Celibacy debate

When the Archbishop of Malta opined that priests should be given the option to marry (‘Exclusive ties with God’, by Ray Azzopardi, January 16), he was obviously speaking about what we normally refer to as secular or diocesan priests.

A clarification is important, as priests who belong to religious orders or congregations leave their family and live in communities, takings vows of poverty, obedience and chastity, not as priests but as ‘religious’.

Secular priests only take a vow of obedience to their bishop and, of course, celibacy, which is imposed on them by Canon Law.

To go back to the Gospel in order to prove that celibacy is a vehicle towards developing ‘exclusive ties with God’ is, to say the least, a very flimsy defence of a celibate priesthood. Jesus himself could have chosen celibate men; not only did he not, but he knowingly chose Peter, a married man, to be the head of his Church.

Are married priests who at present serve the Church deprived of this ‘exclusive tie with God’? Certainly not.

It is strange that secular priests take a vow of chastity while they do not renounce property or other forms of wealth about which the Gospel has a lot to say.

It was in the 11th century that Pope Gregory VII decreed that all priests had to be celibate; previously there were celibate and non-celibate priests.

Historically, celibacy was imposed on secular clergy for a myriad of reasons, among them the protection of Church property, as married priests became richer and richer, and some of them passed on to their children endowments that belonged to the Church.

It would be a pity if the present Synod on Synodality ends up without a reform of the priesthood. Looking at the situation in many countries, particularly Latin America, sects are taking the place of Catholic priests because the celibate priests see some of their parishioners only twice or so a year.

What happened to the discussion about the ordination of viri probati, men of proven virtues?

In the UK and elsewhere, there are hundreds of ordained married deacons; they practically run parishes under the guidance of a priest.

Why are parishes closing down when these deacons, after a stipulated number of years of preparation, could be ordained?

Is the Church putting its own interests first while depriving millions of baptised Catholics of the sacraments?

SALVU FELICE PACE – Għasri

First-class healthcare service

I have to write in response to the article in last Friday’s Times of Malta criticising the running of Mater Dei Hospital. My partner and I have recently paid many visits both as in- and outpatients, visiting the X-ray, scan departments, etc. and have not seen any beds in corridors, apart from (me included) having to wait on a trolley in A&E while a bed could be made available.

The Maltese don’t realise how lucky they are to have Mater Dei.

Once reaching a ward, everything was up to the usual high standard of care and cleanliness, every curtain rail, light fitting, loose furniture being dusted every day. The medical care we received was first class, always in a pleasant manner, however busy the staff were.

Also to be praised highly is the Sir Anthony Mamo oncology wing, a haven of peace and comfort, reassuring and easy-to-understand cancer problems; my thanks to all involved.

Compared to our last visits to hospitals in the UK, Mater Dei is gold standard. The Maltese people don’t realise how lucky they are.

Please stop using the hospital as a political football and give some encouragement to the hard-working staff. So far as we are concerned, it is “Bravo Mater Dei”.

Andrew Gilmore – Gudja