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Catholic nun and priest staying married - akrenaL - 03-03-2011
A married couple is making news. In Germany, this couple is a bit of an oddity. The husband recently took vows as a Catholic priest, and his wife is a Catholic nun. Pope Benedict had to offer dispensations for the pair to take vows and remain married. Resource for this article - Married couple take vows as Catholic priest and nun by Newsytype.com.
Making vows for Edeltraut Klueting and Harm
Harm and Edeltraut Kluting were initially Lutherans when first married in 1977. The husband and wife were clerics at the Lutheran church they served at while also having 2 children. The couple converted to Catholicism after their children were grown. Edeltraut got papal dispensation so that she could become a Carmelite nun while remaining married to Harm in 2004. Now Harm has gotten dispensation. That means he can become a Catholic priest with vows taken. The marriage will not be ended for these purposes. The pair will stay married.
Marriage among Catholic priests
The mental image generally invoked by the phrase "Catholic priest" is typically a single, celibate individual serving the church. Catholic priests can be married as long as they have become Catholic after being in another Christian religion. This was what Pope Piux XII decided in 1950. With full knowledge of the church, about 5 to 10 percent of Catholic priests are married and priests, especially in Eastern Bloc nations.
The celibacy problem
Being celibate and unmarried are each requirements in the Catholic church for nuns and priests traditionally. With a pope dispensation though, the church makes exceptions to married couples. The declining number of men and women taking vows has raised questions about this from inside and outside the Catholic church. Past year, the Catholic church started a new conversion program meant to help Anglican priests and bishops convert to the Roman Catholic religion. You will find certain Catholic sects that allow married priests and female priests, but the mainstream Roman Catholic church has not indicated it is ready to consider the possibility.
Citations
The Star
thestar.com/printarticle/942850