Catholic priests must have sex – Amekudzi

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John 10 years ago

The Catholic Diocese of Wa is most guilty sex scandals among all the dioceses in Wa. Priests such as Matthiew Tuurosong should have been sacked long ago if he had been in another diocese or in a different country. He has des ...
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The Catholic Diocese of Wa is most guilty sex scandals among all the dioceses in Wa. Priests such as Matthiew Tuurosong should have been sacked long ago if he had been in another diocese or in a different country. He has destroyed a lot of marriages include that of his own sister. Are these the ones who want young people to take the catholic church serious?
The Man 10 years ago

This shows how stupid and simpleton this Amekudzi is. Dors he think the Catholic Priests marrying will stop these Priests from molesting boys? If these men have any sexual urges to have sex with women, why are they not abusin ...
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This shows how stupid and simpleton this Amekudzi is. Dors he think the Catholic Priests marrying will stop these Priests from molesting boys? If these men have any sexual urges to have sex with women, why are they not abusing women and girls but rather boys? These Priests whether they are allowed to marry or not or they are not Priests will not marry women because they have no sexual attraction to women.
Asiwome 10 years ago

More sodomy is reported among male prisoners than those outside. Perhaps they are finding an outlet for their --. Why do some men assume that some women are prostitutes? They all have their "heads in their penis".

More sodomy is reported among male prisoners than those outside. Perhaps they are finding an outlet for their --. Why do some men assume that some women are prostitutes? They all have their "heads in their penis".
Dan Obotei 10 years ago

Is Amekudzi normal at all?

Is Amekudzi normal at all?
Lafia 10 years ago

is it a must to marry? if you feel silly then u too go practice sodomy. silly, talk about your family first.uneducated idiot

is it a must to marry? if you feel silly then u too go practice sodomy. silly, talk about your family first.uneducated idiot
OLD SOLDIER 10 years ago

Author: Gye Nyame...
This is the way the administration flows, they are only apologizing because the 91 year old decided that she was not going to take it lying down, other wise they would have rolled over her and done the c ...
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Author: Gye Nyame...
This is the way the administration flows, they are only apologizing because the 91 year old decided that she was not going to take it lying down, other wise they would have rolled over her and done the change. Shame on Vanderpuije and the whole administration. You did it to Ohene Djan and now to this sweet old lady. Hurray to Theodosia for standing up and speaking up.
Ghanaians should take a cue from this old lady and protest the evil, corruption, and hardships in the society. BRAVO Theodosia!!!!!!
OZA 10 years ago

Sir, Who made you the lawyer for God. If you want to be famous through the practice of Law, find a better branch, maybe advocacy for abused women.

Sir, Who made you the lawyer for God. If you want to be famous through the practice of Law, find a better branch, maybe advocacy for abused women.
CONCERNED GHANAIANS 10 years ago

Has God ever come down to judge somebody? He gave us the brain and wisdom so we could use them to create congenial atmosphere, rule of law and peaceful coexistence - all for better living. For how long will you continue in yo ...
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Has God ever come down to judge somebody? He gave us the brain and wisdom so we could use them to create congenial atmosphere, rule of law and peaceful coexistence - all for better living. For how long will you continue in your state of ignorance and paranoia whilst your brain continues to rust???
HOUDINI 10 years ago

The homosexual bigots are not reasoning well. Ask yourselves why the Catholic homosexual Priests are not molesting girls. Do you think they can never have access to girls and women if they want? What about the Nuns? Why are w ...
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The homosexual bigots are not reasoning well. Ask yourselves why the Catholic homosexual Priests are not molesting girls. Do you think they can never have access to girls and women if they want? What about the Nuns? Why are we not asking the Nuns to go and marry?

Even if the Pope issues an edit today allowing Roman Catholic Priests to marry, the homosexual Priests will not marry women or the few that will do will not stop molesting boys because that is their sexual preference.

Just look at society at large where some men marry just to hide their homosexuality and have sex with women who they don't enjoy sexually and then have men or boys sexual partners. These are the dangerous ones who society have forced to do what they don't want to do and transmitting sexual diseases from their homosexual trists to the heterosexual community. Fear the BISEXUALS, they are more dangerous to your health than the homosexuals and what you think is a solution is rather a bigger problem.

