Word: priesthoods
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...medieval Roman Catholic Church sold indulgences to sinners who thought cash could purchase exoneration in heaven. Today it's the church that is handing out money in hopes of buying forgiveness for itself. The surging scandal over sexual abuse by the priesthood is proving as financially damaging to the church as it is hurtful to the faith, as Catholic dioceses across the country dole out huge sums to victims to compensate them for their pain and keep them silent...
...minds of Catholics"--an interesting phrase, by the way, that suggests some of the problem: a hierarchy that sees "the Catholic mind" as something "out there" and the embattled clergy as being "in here." Among the questions: 1) Should celibacy continue to be "a normative condition for the diocesan priesthood"? 2) If celibacy were optional, would there be fewer scandals of this nature in the priesthood? My answers would...
...people “are raising questions about the priesthood,” she said. “This translates to a lack of trust in the Church...
...panel also tackled the issue of how the incidents of pedophilia and sexual abuse have called into question the tightly-held Catholic tenet of celibacy in the priesthood and the impact of lay people voicing their opinions on the issue...
...world (to evangelical Protestants in Latin America, Africa and Asia, for example) and has such difficulty in recruiting new priests cannot afford the caviling, obdurate smugness of centuries past. Allowing priests to marry, and ordaining women, would do an important thing: begin to change the culture of the priesthood--a culture that needs very considerable changing. It would help cleanse the sometimes fetid atmosphere of the rectory...