From: People For Peace
BY FR JOACHIM OMOLO OUKO, AJ
NAIROBI-KENYA
Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News
As the story of a group of 40 or so mistresses of Italian priests, including Stefania Solomone (pictured), gains attraction in the world press, Pope Benedict XVI definitely needs courage to face all these challenges- and this calls for our prayers. The mistresses have written to the Pope telling him that they don’t like priestly celibacy.
The mistresses are writing to the Pope at the time former Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo (pictured with his wife Maria Sung) ordained Victor Kimemia as a deacon at Karen, Nairobi on Saturday for his married priests now church. He argues that since God’s word is for all of us we should not discriminate the married from the unmarried ones.
While these are taking place, a sect opposed to mandatory priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church is busy wooing ex-seminarians and suspended Catholic priests to join it. There already 2 sects of married priests in Kenya, that of Milingo and that of Bishop Godfrey Shiundu, a former priest of Kitale Diocese. John Karimi, a former priest of the Kenya Catholic Church Murang’a Diocese is among some priests who officially renounced his celibacy vow in 2004 to join the sect. Until then he was the parish priest of Ichagaki Parish when he join the Reformed Church after 15 years as a Catholic priest.
In a letter written to the Pope in Italian and translated in English, the mistresses particularly objected to the phrase “sacred celibacy”. That is why they argue that there is no reason in principle why the Church could not change its discipline regarding clerical celibacy in the future since it is a man made rule and not God.
It is again at the time the Pope has ordered an investigation into child abuse in the Irish Catholic Church to begin in the fall. According to the news which has just come in, Pope Benedict had pledged the investigation in his March letter to Ireland, which addressed chronic child abuse within the island’s Catholic Church and decades of cover-ups.
Two hours ago (today Monday) the Pope has urged the Irish Catholic community to support the investigation and see it as a chance for renewal. It is at the same time the Vatican announced the pope had accepted the resignation of an Irish-born archbishop who had led the diocese of Benin City in Nigeria and faced accusations that he carried on a 20-year relationship with a woman that began when she was 14 years old.
Archbishop Richard Burke had been suspended pending investigations. This is just one step the Pope has taken to clean house and get rid of bishops who either admitted they molested youngsters or covered up for priests who did. Major ones are expected to come as the scandals continue to tint the church.
According to the Vatican statement, the investigation in Ireland will deal with the handling of cases of abuse and the assistance to victims. It will begin in four archdioceses, including Dublin, and then be extended to other dioceses. It will also look at seminaries and religious houses as well.
The investigators named by Benedict include the archbishops of Westminster, England; Boston, Toronto and Ottawa. Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, has been named apostolic visitor for the Irish seminaries, with the investigation covering also the broader issue of priestly formation. Two nuns were named to investigate religious institutes for women.
People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya
E-Mail news@ppa.or.ke
Tel 254-20-4441372
Website : www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org