For those fools who usually tag people who tell the truth about this issue as homosexuals, I am not one and will never be one because the thought of two men having sex makes my skin crawl but what two adult males do behind closed doors which in Ghana is not a crime is not my business. Let criminalize homosexuality and then I will back the public to arrests people who engage in such criminal behaviour. Homosexuality is morally wrong but legally in Ghana, it is not a crime and the government should criminalize that behaviour if they have the cojones.
Kojo T 10 years ago

Amekudzi came with a solution, why do you not come with yours?

Amekudzi came with a solution, why do you not come with yours?
Nicholas J Bedzo 10 years ago

Mind your own business and leave others to take of themselves.

Mind your own business and leave others to take of themselves.
CONCERNED GHANAIANS 10 years ago

We only realised how f**lish you are for lacking the wisdom to realise that if the Catholic priests sleep with women and girls, they would be exposing themselves as some would definitely be pregnant and point at the one or th ...
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We only realised how f**lish you are for lacking the wisdom to realise that if the Catholic priests sleep with women and girls, they would be exposing themselves as some would definitely be pregnant and point at the one or those who slept with her.
krikri 10 years ago

Anything the Pope says is 'holy'. Anything the Church says is 'holy' so when the Catholic priests practise sodomy, it is 'holy'. This adding to or substracting from God's words have gone too far. Regrettably these additions a ...
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Anything the Pope says is 'holy'. Anything the Church says is 'holy' so when the Catholic priests practise sodomy, it is 'holy'. This adding to or substracting from God's words have gone too far. Regrettably these additions and substractions are going on freely. One only need to compare the same verse of 10 different Bibles versions to understand what I am saying. God please have mercy on us
LONTO-BOY 10 years ago

Inasmuch as I can understand Mr Amekudzi's position on the Priestly celibacy as humanly impossible, he is wrong to assume that the Catholic celibacy does necessarily contribute to child sex abuse. Yes, the Roman Catholic Chur ...
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Inasmuch as I can understand Mr Amekudzi's position on the Priestly celibacy as humanly impossible, he is wrong to assume that the Catholic celibacy does necessarily contribute to child sex abuse. Yes, the Roman Catholic Church has been hit with a series of allegations of homosexual and child sex abuse scandals but there's no correlation between celibacy and abuse.

In the Protestant Church, some married Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist clergy and Pentecostal pastors are all caught up in homosexual and paedophilia scandals.

The choice of life-long celibacy made by individual Priests in the life of the Catholic Church is a considerable sacrifice of the Latin Rite that will not likely change.
CN 10 years ago

Hello John , God forgive you for the character assassination of our harworking fr Mathew. May God forgive you. Even secular law does not permit domestic violence. If Fr Mathew rescued his sis from contant abuse and this const ...
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Hello John , God forgive you for the character assassination of our harworking fr Mathew. May God forgive you. Even secular law does not permit domestic violence. If Fr Mathew rescued his sis from contant abuse and this constitutes wrong doing, your own conscience will judge you oneday. Idiot!!!
DER-KUULE 10 years ago

I am myself a Roman Catholic Priest. Happily only people of the opposite sex appeal to me sexually. I do try my best to lead an exemplary life for younger priests to follow. If however a woman who knows me and knows I am work ...
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I am myself a Roman Catholic Priest. Happily only people of the opposite sex appeal to me sexually. I do try my best to lead an exemplary life for younger priests to follow. If however a woman who knows me and knows I am working hard and want something she has and allows me to have sexual satisfaction from her, there are times I would not hesitate to go in. I also believe there is no correlation between celibacy in the Catholic Church and sexual abuse of children. Sexually abusing children is a disease that cuts across board to include all professions; Doctors, Nurses, Lecturers in Universities, Psychologists, Teachers, Engineers, Footballers, Tennis stars, Security Agencies etc. etc. So if as a Catholic Priest a woman gives me the opportunity when I am in "heat", I will go in. For the fact I will not force her but if she freely comes I will go in.
ASSASI 10 years ago

I can bet my 'balls' that you are never a catholic priest. that is not the way they speak. you are a fucking man.

