Just read an excellent and much needed book by a former priest of the Roman Catholic Church: Father Albert Cutié. His love affair was in the headlines and, in this very personal and controversial memoir, Father Albert details the struggles he went through with an antiquated Vatican policy: celibacy and marriage. The book, which I read as a public library borrowing on my Kindle, is entitled Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle with Faith and Love, published in January, 2011, by Celebra.
Like Albert Cutié, I've long had a problem with the hierarchy and the policies of the Roman church. So did the founder of the church in which I have been a lifelong member: Martin Luther.
The Vatican's policy of celibacy for their priests is, as Cutié clearly points out, a man-made requirement. Nowhere in the Old or New Testament does God or Jesus Christ rule that a man--who wishes to serve his God, his church and its membership--must take a vow of celibacy and remain unwed throughout life. This is something dreamed up in Rome, along with a number of other policies the management of the Roman church determined. Celibacy is linked to a sick and unhealthy attitude toward sex; it has more to do with control than with God's word.
While I'm at it: I've long wondered how the Roman church can castigate women and doctors for the termination of a pregnancy, even in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, while, at the same time, brand birth control a mortal sin. And while they're saving the lives of the "unborn," the Vatican and its servants are deliberately quiet about the thousands of fully-developed humans killed in Iraq, so one dictator could be found and executed. No protest there. Just denial of communion to a presidential candidate because he believed that the life of a woman should be saved in the event of a pregnancy that threatens her life. And, all of that control of women and priests is cloaked in a blanket of pseudo-humility by Popes, past and present.
Cutié's book is a must read for anyone, but particularly so for those who call themselves members of the Roman Catholic Church. Only they have the power to change their church, as Father Cutié is trying to do by his example, his service, and his eloquent narrative.
You can obtain more information and, if you wish, order the book from Amazon by clicking here.
2 comments:
Hi, Larry. Thank you for the recommendation. I've added this one to my reading list. Our Library has it for the Kindle, although there is a waiting list. I'll get it soon!
Deb Volk
I for sure will read this book...not just because of what your good comments are...but mostly because of me being a Catholic for a long time, and having a GREAT relative that was a GREAT PRIEST, along with being a 'Alter Boy, growing up. THANKS AGAIN for your recommendation.
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