Paradise's Door Step's (Charles) Muchiri Muchoki penned this article on October 2006:
Pope’s
first schism, Ratzingers’s second
By Muchiri Muchoki
Oct 1, 2006, 08:42
 |
| Pope Benedict XVI |
Essentially all should have been seen coming. Milingo's marriage to acupuncturist Maria Sung, his affiliation with the controversial Rev. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church and the subsequent inception of Married Priests Now! Group, were only good indicators of a heavy-duty schism on the way. The ordination of four bishops directly contradicted with the Canon 1382 of the Code of the Canon Law that only allow the Pope to appoint and ordinate the same. This canon is among ten laws, which call for a direct excommunication if contravened by a Roman Catholic.
Given, the Archdiocese of Washington was quick to dismiss the triplet installations as not valid. Consequently the four said bishops also stand excommunicated.
What is most intriguing nevertheless is that Pope Benedict isn't new to schisms. As the Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Pope has acted as the shuttlecock diplomat between the church and the ultratraditionist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) under its founder the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. In fact, Cardinal Ratzinger was a member of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei," established by John Paul II to maintain contacts with the schismatic Fraternity. Just like Milingo, Archbishop Lefebvre was also involved in the consecration of four auxiliary bishops in what he termed as a survival operation and which was against the explicit liberal will of Pope John Paul II. But the idea of opposing the Second Vatican Council, which was and still is the bone of contention between the SSPX and the Holy See, may not be as euphoric as the issue of advocating for married priests.
On his website www.archbishopmilingo.org, the former emeritus of Lusaka, Archbishop Milingo claims thus: Currently on the sideline, there are approximately 150,000 validly ordained priests. But these priests are married. The majority of these priests are ready, and willing to return to the sacred ministry of the altar. The website goes on to state. It is our mission to find a way to reconcile these married priests with the Church and to reinstate them in the public sacred ministry, working in every way possible with the Church, thus underlining the Married Priests Now! charge.
Over a dispensation of time, the proponents of married priests have been arguing that there has been a big shortage of priests in the last few decades attributing celibacy as the cause of this problem. The Roman Catholic priests were initially allowed to marry but this was halted after the 1139 Second Lateran Council.
Meanwhile, although the Church's stand remains firm against the defiant Archbishop, it will be interesting to see how it will deal with a man whom on July was quoted to have said thus on his letter to the married priests, A few have taken it upon themselves to threaten us with excommunication or laicization. These are words, which are obsolete after Vatican II. Nor can they be used for our case, because we are not quarrelling with anyone. We are stating facts, which are pungent in the lives of married priests. Excommunication-laicization are terms of unnecessary threats, which we consider, as the Lord says Using old bottles for new wine. Only a stingy person will do so. But he will lose clients later on when they will know that he uses old bottles for new wine.
Even though an automatic excommunicant is forbidden to exercise any ecclesiastical offices, the excommunicant still retains the offices and all such acts are still valid acts under the law unless there has been a trial and finding of fact. Once this occurs, all subsequent acts become void and all offices lost (Can. 1331 & 2).
Email:
muchirimuchoki@yahoo.com
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