I can bet my 'balls' that you are never a catholic priest. that is not the way they speak. you are a fucking man.
Nicholas J Bedzo 10 years ago

Jesuse Christ never mary there is a
Law abiding the Catholic Church before
you become a prist you have to vow to
God and the Church that you will serve
him alone but nobody else,our God we
are serving made plain that He ...
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Jesuse Christ never mary there is a
Law abiding the Catholic Church before
you become a prist you have to vow to
God and the Church that you will serve
him alone but nobody else,our God we
are serving made plain that He is a
jealous God,and one cann,t serve two
masters why asking the prist to Mary,
the choice is your, so detect to others,
gambi 10 years ago

They should read their bible well,because i from genesis to revelation,there no place telling them not to marry,is their desire to be gay, and sodomy is a sin ,so what are they telling us in the church?

They should read their bible well,because i from genesis to revelation,there no place telling them not to marry,is their desire to be gay, and sodomy is a sin ,so what are they telling us in the church?
Vinney 10 years ago

John, the character assassination you're doing is quiet disgusting to me. I knew Fr Mathew as the chaplain of Nandom Snr High when i was a child, even none christian parents liked him as a priest not to talk of catholic paren ...
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John, the character assassination you're doing is quiet disgusting to me. I knew Fr Mathew as the chaplain of Nandom Snr High when i was a child, even none christian parents liked him as a priest not to talk of catholic parents. I've no knowledge of his attitude in Wa though. I know people change but seriously from my perspective it seems you just dont like him at all. I'm even wondering if the name John you used is genuine. No matter how bad he maybe (of which I think he's not, unless you prove me wrong)it would have been best you kept names out of your comments (I am assuming you're just out to tarnish his image). If he is truly that bad as you claim, still if I were you I would not mention any name....mentioning the Wa Diocese alone is good enough.
CHARCOAL SELLER. 10 years ago

Maybe I should call this amazing grace, had this been a discussion on traditional African spirituality, there would've been the usual slave howling of death to the primitive, savage, uncivilized, despicable, ungodly, black bl ...
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Maybe I should call this amazing grace, had this been a discussion on traditional African spirituality, there would've been the usual slave howling of death to the primitive, savage, uncivilized, despicable, ungodly, black black black black magic foolishness, followed by the famous slave lines: oh, I am so ashamed to be African, thank god I don't live in Africa anymore, kill them all etc.

Here we are discussing the most criminal international mafia, disguised as a religion, responsible for the enslavement and genocide of nations globally, this group of terrorists are now secretly influencing nations to go gay, in order to legitimize their internal anti-female/end of the world policy.

I know some of you may be saying ah, dis Krazy charcoal man again, but dig this, Roman Catholic Church spends billions of dollars of their parishoner's money to settle sex crimes committed by members of the Roman clergy, and all this legal freak called Amekudzi could say is that they should be allowed to marry?

I used to wander what kind of evil spell these Europeans have cast on Africans that have caused them to be so mentally domesticated, then I read Kwame Nkrumah's book: "Consciencism" and that shed daylight on all aspects of my confusion, the great one calls it COLONIALISM!

Slaves will always defend their masters, even at their own perilous demise.
Blay Miezah 10 years ago

'My brothers and sisters' who told you Catholic priests don't have sex?

'My brothers and sisters' who told you Catholic priests don't have sex?
Zombie Killer 10 years ago

This time you make sense a little bit

This time you make sense a little bit
Pelicles 10 years ago

The act of Catholic priests following the footsteps of Jesus, do not make any sense. They should be allowed to marry to wean themselves off the temptation of having anal sex with boys who serve in the church.

The act of Catholic priests following the footsteps of Jesus, do not make any sense. They should be allowed to marry to wean themselves off the temptation of having anal sex with boys who serve in the church.
Don Blunt 10 years ago

Who told you they don't?

Who told you they don't?
Don Blunt 10 years ago

Many Priests produce so called "illegitimate" Kids

Many Priests produce so called "illegitimate" Kids
CAPE COAST BOY 10 years ago

THIS STUPID FOOL AGAIN ? AMEKUDZI SHOULD BE KEPT IN THE ZOO BECOUSE THAT IS WHERE HE BELONGS

THIS STUPID FOOL AGAIN ? AMEKUDZI SHOULD BE KEPT IN THE ZOO BECOUSE THAT IS WHERE HE BELONGS
ATOPA KESSE 10 years ago

KEEP GOING U MAY SUCCEED ONE DAY

KEEP GOING U MAY SUCCEED ONE DAY
gambi 10 years ago

The man is a Christian and he don't want to be ashamed,so let him speak the thruth.

