Associated Press
Married Men Installed As Priests in N.J.
By DAVID PORTER 12.10.06, 8:52 PM ET
(source)


An excommunicated Roman Catholic archbishop continued his defiance of the Vatican on Sunday when he ordained two married men as priests.

In front of a congregation that included nearly two dozen members of the media at the Trinity Reformed Church, Raymond A. Grosswirth of Rochester, N.Y., and Dominic Riccio, of Newark, were installed by Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo.

The ceremony, in a blue-collar neighborhood situated directly across the Hudson River from midtown Manhattan, concluded a two-day convention of Milingo's advocacy group, Married Priests Now!

"Teach the word of God and put into practice what you teach," Milingo said to Grosswirth and Riccio during the ceremony.

The wives of both men helped their husbands on with their vestments before each man was anointed. Grosswirth and Riccio concluded the ceremony at the West New York church by officiating over communion.

"I feel great elation," said the 72-year-old Riccio, who lives in Barnegat with wife, Claire, and has four children and two grandchildren. "This is the culmination of 31 years of waiting."

The men now will be able to perform the duties of a priest, such as administering last rites.

Grosswirth, 57, who has been married since 1994, recalled forming a group in Rochester in the early 90s comprising men over 40 who were interested in the priesthood, then seeing it dwindle down to nothing over the issue of celibacy.

Milingo has called celibacy "outdated" and noted on Sunday that it was not required of priests until the 12th century. Milingo himself was married in 2001 to a Korean acupuncturist chosen for him by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in a mass wedding performed by Moon's Unification Church.

Members of Milingo's group believe that reinstating priests who are married would help ease a shortage of priests in the U.S. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the number of priests in America has dropped to 41,790 this year from 58,600 in 1965.

"What I tell people is that I still love the church, despite its problems, and I'm hoping that by my actions, there will be more attention brought to the fact that countless men and women are being called to the priesthood and yet Rome has closed the door on them," Grosswirth said. "Currently, there's one celibate priest for every 3,500 Catholics in the world and frankly, something needs to change."

Joining Milingo at the altar were bishops from as far away as Brazil, the Philippines and Albania. Also in attendance were the Rev. Peter Paul Brennan and the Rev. Patrick Trujillo, two of four married men installed as Roman Catholic bishops by Milingo in September.

That act led to Milingo's excommunication by the Vatican, and Pope Benedict XVI followed that decision by convening a summit that reaffirmed mandatory celibacy for clergy.

Milingo said since he announced the formation of Married Priests Now! this year, he has received numerous inquiries from people interested in the priesthood.

"It's amazing," he said. "These are people who, because of celibacy, did not advance to the priesthood, and now they want to be ordained."


Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed


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Ya know, they could just become Protestants. Their priests can marry

If they added that they would have to have been married over twenty years to demonstrate the ability to lead successfully, that would be a nice addtion to any religious group.

A great leap forward for Catholicism, if it takes. Then again, mine is the opinion of an avowed non-Catholic.

So can rabbis

I once read a short story where a monk who was copying the bible asked his superior if there were ever any errors in transcription that got passed down through the various copies. His superior told him not to be ridiculous and dismissed the matter. Later, the superior got curious and started investigating for himself. One day, he came across the oldest copy of the bible they had, and in one passage, instead of the word "celibate" like in later versions, was the word "celebrate." He then started crying.

That story always amused me, but it also makes me wonder about mandatory celibacy for priests. It seems bizarre that a priest, who is also counsellor to his flock, would be helping married couples with their troubles without having the experience himself. Of course, there are priests who joined post-marriage, but I still wonder why they aren't allowed to take part in something that is considered sacred. I understand monks and nuns, who live a cloistered life, but not so much a priest who is very much a part of society.

I think it's good.

This is a huge step forward for the church. Kudos to Emmanuel Milingo.

Agreed! Maybe it'll catch on. Other revolutionary priests that stand and deliver reality that priests can serve the personal life god gave them and the church. I wouldn't worry about a prohibition against marriage when , truth be told , if their god had a thing to say about management he'd strike dead all those deviants that allowed pedophiles to survive in power and destroy children's innocence, for as long as they have. With the protection of the church enabling the rapes all these years. And we're talking centuries, not just the period of 20th & 21st century headlines.