in and……CONTINUES : The Church BECAME MANY, MANY, CHURCHES. Theology and Philosophy started to create their OWN FIRST PREMISESES. Like a drop of MILK, watered with a hundred buckets full, GOT SOLD for MILK. In the same WAY, Christ, his Church, his Word, ALL got disfigured and diversified by POLITICIANS and LEADERS.
Instead of true APOSTLES, WE HAVE NOW TOO MANY BISHOPS without THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE GIFT from The Father whom Jesus SENT to enable his own.
In a CORRUPT CHURCH, In a mostly MAN-MADE CHURCH, RELATIVIZED CHURCH, all sorts of people without DIVINE FITNESS are found as AUTHORITIES and they are trying to BRING THE KINGDOM OF GOD on earth by FURTHER relativisation and corruption. KNOWING ALL THIS, the Lord had said, “Will there be FAITH left on earth when the Son of Man comes back?”
BUT WE HAVE SOME HOPE. In some places like THE DIVINE and THE SEHION Retreat Centres, Kerala, INDIA, we have TRUE APOSTLES of The Lord in ACTION. Here things happen as in the
four Gospels and The Act of The Apostles of the Bible.