The man is a Christian and he don't want to be ashamed,so let him speak the thruth.
John 10 years ago

please concentrate on your profession and leave the catholic church and Doctrines. Your duty is to tell lies and earn your living

please concentrate on your profession and leave the catholic church and Doctrines. Your duty is to tell lies and earn your living
POSTINUS 10 years ago

Mr Amekudzi concentrate your business, whether there have sex or not.

Mr Amekudzi concentrate your business, whether there have sex or not.
Fifi, Quansah 10 years ago

Ignorant and intellectually lazy Cape Coast Boy.

Ignorant and intellectually lazy Cape Coast Boy.
Nii Ankrah 10 years ago

Ignorant soul,May God forgive u.Have u not read that God-Man"Jesus Christ"himself tells us "some people will not marry for the kingdom of God". Since creation,St. Peter's Church-the Catholic Church is the only institution tha ...
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Ignorant soul,May God forgive u.Have u not read that God-Man"Jesus Christ"himself tells us "some people will not marry for the kingdom of God". Since creation,St. Peter's Church-the Catholic Church is the only institution that has lasted for 2000 years-fact.Remember the quote-"Peter u are the ROCK on u,I will build my church".Saint Peter's bones is buried at the Vatican,truly Jesus sayings are real and true.
Akosua Tabuwaa 10 years ago

You don't know what you are talking about.Sexual crimes are not the prerogative of the Catholic Priests alone.It is in all Churches. A pedophile is a pedophile no matter where he is.

You don't know what you are talking about.Sexual crimes are not the prerogative of the Catholic Priests alone.It is in all Churches. A pedophile is a pedophile no matter where he is.
Jacob 10 years ago

Mr Tony what of other married men who are practicing this inhuman act?

Mr Tony what of other married men who are practicing this inhuman act?
Tibaa 10 years ago

Hearing this stupid suggestion!

Hearing this stupid suggestion!
CAPE COAST BOY 10 years ago

FIIFI QUANSAH WO MAAME NE TWI ABOA BI NE BA WHAT DO U KNOW ABOUT CAPE COAST AND FIRST OF ALL WHO IS YOUR FATHER

FIIFI QUANSAH WO MAAME NE TWI ABOA BI NE BA WHAT DO U KNOW ABOUT CAPE COAST AND FIRST OF ALL WHO IS YOUR FATHER
princewilly@ymail.com 10 years ago

At the Convent, there was one priest in particular that liked to fuck all the new nuns until they screamed to god.

One night he had just got done fucking one of the new nuns when he walked into the kitchen butt naked for a ...
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At the Convent, there was one priest in particular that liked to fuck all the new nuns until they screamed to god.

One night he had just got done fucking one of the new nuns when he walked into the kitchen butt naked for a snack.

He had just grabbed two candy bars from a drawer, but as he was about to leave, two of the head nun's walked in.

Not knowing what to do, he spread his legs letting his dick hang and put his hands behind his back.

The nuns walked in and thought that he was the new candy machine they had ordered, so the first nun put a quarter on his tongue and pulled his dick... so he dropped one of the candy bars.

The next nun did the same thing, she put a quarter on his tongue and pulled his dick, so he dropped the other candy bar.

They both were delighted but as they walked out, one more nun walked in. The other nuns told her to try the new machine, so she too walked over, put a quarter on her tongue and pulled his dick, but this time nothing happened, so she pulled it again, nothing, so she started pulling it quicker and quicker...

Later the head nun asked her what kind of candy she had gotten... she replied:

"oh, i didn't get any candy....but i got some nice hand lotion!"
Asiwome 10 years ago

They already do, and they call those who do Protestants. Catholic means universal. Catholic church means universal church.

