VATICAN CITY
The Australian
AFP
POPE Benedict XVI has issued a rare condemnation of disobedient priests, saying those who questioned the Catholic Church over celibacy and the ordination of women were self-serving.
“Recently, a group of priests in a European country published an appeal for disobedience, giving concrete examples of how to be disobedient,” Pope Benedict told 1600 cardinals, priests and bishops during his homily on Holy Thursday.
The appeal was for women to be allowed to join the clergy, which was rebuffed by Benedict, who said: “As Jean Paul II irrevocably said, the Catholic Church did not receive authorisation (to ordain women) from the Lord.”
Benedict’s comments were a response to an “appeal to religious disobedience” launched by a group of Austrian priests in 2011.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.