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	Father Cutie's Indulgences By David Waters Washington Post May 10, 2009 http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2009/05/father_curies_indulgences.html?hpid=talkbox1 A few days before he was caught indulging himself with an attractive woman on a South Florida beach, the now-dismissed Rev. Albert Cutié told a TV interviewer that he thinks all Catholic priests should have the option to marry. "If they want to discipline me, let them discipline me, but I think the option would be better and healthier." A good point, Father, even in retrospect. As Catholic League President William Donohue told CNN's MarK Sanchez, priestly celibacy is policy, not dogma. "They could change this tomorrow if they want to," Donohue said in an interview about the Cutié affair. But if they do, Donohue continued, they're just going "to exchange this problem for another one. Look how many rabbis and imams and ministers who are married and cheat on their brides." Also a good point. Should Roman Catholic priests be held to a higher (or at least different) ministry standard? Is it time for the Church to drop chastity from a priest's ordination vows? Should priests be allowed to marry? Would that encourage (allow?) more men to enter the priesthood? Or would the Church just be trading one temptation for another. And what should the Church do now with Padre Alberto, a popular expert on Catholic marriage and sexuality who was a TV celebrity even before he was removed from his priestly duties? Punish him or listen to him? Celibacy isn't the only reason the Catholic Church in America is short on priests, but it's one of the more obvious ones. So it's not surprising that fans of female-friendly Father Cutié (actually pronounced koo-tee-ay) are rallying to his defense by raising the issue of priestly celibacy. A day after Cutié was removed from his parish position, dozens of his supporters rallied outside his church waving signs: "Celibacy no! Choice yes! 21st century," read the signs of dozens of Cutié's supporters who rallied outside his church last week. "I think this is the precise moment for the church to recognize that priests are flesh and blood," sign-waver Violeta Ascue told the Miami Herald. "They should marry, too. I'm sure they'd still be exemplary people." There are plenty of good, practical and faithful reasons why the Church asks its priests to remain celibate: the priest is married to the church; priests have lifestyles that are incompatible with family life; priests (who also take poverty vows) don't make enough money to allow them to support families; celibacy frees them to focus on their priestly duties. "All human intimacy finds its deepest meaning and fulfillment when it is experienced and lived as a participation in the intimacy of God alone," the late Henri Nouwen, priest and spiritual leader, once wrote. "The celibate man or woman proclaims this hope by recognizing, receiving and living the gift of celibacy." Not every gift is easily accepted. And Padre Alberto's supporters aren't the first to suggest that the 900-year-old celibacy requirement should be reviewed. Just two months ago, a radio interviewer asked retiring New York Cardinal Edward Egan if the Church would sooner or later consider allowing priests to marry. "I think that it's going to be discussed; it's a perfectly legitimate discussion," Egan said. "I think it has to be looked at." Back in 2003, 163 priests in the Milwaukee Archdiocese petitioned the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to open discussion on making celibacy optional. "The primary motive for our urging this change is our pastoral concern that the Catholic Church needs more candidates for the priesthood," the priests said. The shortage of Catholic priests in the U.S. has been well documented. Twenty years ago, there were 57,000 priests serving 52 million U.S. Catholics. Now there about 40,000 priests serving 64 million U.S. Catholics. About one in four parishes are without a resident priest. It has been reported that there are more U.S. priests over age 90 than under age 30. Over the years, to ease the shortage, the Church has made a few exceptions. In 1980, the Church opened the priesthood to married Protestant clergymen who converted to Catholicism to become priests. Church deacons, who can perform most priestly functions except hearing confession and consecrating the Eucharist, can be married. And in Eastern Rite churches, autonomous but recognized by the Vatican as Catholic, married men can become priests but unwed priests cannot marry. So there already are Catholic priests who are married, as there have been over the centuries. The Apostle Peter, the first Pope, was married, as were seven other popes (and 11 other popes were the sons of Catholic clergy). So were most priests and bishops in first Millenium. Why shouldn't the Church give all priests the option now?
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