They already do, and they call those who do Protestants. Catholic means universal. Catholic church means universal church.
maame 10 years ago

pls leave our priests n nuns alone. Aftall, who says marriage prevents pple from unfaithfulness n sodomy? Wat abt de pastors who re married n are comitting adultry n some sodomy? Marriage is not de key, but self control n de ...
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pls leave our priests n nuns alone. Aftall, who says marriage prevents pple from unfaithfulness n sodomy? Wat abt de pastors who re married n are comitting adultry n some sodomy? Marriage is not de key, but self control n de grace of GOD!
zomabi 10 years ago

SO WHO TAKES CARE OF NEGLECTED CHILDREN AS A RESULT OF THEIR PARENTS OBEYING GOD'S LAW ON PROCREATION, WILL GOD COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN TO DO IT. SOME PHILOSOPHIES ARE JUST A FARRAGO OF NONSENSICAL RELIGOIUS EFFUSION

SO WHO TAKES CARE OF NEGLECTED CHILDREN AS A RESULT OF THEIR PARENTS OBEYING GOD'S LAW ON PROCREATION, WILL GOD COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN TO DO IT. SOME PHILOSOPHIES ARE JUST A FARRAGO OF NONSENSICAL RELIGOIUS EFFUSION
Master Kwaku 10 years ago

Amdkudze is NOT a fool. What he is saying makes SENSE. It is about time!

Amdkudze is NOT a fool. What he is saying makes SENSE. It is about time!
YAWSON 10 years ago

I'm in favour of Mr. Amekudzi. They profess they are fathers whiles they don't have children and they are human beings they have fillings.

I'm in favour of Mr. Amekudzi. They profess they are fathers whiles they don't have children and they are human beings they have fillings.
Osei 10 years ago

ALL I ASK IS: IS THIS MAN OKAY?

ALL I ASK IS: IS THIS MAN OKAY?
Flexible 10 years ago

The law in the catholic church be made flexible so that those priests who cannot control their feelings allow to mary

The law in the catholic church be made flexible so that those priests who cannot control their feelings allow to mary
YAW 10 years ago

ON THIS OCCASION, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH AMEKUDZI. I WANT THIS TO HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME AS WELL. CHRIST IS WEEPING OVER THIS ISSUE.

ON THIS OCCASION, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH AMEKUDZI. I WANT THIS TO HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME AS WELL. CHRIST IS WEEPING OVER THIS ISSUE.
osumanu fatau. 10 years ago

is this man normal.ewes advise this lawyer.

is this man normal.ewes advise this lawyer.
issaka Odumanye 10 years ago

WHY DON'T YOU WRITE TO THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, US PRESIDENT, AND JDM'S GIRLFRIEND ANDREW SOLOMON TO STOP THEIR GAY PROPAGATION NONSENSE.

WHY DON'T YOU WRITE TO THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, US PRESIDENT, AND JDM'S GIRLFRIEND ANDREW SOLOMON TO STOP THEIR GAY PROPAGATION NONSENSE.
Yaw Poku, USA 10 years ago

Why won't this fool mind his own business. He should solve his trokoski problems and leave the Roman Catholics alone

Why won't this fool mind his own business. He should solve his trokoski problems and leave the Roman Catholics alone
MACCARTHY 10 years ago

NONSENSE, AS IF MARRIED MEN DONT STILL GO AND CHASE BOYS AND AS IF MARRIE PASTORS DONT STILL GO AND HUNT PEOPLES WIFES INCLUDING THEIR OWN JUNIOR PASTORS WIFES

NONSENSE, AS IF MARRIED MEN DONT STILL GO AND CHASE BOYS AND AS IF MARRIE PASTORS DONT STILL GO AND HUNT PEOPLES WIFES INCLUDING THEIR OWN JUNIOR PASTORS WIFES
agyaa 10 years ago

the goodbook says so but isn't obligation to marry and there is regulations for every institution so be the catholic church,i want to be a priest...ok, becoming a priest means you are not going to marry, so what is the proble ...
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the goodbook says so but isn't obligation to marry and there is regulations for every institution so be the catholic church,i want to be a priest...ok, becoming a priest means you are not going to marry, so what is the problem here? no POPE WILL ALLOW THAT
Whatever 10 years ago

Indeed I understand where Amekudzi is coming from and appreciate his argument but Paul in the new testament writes its better for preachers of God to be single because of the worldly temptation a woman brings but if a preache ...
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Indeed I understand where Amekudzi is coming from and appreciate his argument but Paul in the new testament writes its better for preachers of God to be single because of the worldly temptation a woman brings but if a preacher of God cannot abstain, he should marry and that none of the two is wrong in the sight of God. The catholic church as I understand want to follow practically the purest form of being in priesthood.
Kk 10 years ago

