The Church confers the sacrament of Holy Orders only on baptized men (viri), whose suitability for the exercise of the ministry has been duly recognized. Church authority alone has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. - 1598, CCC
.
The recent disgrace of a famous priest who has now been declared by his religious superior as 'unfit for ministry' had me thinking about how some men may have been approved for Holy Orders, despite the fact they may have given certain warning signs they could be 'unfit'. That idea developed as I considered the stories circulated by that particular priest of how psychologists who initially screened him before ordination advised against his being accepted, believing he was mentally unfit or unsuitable. Nevertheless the recent convert was admitted to orders despite those warnings and he, along with his superior at the time, seemed to believe the negative report was due to the his religious conservatism and fidelity to Church teaching.
.
Likewise, a local priest who eventually committed suicide after accusations of sexual molesting young boys and murdering his accusers, was reportedly early on given a negative report concerning his suitability for ordination. His superiors waved him through however.
.
"Pray for the suicides." - Fr. Zosima
.
Recently a young, well liked priest, innocent of any wrong doing, committed suicide and was found dead in a rectory closet. At his funeral he was eulogized with great compassion, revealing how the poor man suffered from bullying all of his life, which may have contributed to his life long struggle with depression. As most people know, depression is a mental illness, although it is more often than not successfully managed with medication. It is worth noting however, some of these medications carry warnings that side effects may include thoughts of suicide and lead to suicide. Gratefully, the young priest was given a Catholic funeral with dignity and honors, mourned by all who knew him.
.
I have no issue with the last priest mentioned whatsoever - I don't know anything about him other than what I read. Instead, my concern is that some candidates for ordination, whose psychological health may be in question, get through to ordination. I realize that diocesan and seminary superiors weigh each candidate's credentials and suitability carefully, and sometimes in good faith allow special dispensations, confident in the mystery of grace and the action of the Holy Spirit to heal and sustain and support such men in their vocation. But can they be mistaken? Are there false vocations? Are there some men ordained priest forever who maybe should not have been? To be sure their ordination is valid and indelible - but what if they were unfit for ministry in the first place - before ordination?
.
Impediments and irregularities.
.
Can men with clinical depression be ordained? It seems to me this question poses a similar dilemma with that of men with deep seated homosexual inclination being barred from ordination. In Canon Law there are certain irregularities and impediments which can and do disqualify a candidate for Holy Orders.
.
Canon 1041 - The following persons are irregular for the reception of orders:
1. one who suffers from any form of insanity, or from other psychological infirmity, because of which he is, after experts have been consulted, judged incapable of properly fulfilling the ministry.
5. one who ... has attempted suicide.
.
Impediments and irregularities can be dispensed by the Holy See of course. Irregularities are impediments regarded as perpetual, while simple impediments are not. I'm not sure what that means legally however. Yet these matters raise questions regarding the discernment process as to who can be admitted to Holy Orders. Officially, men with deep seated homosexual tendencies are to be barred from orders, yet as we know, there are those who continue to be ordained. Even though ordination is valid are there 'false vocations'? (Would this apply to men with mental disorders as well?)
.
"They see the Church as a noncompetitive, friendly world where they may enjoy high status and be protected at the same time." - van den aardweg
.
I'm not sure if the following works in well with this post, nevertheless it is an interesting commentary on the subject of admitting homosexuals to ordination I came across in the writings of Dr. Van Den Aardweg, in his book The Battle For Normality. It may or may not be helpful to my topic here:
.
"Why are so many Protestant and Catholic homosexuals, male and female alike, interested in theology, and why do they not infrequently want to be ministers or priests? Part of the answer lies in their infantile need for sympathy and contact. They view church professions as soft and sentimentally caring and imagined themselves in them as being honored and revered, elevated above common human beings. They see the Church as a noncompetitive, friendly world where they may enjoy high status and be protected at the same time. For male homosexuals, there is the additional incentive of a rather closed men's community where they need not prove themselves as men." (Hello!)
.
[...]
"These interests stem for the most part then from an infantile, self centered imagination and have precious little to do with the objective contents of Christian belief. What some homosexuals see as their calling to the priesthood is an attraction to an emotionally rewarding, though self-centered way of life. These are self imagined or 'false' vocations. Needles to say these ministers and priests are inclined to preach a soft, humanistic reinvention of traditional beliefs, especially of moral principals, and a distorted concept of 'love'. Moreover, they tend to create a homosexual subculture within their churches. There they undoubtedly pose a suitable threat for the orthodoxy and undermine church unity by their habit of forming subversive coteries that do not feel responsible to the official church community (the reader may recall the homosexual complex of 'not belonging'.) Otherwise, they lack the balance and strength of character necessary for giving fatherly advice." - Battle For Normalcy
.
"Otherwise, they lack the balance and strength of character necessary for giving fatherly advice." Could this 'impediment' apply to candidates who may be otherwise psychologically unfit as well? Just thinking out loud here.
.
Art: Source - no further information.
