POPE ADAMANT Mixed Marriages, Celibacy Law

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32219, 11 February 1970, Page 13

POPE ADAMANT Mixed Marriages, Celibacy Law

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

VATICAN CITY, February 10.

Pope Paul said yesterday that he was confident the Roman Catholic Church could recruit more and better qualified priests by continuing to refuse to yield to demands for a change in the celibacy law. United Press International reported.

The Pope’s latest defence of celibacy for priests was made in a speech to Rome parish priests and Lenten preachers. It came as the Vatican announced that it had ordered priests throughout the world to reaffirm their priestly vows each year in a public ceremony. The Pope said that despite a great shortage of priests in the world, “We think celibacy ... is a better incentive to their qualitative and quantitative recruitment than { would be a weakening of canon law.” The Vatican announcement' about annual reaffirmation of{ priestly vows was issued by; Cardinal John Wright, the former Pittsburgh bishop who heads the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy. It was sent to bishops last November 4. Cardinal Wright said that the pledge should be given on Holy Thursday at a public ceremony at which bishops would exhort priests to be faithful to their vocations. In other Vatican developments, Vatican sources said the Pontiff had sent to bishops round the world proposed new rules on mixed marriages. The guide-lines are said to fall short of expectations of many Protestants and liberal Roman Catholics.

! The sources said that the{ , Pontiff had made no change , in the controversial require-' ' ment that Protestants, Angli-j ' cans and Orthodox who marry ■ Roman Catholics make a t pledge to raise children as Roman Catholics. They said that Pope Paul 1 sent the proposed rules to • bishops last week through papal representatives in various countries. The action car- ■ ried out a recommendation 'of the world synod of ■ bishops that met at the Vati- , can last October. { The Synod asked that the Pope advise bishops of imM portant documents before ' they are made public by the! Vatican and explain the rea- ; I sons for them. '! The sources said that they{ I did not know when the new :! rules would be made public and declined to give full details, but said that the rules ; do not represent any radical ■ innovation and, therefore, would undoubtedly disappoint ; many non-Roman Catholics.