"Vatican may Discuss Marriage for Catholic Priests": Matters Arising by Uwakwe Chibuike
Amidst other online and offline
reports, the Nigerian Punch Newspaper (online), Friday 13th
September 2013 published an article titled “Vatican May Discuss Marriage For
Catholic Priests”. This report was informed by the views of some disgruntled iconoclastic
media elements who chose to fed the public with half-baked beans and insinuate
tension among Catholics.
Recently, Pope Francis appointed Italian
Archbishop Pietro Parolin, as the new Vatican Secretary of State, the Number 2
position in the Vatican. Discussing how the Church understands Priestly
celibacy in an interview with the Venezuelan Newspaper El Universal early this week ,
the New Secretary of State said: “Celibacy is not a Church dogma and it can
be discussed because it is a church tradition”. Ever since then bearing in mind
the reformist-minded Pontiff who has invited Archbishop Pietro into his
government, the media has been stormed with headlines like “CATHOLIC PRIESTS
MAY SOON BE PERMITTED TO MARRY”, “PRIESTLY CELIBACY IS OPEN FOR DISCUSSION,
SAYS VATICAN OFFICIAL, etc.
