My question today comes from a curious thought i have had,If you are a Catholic in good standing and are curious about joining the priesthood and meet all the criteria,But have had a previous scrape with the law such as a Driving under the influence ticket.Would you be able to become a priest or would this prevent it.

-- Andrew (Drewmeister7@aol.com), May 25, 2003

Answers

To be honest I'm not entirely sure. However, I would think that it wouldn't be a problem. The Church teaches that once we have confessed and repented of a sin, and received absolution in the Sacrament of Penance, the sin is forgiven and we are able to move on with our lives. If this was the case then the person would be no different to anyone else.

If someone were in that situation I would advise him to phone the Diocesan Office and ask to speak to the Vocations Director. That person would certainly be able to advise on all aspects of joining the Priesthood.

God bless

-- Sara (sara_catholic_forum@yahoo.co.uk), May 26, 2003.

sara is quite right. it is most likely that that would not be considered a problem

-- paul (dontsendmemail@notanaddress.com), May 26, 2003.

I spoke about this to one of my priest once, well as it turns out, you can become a priest, but you must repent first, and then once you become a priest you can no longer do activities that would be considered against church teachings....For instance, you can have had sex sometime in your life,(Not all Priests are virgins) you can even have had children, it doesnt matter, all that matters is what you do from the time you are ordained until the time you pass on to our Lord....Amen

-- JD (Dollarbill1981@yahoo.com), May 29, 2003.

Andrew, I am afraid the reality can sometimes be quite different from what Sara and the others have painted for you here. Actually the matter depends entirely on the Vocations Director (who recommends your candidacy for the priesthood to the Bishop) and the Bishop of your Diocese. The decision is ultimately the Bishop’s since he will be the one ordaining you. Since Bishops are not all of like mind and/or perfect, human error, preconceptions and prejudice can creep into the equation and good candidates for the priesthood, albeit infrequently, can be incorrectly turned away for past forgiven/absolved sins.

-- Ed (catholic4444@yahoo.ca), May 30, 2003.

Andrew, one additional thought: If you are turned away on your initial application and you truly feel you are called to be a priest - don’t give up! A legitimate call to the priesthood is a special grace bestowed by God on the candidate; and if God wants you to be a priest, and you want to be, you will be a priest.

-- Ed (catholic4444@yahoo.ca), May 30, 2003.