Celibacy wsa introduced in the catholic church in 600 AD by one the Popes to protect church property. it is not in the Bible that celebacy has anything to do with being a good preacher. Most of the old prophets had wifes or e ...
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Celibacy wsa introduced in the catholic church in 600 AD by one the Popes to protect church property. it is not in the Bible that celebacy has anything to do with being a good preacher. Most of the old prophets had wifes or even concubines. As at now some catholic priets in Eastern Europe and China have wifes and nobody talks about it becauce the top of the church knows about the background of this celebacy issue. So Ghanaians should hold your peace. No pope wants to stick his neck out on this issue.
No nonsense 10 years ago

U are right.They did that to protect church property.What do the words,GO YE AND MULTIPLY in the Bible mean to them?

U are right.They did that to protect church property.What do the words,GO YE AND MULTIPLY in the Bible mean to them?
MACCARTHY 10 years ago

NONSENSE, AS IF MARRIED MEN DONT STILL GO AND CHASE BOYS AND AS IF MARRIED PASTORS DONT STILL GO AND HUNT PEOPLES WIFES INCLUDING THEIR OWN JUNIOR PASTORS WIFES. WELL THERE IS AN OLD SAY THAT IF YOU CANT STAND THE HEAT GET OU ...
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NONSENSE, AS IF MARRIED MEN DONT STILL GO AND CHASE BOYS AND AS IF MARRIED PASTORS DONT STILL GO AND HUNT PEOPLES WIFES INCLUDING THEIR OWN JUNIOR PASTORS WIFES. WELL THERE IS AN OLD SAY THAT IF YOU CANT STAND THE HEAT GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN PRIEST WHO CANT HANDLE IT WILL HAVE TO GET OUT OF PRIESTHOOD AND GET MARRIED AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
AFEVIA 10 years ago

ABOLISHING CELIBACY WILL NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. PRIESTS WILL WILLINGLY REMAIN UNMARRIED AND PEDOPHILIA WILL STILL CONTINUE. THE SEX ABUSE OF BOYS IS A DISORDER AMONG PRIESTS INVOLVED. YOU CAN BRING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LADY ...
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ABOLISHING CELIBACY WILL NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. PRIESTS WILL WILLINGLY REMAIN UNMARRIED AND PEDOPHILIA WILL STILL CONTINUE. THE SEX ABUSE OF BOYS IS A DISORDER AMONG PRIESTS INVOLVED. YOU CAN BRING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LADY TO PRIESTS WITH THAT DISORDER AND THEY WILL STILL NOT BE ATTRACTED TO HER.
JOHNNY K 10 years ago

What this vdeo link to the end and come to your conclusion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A4JQ2x_z9w

What this vdeo link to the end and come to your conclusion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A4JQ2x_z9w
Alhaji 10 years ago

The Catholic priests pretend they don't marry, but they have feelings to F.....K males, Crazy, Crazy ,Crazy. You guys should use your senses a bit

The Catholic priests pretend they don't marry, but they have feelings to F.....K males, Crazy, Crazy ,Crazy. You guys should use your senses a bit
kojo 10 years ago

Is it your problem? Have they complained to you about? Does the catholic church forces any one to be a priest. Stupid lawyer, fool uncivilized man, Idiot

Is it your problem? Have they complained to you about? Does the catholic church forces any one to be a priest. Stupid lawyer, fool uncivilized man, Idiot
Koo Manu 10 years ago

Let Amekudzi know that the abuse of boys and even girls is not limited to catholic priests who are not married. Married men are found to be engaged in abusing boys. It is thus not the practice of celibacy that promotes this ...
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Let Amekudzi know that the abuse of boys and even girls is not limited to catholic priests who are not married. Married men are found to be engaged in abusing boys. It is thus not the practice of celibacy that promotes this abusive behaviour. Look for the cause elsewhere.
BENONY TONY AMEKUDZI, ESQ. 10 years ago

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FROM: BENONY TONY AMEKUDZI, ESQ.

