In Germany, a married couple is making news. The spouse recently took vows as a Catholic priest, and his wife is a Catholic nun. In order to take vows, the couple had to individually get dispensations from the Pope.
Edeltraut Klueting and Harm take vows
Edeltraut Kluting and Harm were initially Lutherans when first married in 1977. The Lutheran pair had two kids. At the Lutheran church, they were clerics and served well. The couple then became Catholic. They waited until their kids were grown though. In 2004, Edeltraut received papal dispensation to take vows as a Carmelite nun and remain married to Harm. This week, Harm also received dispensation and took vows as a Catholic priest. The husband and wife are staying married while serving in their respective church posts.
Many married Catholic priests
A single man that is celibate is the image of "Catholic priest" that generally comes to mind. A ruling by Pope Piux XII in 1950 allowed married priests of other Christian denominations to convert to the Catholic religion, stay married and become Catholic priests. Estimates are that between 5 percent and 10 percent of Catholic priests, especially in Eastern Bloc countries, are married and serving as priests with the full knowledge and approval of the church.
The celibacy problem
A long-standing requirement of the Catholic church has been that priests and nuns remain celibate and unmarried, but the church makes exceptions as long as married couples get a pope dispensation. The declining number of men and women taking vows has elevated questions about this from inside and outside the Catholic church. In order to help Anglican priests and bishops be able to convert to Roman Catholic, the Catholic church began a new conversion program past year. married priests and female priests aren’t allowed in the Roman Catholic church though. Some Catholic sects have allowed it though.
Articles cited
The Star
thestar.com/printarticle/942850
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