Group of Lay Catholics Challenge American Bishops Regarding Married Priests

10/31/2003

From: Louise Haggett, 508-872-4644, 508-740-3365 (cell) or rentapriest@aol.com; Jim Schooley, 301-926-4723 or jmaschooley@aol.com; Joseph Maher, 301-963-8165 or jrmaher1@aol.com; all of CITI Ministries, Inc.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Oct. 31 -- A letter was sent today to Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, challenging American Bishops to create a "Pastoral Provision" for the use of married priests in those churches that are lacking priests. The precedent used by the lay board and Advisory members of CITI/Rentapriest (Celibacy Is the Issue) is the "Pastoral Provision" document released by the Vatican in 1980. The 1980 ruling gave permission to the bishops to ordain married Protestant ministers into the Catholic priesthood and bring them and their families into Roman Catholic parishes. In some instances, Catholic priests who married were replaced by these Protestant/now/Catholic priests and their families.

CITI's challenge to the bishops is the result of theological and canonical research conducted by Rev. James Harris, former corporate legal advisor of CITI Ministries who died in December, 2002. Harris was also responsible for creating CITI's entire certification program that enables married priests to be legally certified as married Roman Catholic priests, the only program of its kind, and one that is now being studied by doctoral students in such universities as the highly acclaimed Louvain University in Belgium.

Through the ecclesial establishment of a religious society, Society of Christ's Priesthood, and affiliation with the International Council of Community Churches (ICCC) which is a member of the World Council of Churches, married Roman Catholic Priests can again acquire the ecclesiastical standing they lost when they married. Their ordination is valid in the eyes of ICCC as well as in the Catholic Church's Canon Law (290). In addition, on August 4, the Washington Post quoted a priest/spokesman for the US Conference of Bishops as saying that "sacramental activities performed by married priests such as baptisms and consecrating the Eucharist as Mass, are valid."

The 1980 Vatican document on Pastoral Provisions that covers the ordination of married Protestant Ministers as well as CITI's current challenge to the American Bishops are available for download at http://www.rentapriest.com. CITI Ministries is a 501.c3 nonprofit organization that has spent 12 twelve years locating and recruiting priests who married. Through CITI's free referral service, these priests have been making themselves available to assist people with spiritual needs.