You Aren't One of the Boys: Authority in the Catholic Priesthood Book

"The Authority and Governance project commissioned an inquiry on how priests of the Roman Catholic Church, present and no longer officiating, regard issues of authority and governance in the Church. The inquiry was carried out by NOP and this study is based on the findings Some of the topics explored include: ? the practice of priesthood and the language used by priests to describe and explore it. ? how those surveyed have come to be engaged in the practice of priesthood. their views on seminary formation, and their ideas for change and for formation that continues beyond the seminary ? The role of the priest in the governance of the Church and the division of authority between priests and lay people. ? The views of respondents on a selection of controversial issues: celibacy, offering communion to Christians of other denominations, women priests, artificial contraception, the validity of Anglican orders, married priests, and sacramental participation of the divorced and re-married. There is a sound British common sense and empiricism in the views expressed. Yet we might also take seriously the theology of functional rather than sacramental ministry suggested in Jan Kerkhofs' scholarly introduction and his comparative European perspective.Read More