ADDRESS IN GHANA:
C/O MADAM GLADYS YAWA SEMEHIA
E.P.CHURCH
P.O.BOX 33
KPEDZE
VOLTA REGION.
GHANA.

ADDRESS IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. USA.
3901 MERRY OAKS AVENUE
2ND FLOOR
RICHMOND, VA 23224
USA.

MOBILE PHONE: 0545758633

TO: HIS PAPACY HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI

INFO TO:
H.E.DR.MR.PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
H.E. PRESIDENT OF GHANA JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA
HON. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
H.E.FORMER PRESIDENT OF GHANA DR.DR.JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS
TOGBE AFEDE XIV, PRESIDENT OF VOLTA REGION HOUSE OF CHIEFS

DATE: NOVEMBER 24, 2012
SUBJECT: REFRESHING MEMORIES AND TO RESPECTFULLY AND HUMBLY APPEAL TO MY DEAR FRIEND, FATHER, MENTOR HIS PAPACY HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI OF IMMEDIATE CASH HELP TO HELP ALLEVIATE AND CUSHION SOME EMERGENCY FINANCIAL BURDENS.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED.
GOD RICHLY BLESS HIS PAPACY POPE BENEDICT XVI, THE UNIVERSAL CATHOLIC CHURCH AND MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS THE HOLY SEE, AMERICA AND GHANA !
VERY TRULY YOURS,
BENONY TONY AMEKUDZI
INTERNATIONAL LAWYER/LEGAL CONSULTANT/ADMINISTRATOR
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-- On Fri, 6/1/12, benony amekudzi wrote:

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Date: Friday, June 1, 2012, 9:28 AM

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From: benony amekudzi
Subject: Fw: REJOINDER TO THE FEATURE ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE REUTERS CAPTIONED "HAGUE COURT URGED TO INVESTIGATE POPE OVER SEX ABUSE, REUTERS.HTM AND ITS FLAWS UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL LAW.
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Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 1:43 PM

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Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 4:47 PM
Subject: REJOINDER TO THE FEATURE ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE REUTERS CAPTIONED "HAGUE COURT URGED TO INVESTIGATE POPE OVER SEX ABUSE, REUTERS.HTM AND ITS FLAWS UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL LAW.

BENONY TONY AMEKUDZI, BARRISTER-AT LAW, QCL, DPA,CPA, BA(HONS) {GHANA},MASTER OF LAWS (LLM){NEW YORK,USA}PENDING,
MEMBER, INTERNATIONAL(WORLD/GLOBAL)BAR ASSOCIATION (IBA), MEMBER,BRITISH COMMONWEALTH LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (CLA),
ASSOCIATE MEMBER, AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION (ABA), ABA,FOREIGN LEGAL CONSULTANTS COMMITTEE, ABA, INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATORS COMMITTEE, ABA,CONSTITUTIONAL LAW COMMITTEE,ABA,CRIMINAL LAW COMMITTEE, ABA,COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS,FRANCHISING & DISTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE,ABA,ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ,ENERGY LAW & NATURAL RESOURCES LAW COMMITTEES & OTHERS, MEMBER, GHANA BAR
3901 MERRY OAKS AVENUE
2ND FLOOR
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23224
USA.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2011
(LETTERS/MAILS PUT ON HOLD DUE TO THE MAILS/LETTERS BEING STOLEN BY CRIMINALS)

THE REUTERS

HIS PAPACY HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI
OFFICE OF THE POPE
VATICAN CITY
HOLY SEA
ROME.
H.E. DR.MR.PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
USA.

H.E. PRESIDENT OF GHANA PROFESSOR JOHN EVANS ATTA-MILLS
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
CASTLE-OSU
ACCRA.
GHANA.

H.E.RT.HON.PRIME MINISTER OF UNITED KINGDOM DAVID CAMERON
OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
10 DOWNING STREET
LONDON
UK.

H.E. UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL
UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
USA.

