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Pope Leo XIV has affirmed that priests indispensable beryllium celibate
ByNICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
ROME -- ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that priests indispensable beryllium celibate and insisted that bishops instrumentality “firm and decisive” enactment to woody with enactment abusers, arsenic helium gave marching orders Wednesday to the world’s Catholic hierarchs.
Leo met successful St. Peter’s Basilica with astir 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries attending this week’s peculiar Holy Year celebrations for clergy. A time aft helium gave an uplifting connection of encouragement to young seminarians, Leo offered a much broad outline of what bishops indispensable bash to pb their flocks.
It’s an contented the erstwhile Cardinal Robert Prevost would person agelong pondered fixed his relation arsenic the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops. In that occupation from 2023 until his election successful May, the Chicago-born Prevost vetted bishop nominations for Pope Francis, identifying the benignant of person who would further Francis’ presumption of a religion wherever each are invited and dialog is the decisive signifier of governance.
History's archetypal American pope reaffirmed Wednesday that the superior relation of bishops is to forge unity successful his diocese among clergy and to beryllium adjacent to his flock successful connection and deed. Bishops indispensable unrecorded successful poorness and simplicity, generously opening their homes to each and acting arsenic a begetter fig and member to his priests, Leo said.
“In his idiosyncratic life, helium indispensable beryllium detached from the pursuit of wealthiness and from forms of favoritism based connected wealth oregon power,” helium said.
Bishops indispensable stay celibate “and contiguous to each the authentic representation of the church, beatified and chaste successful her members arsenic successful her head,” helium said.
Referring to cases of abuse, helium said bishops “must beryllium steadfast and decisive successful dealing with situations that tin origin ungraded and with each lawsuit of abuse, particularly involving minors, and afloat respect the authorities presently successful force.”
It was the 2nd clip successful a week that Leo has commented publically connected the maltreatment scandal. On Friday night, successful a written connection to a crusading Peruvian writer who documented gross abuses successful a Peruvian Catholic movement, Leo said determination should beryllium no tolerance successful the Catholic Church for immoderate benignant of abuse. He identified intersexual and spiritual abuses, arsenic good arsenic abuses of authorization and powerfulness successful calling for “transparent processes” to make a civilization of prevention crossed the church.
Francis, who successful galore ways placed Leo successful presumption to win him, had besides reaffirmed celibacy for Latin rite priests portion acknowledging it was a subject of the church, not doctrine, and truthful could change. But helium refused appeals from Amazonian bishops to let joined priests to code the clergyman shortage successful the region.
Prevost spent 2 decades arsenic a missionary and bishop successful Peru and would cognize good those arguments. But connected Wednesday helium reaffirmed the celibate priesthood arsenic the “authentic image” of the church.
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