Priesthood and the Faith

So Fr Mark Montebello is a "great rebel", comparable to Savonarola! (Kenneth Zammit Tabona, May 24).

There seem to be some misconceptions in need of clarification. Unlike a normal member of the laity, a priest (and more so a friar - and a member of the Order of Preachers!) is restricted on what he can express publicly, obviously especially regarding morals and dogma. He is duty bound not to "scandalise" or mislead the public.

In his letter to priests on the last Holy Thursday, John Paul II said: "Obeying out of love, sacrificing even a certain legitimate freedom when the authoritative discernment of the Bishop so requires, the priest lives out in his flesh that take and eat with which Christ, in the Last Supper, gave himself to the Church".

Obeying grudgingly is not really enough! And there is a simpler solution to acquire the wanted unshackled freedom: Stop claiming to be a priest.

A second point is the essential difference in role between a Pope and a "Head of Doctrine". Would a judge be expected to free all accused? Unfortunately, (I am not sure how much this is a genuine mistake), there has been a repeated lack of distinction made in media coverage between, for example, homosexuality, homosexual acts and homosexuals.

Christ did not promise that his Church would not be attacked from within and without; he did promise and sent his Spirit. And this we do believe.