Greek Catholics Warn: Don't Abolish Celibacy
The married priesthood which exists in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is no recipe against the shortages of priests, Ukrainian Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, a personal friend of Pope Francis, has admitted.
Shevchuk told journalists on September 11 that the Greek Catholics do have seminarians in the Ukraine [because being a priest is a good source of income in poor Ukraine] but not in other countries,
“Being married does not favor the increase in vocations to the priesthood. This is our experience.”
Shevchuk explained that a Greek Catholic priest must be married before his ordination and cannot marry again in case he becomes a widower. He mentioned a young priest, whose wife died two months after his ordination and who must now remain single.
Picture: Shevchuk and his delegation visite former Benedict XVI on September 10.
Shevchuk told journalists on September 11 that the Greek Catholics do have seminarians in the Ukraine [because being a priest is a good source of income in poor Ukraine] but not in other countries,
“Being married does not favor the increase in vocations to the priesthood. This is our experience.”
Shevchuk explained that a Greek Catholic priest must be married before his ordination and cannot marry again in case he becomes a widower. He mentioned a young priest, whose wife died two months after his ordination and who must now remain single.
Picture: Shevchuk and his delegation visite former Benedict XVI on September 10.