Love Children

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

I think it is great that these unwed mothers chose life and decided to have their child!

this brings up an interesting question...

is it still the policy of the Church that illegitimate children can not become priests?

[catholicinsd]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' post='1134381' date='Dec 3 2006, 10:24 PM']
I think it is great that these unwed mothers chose life and decided to have their child!

this brings up an interesting question...

is it still the policy of the Church that illegitimate children can not become priests?
[/quote]

No, we can do everything now- including join Opus Dei apparently.

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

When has this changed?

[catholicinsd]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' post='1134389' date='Dec 3 2006, 10:34 PM']
When has this changed?
[/quote]

I don't know, but apparently it has.

[quote name='catholicinsd' post='1134392' date='Dec 3 2006, 10:37 PM']
I don't know, but apparently it has.
[/quote]

This a reply to an email I sent them.

[quote]After looking into this, I find that your situation in no way is an obstacle for being a member of Opus Dei. Anyone who says the contrary about our requirements is misinformed.

Thank you and God bless you.

Fr. Bradley Arturi[/quote]

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

that doesn't say that illegitimate children can be priests

[CatholicCid]

What document said that they cannot?

[catholicinsd]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' post='1134400' date='Dec 3 2006, 10:42 PM']
that doesn't say that illegitimate children can be priests
[/quote]

Well, love children have been ordained.

[Norseman82]

I don't hold a child responsible for the sins of his/her parents.

But I also do aver that the parents did sin.

The tricky part is how to communicate our disapproval without hurting the child. And we MUST communicate our disapproval instead of acceptance in order to try to turn the tide.

[catholicinsd]

[quote name='Norseman82' post='1134855' date='Dec 4 2006, 03:27 PM']
I don't hold a child responsible for the sins of his/her parents.

But I also do aver that the parents did sin.

The tricky part is how to communicate our disapproval without hurting the child. And we MUST communicate our disapproval instead of acceptance in order to try to turn the tide.
[/quote]

Yes. But, if it is possoble to do both, its perhaps the thinniest line Christians can walk.

[Resurrexi]

For goodness sake! They are not love children! They are illegitimate!

[catholicinsd]

[quote name='StThomasMore' post='1135164' date='Dec 4 2006, 08:53 PM']
For goodness sake! They are not love children! They are illegitimate!
[/quote]

As one myself I prefer the term "Love Child" to anything else.

[cathoholic_anonymous]

I hate both terms. Most children are conceived in love, so it is strange to use the term 'love child' just for those who aren't born in wedlock. But 'illegitimate child' is just wrong. The child isn't illegitimate, the act of fornication is. Perhaps it would help such children to feel less stigmatized if we were more careful about where we put the adjectives.

[catholicinsd]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1135170' date='Dec 4 2006, 09:04 PM']
I hate both terms. Most children are conceived in love, so it is strange to use the term 'love child' just for those who aren't born in wedlock. But 'illegitimate child' is just wrong. The child isn't illegitimate, the act of fornication is. Perhaps it would help such children to feel less stigmatized if we were more careful about where we put the adjectives.
[/quote]

There is one other adjective, but the mods say its inappropriate for Phatmass

Edited December 5, 2006 by catholicinsd

[Aloysius]

if laziness doesn't prevent you, why not simply say "children conceived out of wedlock"? 'love children' clearly condones the act... and I suppose some might see the term 'illegitimate' as condemning the children too much.

all children are formed by Love; if not by human love (there are clearly circumstances under which conception is not a loving act) then by Divine Love at least. there is married love, there is un-married love expressed in the wrong way, and there is of course married and un-married actions which do not hold human love in the act as well.... all of this indicates to me that the word 'love-child' is an inappropriate term.

'children from illicit conception' perhaps? that the conception is illicit does not invalidate the possibility that it came from true/valid love expressed illicitly

[MRSannie]

Good answer Aloysius--as one of those children (parents paid a judge to change the date on their marriage certificate, sis and I didn't find out til we were teenagers that dad had been married before, when we found a pic of a girl who looked EXACTLY like us but wasn't us-yep, two kids from previous marriage, and on mom's deathbed we were told she had been pregnant with me prior to their marriage) I find all the semantics laughable; it doesn't matter what the TERM is, it matters what the LIFE is, are they cared for, loved, respected etc. There are PLENTY of LEGITIMATE kids who have awful lives inside the traditional marriage/family scenario. OF COURSE we cannot condone the conception outside of marriage. NO MATTER WHAT. But sheesh, these children (which, by the way, most of us would cringe at just how MANY of OUR ancestors would fall into this category!!!! Trust me, it's TRUE) are human beings, innocent of this sin, and perhaps some of the problem is all the 'explanation' which is a thinly veiled attempt at securing acceptance---maybe what my parents did could be seen as decietful, but in fact by 'keeping it secret' they conveyed to me how seriously wrong it is! Had I been 'coached' all those formidable years as to how 'alright' it was (a.k.a. 'we got YOU! so conception out of wedlock ain't so bad, right?') perhaps MY life would have had misdirection too.