infinitelord1 Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 (edited) How many of us have heard a Protestant try to make a Catholic look bad by referring to Priest Pedophilia in the Church? While yes, Priest Pedophilia/Homosexuality does exist, we have an idea as to what is going on and why, and are addressing the issue. We may also have heard a Protestant accuse a Catholic of being gay for being Catholic. Im not gonna go into that too much. But these are some serious attacks on the Church. I think any person who is rational would not let issues like these divert them from the Catholic Faith. They would recognize that Priest Pedophilia/Homosexuality has nothing to do with the Teachings of the Church, and does not nullify everything the Church has taught over the last 2000 years. What do you think? With all of that being said... I have a question... Do Pedophilia Priests have the authority of the Sacraments? Since they live in mortal sin...would they lose these authorities? If so, how would that affect the members of the Church who seek the Sacraments? Would their Matrimony, Contrition, etc. be valid since the Priest who was ministering them was in a state of Mortal Sin? Edited May 17, 2010 by infinitelord1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zunshynn Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 The sacraments work [i]ex opere operato[/i], so yes, even if the priest is in mortal sin, the sacraments are still valid when they offer them, and the sacraments are still an equal source of grace for those who partake of them. The grace of the sacraments stems from the merits of Christ, not the merits of the priest. Similarly, say an individual was not in the state of grace when they were confirmed... they are still validly confirmed, but they don't receive the graces from it until they've been restored to a state of grace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilde Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 It's a really bad excuse, and I have seen no sources saying it's more prevalent than in Protestant communities or in general. And yes, it would be valid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamiller42 Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 (edited) I would not abandon Jesus because one of his close friends betrayed him, and I would not abandon his Church when one of his servants betrays Her. If someone left the Church over these crimes, I would question whether they really understood what faith is and who they were placing their faith with. Edited May 17, 2010 by kamiller42 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 There was an early heresy in the Church called Donatism who believed that the validity of the sacraments depended on the holiness of the minister. This view weakened the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. St. Augustine made it clear that the Holy Spirit is giving us the grace of the sacrament when it is celebrated properly. The grace we receive from the sacrament comes from the Holy Spirit, not from the celebrant, so the holiness of the celebrant is irrelevant. Augustine knew that it is the Holy Spirit that unites the entire church, even those of us who are sinners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyP89 Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 In short, we shouldn't leave Peter because of Judas. Part of belonging to the Church is the acknowledgment that all of us have sinned, and rely on the mercy of Christ daily to persevere. If we are looking for a perfect place to worship, we're not going to find it on this side of heaven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKolbe Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 don't take my line... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnatiusofLoyola Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 (edited) Using priest pedophilia as an excuse for not being Catholic shows a singular lack of creativity. That excuse is so 15 minutes ago. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/ohno.gif[/img] Heck, I can come up with WAY better excuses for not being Catholic. Not that I'm telling, however. That's between God and me. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.gif[/img] Whoops, I made a Lame Board post in the Debate Forum. That's what I get for using "View New Content." [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/whistle.gif[/img] Edited May 17, 2010 by IgnatiusofLoyola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinytherese Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 I could just punch people when they make jokes about priests being sexual predators of children, but fortunately I don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 [quote name='tinytherese' date='17 May 2010 - 03:57 PM' timestamp='1274129833' post='2112159'] I could just punch people when they make jokes about priests being sexual predators of children, but fortunately I don't. [/quote] Then people would leave the Church because "all young Catholic women like to assault non-believers". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG45 Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 [quote name='Audrey Assad' date='17 May 2010 - 03:59 PM' timestamp='1274126376' post='2112047'] In short, we shouldn't leave Peter because of Judas. Part of belonging to the Church is the acknowledgment that all of us have sinned, and rely on the mercy of Christ daily to persevere. If we are looking for a perfect place to worship, we're not going to find it on this side of heaven. [/quote] Cited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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