We can�t support priests� families

by Letters Editor · August 8, 2014

RG Pitchford, Middelburg, Mpumalanga

I thought that the subject of married priests had long since been put on the back burner, but two of your correspondents in the June 25 issue seem to want to continue plugging away with the same old arguments.

Fr Bart Stevens of Billings, Montana was an Anglican priest and is now an ordained Catholic priest with a family. (Photo: Beliefnet)

�Give us a married clergy and all will be well�? Nothing could be further from the truth.

Let me begin by saying I support a married clergy, but the problem is there is not one parish in Southern Africa that could support a married priest, his wife and unknown number of children.

Brian Commins says that male chauvinism is to blame, but even if the pope and the curia agreed to such a request, no parish could finance a married clergy.

In most presbyteries today there are usually two priests, both celibate. If one decides to get married, who moves out? Who will provide the necessary finance to build a house for a married priest and his family?

There is no stipulation anywhere to my knowledge that says that the wife of the priest would have to go out to work to provide extra income for the family, but she may also want to follow her own career path.

Many Anglican priests would like to become Catholic priests, however, they have been told that they would have to be self-supporting of this family, provide education to tertiary level for their children and provide their own pension scheme.

It is worthwhile looking at how other churches have tackled this problem.

Before you can become a full member of any of the Pentecostal, fundamentalist and Dutch Reformed churches, you will be visited by a delegated member of the church�s finance committee; you will be asked to disclose your total monthly income and you will be asked to sign a document that you will contribute 10% of your nett monthly income.

You will normally receive a home visit on the last Friday of the month when you will be expected to hand over a cheque or cash based on your monthly income.

Advocates of a married clergy often point to the Anglican church and people ask: �If they can afford it, why can�t we?�

The answer is very simply, since 1534, when the Anglican Church became a reality, their financial advisors have built up a massive fund running into billions of pounds through the purchase of land and properties in central London.

The income received provides a monthly salary for the clergy, retired clergy and also medical services.

Weekly collections are sent to a central finance fund.

Here in South Africa we can�t even get all the parishes to support Radio Veritas, which is carrying out the greatest evangelical programme the Catholic Church has ever launched.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops� Conference exhorts parishioners to contribute 3% of their monthly income to the support of their parish priest and to cover all the parish expenses. I doubt very much whether many parishioners are following this directive.

Allow me to add that the Bible exhorts all Christian believers to contribute 10% of their basic income to cover their church�s expenses.