461 priests in England and Wales sign statement urge clear Synod support for traditional teaching

March 24, 2015

More than 450 Catholic priests in England and Wales have signed a statement proclaiming their “unwavering fidelity to the traditional doctrines regarding marriage and the true meaning of human sexuality,” and calling for a “clear and firm proclamation” of those teachings at the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops.

In a statement published in the Catholic Herald, 461 priests underlined the importance of maintaining the Church’s discipline that bars divorced and remarried Catholics from receiving the Eucharist. On that point, the statement said, it is crucial that “doctrine and practice remain firmly and inseparably in harmony.”

One of the priests who signed the statement claimed, under cover of anonymity, that more clerics might have joined, but there was pressure from influential Church officials not to sign the statement.

 

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Further information:

• Nearly 500 priests in England and Wales urge synod to stand firm on Communion for the remarried (Catholic Herald)