Sydney priest sacked after revealing he is married [CNAU]

Catholic Press · #1 May 1, '12, 3:20 pm

May 1, '12 6:00 am
A Sydney Catholic priest who revealed he has been married for a year has been removed from his post by church officials, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

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justsayin · #2 May 2, '12, 7:30 am

A Catholic priest from Glenmore Park in Australia has revealed that he has been living a double life and secretly has been married for a year.

Link to original story Priest voluntarily goes public revealing his secret marriage, claiming that many priests live double lives and that celibacy for priests needs to be abolished.

Link to follow-up story The priest claims that the Catholic Church's rules on celibacy is an open invitation for paedophiles to enter the Church and become priests.

Link to morning show interview video The priest claims that he has written a book in a move to expose other priests living double lives.

This story broke out in Australian news on May 1st, 2012. The priest has since been excommunicated.

Local newspaper article with comments from parishioners who know the priest.

opus101 · #3 May 2, '12, 7:52 am

The priest said that because "many priests" lead double lives, celibacy has to go. IMO, priests who lead double lives are what have to go!

No one has to be a priest, it is a completely voluntary thing! No need to become one and lead a double life!

Duplicity is never a good thing.

Alan55 · #4 May 2, '12, 5:03 pm

There are many, many Catholic priests around the world who have unofficial wives. What is different about this priest's case is that he made it official.

sw85 · #5 May 2, '12, 5:12 pm

Holy orders are a canonical impediment to marriage, no? If so, then the priest is not "married" at all. He had a sham ceremony and is now a fornicator.

pepipop · #6 May 3, '12, 6:55 am

He could have left the church and then married his wife, if he had moral convictions. Why marry, when he knows he cannot remain a priest. To then witter on about celibacy for priests, paedophilia, etc.. is his guilty conscience trying to vindicate his actions, i.e. it's not his fault, everyone else is doing it, and so on....

As another poster pointed out he cannot be married, as he was still a priest, which shows a lot of respect for his 'wife', particularly as he did not request to leave the priesthood to marry her in the first place.

**Dale_M** · #7 May 3, '12, 7:06 am

Quote:

Father Lee said he was set to release a book that revealed a number of priests who were leading a double life, and breaking the vows of celibacy and unmarried life.

http://penrith-press.whereilive.com....ved-by-church/

That won't make him very popular, but I suppose it will make him a lot of money. Perhaps the book is his idea of a golden parachute?

SeekNFind · #8 May 3, '12, 4:59 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by sw85

Holy orders are a canonical impediment to marriage, no? If so, then the priest is not "married" at all. He had a sham ceremony and is now a fornicator.

Legally he is married, But I think (what you're getting at) is a priest or deacon would need a dispensation of their vows to be allowed to marry ie he should have asked first. But is he's excommunicated anyway, I guess it doesn't matter.

SeekNFind · #9 May 3, '12, 5:00 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan55

There are many, many Catholic priests around the world who have unofficial wives. What is different about this priest's case is that he made it official.

What does this mean?

Brendan · #10 May 3, '12, 5:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeekNFind

Legally he is married, But I think (what you're getting at) is a priest or deacon would need a dispensation of their vows to be allowed to marry ie he should have asked first. But is he's excommunicated anyway, I guess it doesn't matter.

I'm not too sure an excommunication was involved. He recieved the canonical penality of removal from the priesthood, but I didn't see where an excommunicaiton was also applied.

gus · #11 May 3, '12, 6:04 pm

Wouldn't marriage outside the church incur excommunication.

Baer · #12 May 3, '12, 8:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeekNFind

What does this mean?

Monogamous relationships without being married. It is a problem in much of the world.

SeekNFind · #13 May 4, '12, 1:08 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baer

Monogamous relationships without being married. It is a problem in much of the world.

Wow. Do you mean sexual? Or "just" an emotional connection.

SeekNFind · #14 May 4, '12, 1:08 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by poorsinner7

I don't thinks so. But how could he have been married in the Church with holy vows as an impediment. I assume he has a civil marriage, not a sacramental one. His marriage must be invalid in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

I'm sure this is the case. And I assumed he was excommunicated, which I see was not the case.

Elizium23 · #15 May 5, '12, 2:20 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeekNFind

Legally he is married, But I think (what you're getting at) is a priest or deacon would need a dispensation of their vows to be allowed to marry ie he should have asked first. But is he's excommunicated anyway, I guess it doesn't matter.

Perhaps you mean that by civil law he is married. By Church law, he would not be legally or validly married.

Also, it appears that this priest is a secular priest (he works at a parish, and does not appear to have initials after his name.) Secular priests make promises, not vows.

But yes, he would need to be laicized first, and on top of that, would need a dispensation from his promise of celibacy to be legally married in the Church.

As for excommunication: I don't think we can say "it doesn't matter" if one commits a sin while excommunicated. Sin is still something to be avoided, whatever one's canonical status, and one should be particularly vigilant against committing sins if one has no access to the sacraments.