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Article: Celibacy & the future of the priesthood: John Paul II priests.
- Article from:
- Commonweal
- Article date:
- August 12, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Commonweal Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When 163 priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee signed a letter in 2003 urging that the discipline of priestly celibacy be made optional, the media response was overwhelming. The letter provoked similar letters in other dioceses, such as one signed by 113 priests in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Less publicized, though, were letters written by priests supporting mandatory celibacy, such as the one signed by the priests of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, and another by priests belonging to the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy.
Subsequently, a group of 556 seminarians from across the nation wrote a letter to Bishop Wilton Gregory, then president ...