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From: chrise@hpsrcje.hp.com
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: With all due respect for Catholics...
Message-ID: <May.29.03.35.25.1990.2441@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 29 May 90 07:35:27 GMT
Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu
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Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

In soc.religion.christian, st0o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Steven Timm) writes:
    A recent post mentioned the council of Nicaea's declaration that
    priests be celibate.  Though this is no doubt a long-standing tradition
    (and not without scriptural support (1 Corinthians 7)), I have wondered
    how Catholics explain that St. Peter had a mother-in-law and was thus
    obviously married?

Well, I guess we're forced to admit that St. Peter lived before the council
of Nicea. :-)

A slightly longer answer involves the Catholic distinction between doctrine
and discipline.  Many of the "un-Scriptural" traditions of the Church to
which Protestants protest are not "man-made doctrines", but disciplines.

Doctrine doesn't change (although it does devlop--cf. Cardinal Newman),
and indeed the Church has no power over doctrine--it merely hands on what
it has received from its Founder.

Discipline consists of the laws that the Church has made, which it may
change as well.  Joe Buehler has already pointed out the diversity among
the rites of the Catholic Church on the advisability of the _discipline_ of
priestly celibacy.

Chris

Unity in essentials, freedom in non-essentials, and charity toward all.
	-- Augustine