Archbishop Dolan Responds to Optional Celibacy Letter



I greatly admire Archbishop Dolan. I've included one paragraph that I thought was especially good because it focuses on Jesus. Archbishop Dolan isn't afraid to bring prayer and Christ to the forefront of any discussion.



Read the whole letter. It is a lot more balanced than the usual defense of celibacy and it is a reaffirmation of the current practice in the church. The Archbishop does a great job of affirming all of his priests and working not to allow this incident to drive a wedge between them.



From

Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome:



"The church, of course, listens intently to many voices, and loud voices are not lacking today. She listens to petitions, committees, authors, advocacy groups, even columnists and editorial writers in newspapers, all free with advice. But she first and foremost listens to Jesus, His Word, and, as my teacher and mentor Msgr. John Tracy Ellis used to say, she listens, 'Not to the voice of today as much as to the voice of the centuries.' That voice -- of saints, scholars, and faithful of the past -- speaks eloquently in praise of celibate chastity for priests, a praise admirably echoed by the signers of the letter as well. "