H.E. PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN UNION

H.E. MR. FORMER PRESIDENT OF USA GEORGE W. BUSH

H.E.MR.FORMER PRESIDENT OF USA BILL CLINTON

H.E. MR. FORMER PRESIDENT OF USA JIMMY CARTER

H.E. MR. FORMER PRESIDENT OF USA GEORGE H. W. BUSH (SENIOR)

H.E. FORMER PRESIDENT OF GHANA & AFRICAN-UNION HIGH ENVOY DR.DR.JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS

PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION (ABA)
PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL LAW SECTION (ABA)
PRESIDENT OF BRITISH COMMONWEALTH LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (CLA)
PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION (IBA)
PRESIDENT OF GHANA BAR ASSOCIATION (GBA)

THE HAGUE INTERNATIONAL COURTS OF JUSTICE

HON. FORMER MEMBER OF ECOWAS PARLIAMENT & PARLIAMENT OF GHANA FRANCIS AGGREY AGBOTSE

JEMIMA, PHILIP, EDWIN AMEKUDZI (GHANA) THRO' HON. F.A. AGBOTSE.

DEAR EDITOR AND PUBLISHERS OF REUTERS AND HIS PAPACY HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI,
IT IS ALWAYS THE PRINCIPLE AND TENETS OF THE RULE OF LAW AND JUSTICE THAT AS INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS IT IS OUR ONEROUS RESPONSIBILITY TO DEFEND AND UPHOLD THE TENETS AND PRINCIPLES OF THE RULE OF LAW AND JUSTICE AND I PERSONALLY WOULD NOT RENEGE OF THE EXERCISE OF THAT ONEROUS RESPONSIBLITY.
IT IS AT THIS BACKDROP THAT I AM RESPECTFULLY ADDRESSING THIS PARTICULAR FEATURE ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY THE REUTERS THAT " HAGUE COURT URGED TO INVESTIGATE POPE OVER SEX ABUSE".
THAT IT IS A TRITE KNOWLEDGE OF LAW ESPECIALLY UNDER "CRIMINAL LAW AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW" KNOWN TO EVERY SEASONED AND GOOD LAWYER AND EVEN "LAW STUDENTS" WHO WORTH THEIR SORTS "SALTS" OR PROFESSIONAL RELATED STATUS THAT "YOU CANNOT HOLD ANOTHER FOR A CRIME COMMITTED BY THE PERSON WHO SOLELY OR THE GROUP OF PERSONS WHO COMMITTED A RELATED CRIME IF SUCH CRIME(S) COMMITTED ARE/WERE NOT OFFICIAL POLICY OF THE ORGANIZATION OR THE ENTITY OR PERSONS INVOLVED".
THAT IS THE MAIN REASON THE CRIME OF "CONSPIRACY" AND OTHERS EXIST(ED) IN THE CRIMINAL RELATED CODES".
IT IS AT THIS BACKDROP THAT I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREED WITH THE PUBLICATION IN THE REUTERS THAT "THE HAGUE COURT OF INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE TO INVESTIGATE THE HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI SINCE THE POPE HAS NEVER BEEN ACCUSED OF COMMITTING ANY "SEXUAL ABUSE" ACANDALS AGAINST ANY PERSON OR PERSONS AND MOREOVER, THE CATHOLICS CHURCH AS A UNIVERSAL CHURCH HAS ITS OWN LAWS AND RULES UNDER THE "CURIA" AND THE "CANON OF LAWS".
THAT NONE OF THE CURIA OR LAWS OR RULES HAS/HAVE NEVER ENDORSED THE CRIME OF "SEXUAL ABUSE" AND RATHER AS A SANCTITY OF SACRIFICE THAT THE CHURCH RATHER FORBID THE CLERGY FROM MARRIAGE TO ENABLE THEM TO LIVE A HOLY, CLEAN AND LIFE OF SANCTITY.
IT IS IN THIS REGARD THAT I RESPECTFULLY PUT INTO ISSUE THE HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI ADDRESS TO THE BISHOPS AND THE CLERGY AS EVIDENCE TO CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THE CHURCH LAW,RULE AND POLICY FOR THE CLERGY TO LIVE A DIGNIFIED, HOLY AND SANCTIFIED LIFE DEVOID OF "SEX".
THAT IT IS CAPTIONED "THE SHARED FOUNDATION OF LAW".
IT IS ALSO IN ORDER TO TAKE A GLOSSAL LOOK AT THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL CODE ACRONYM "ICC" LAWS THAT THE IMMEDIATE TABLE OF ICC CRIMES ARE CLEARLY PROVIDED BELOW TO ASCERTAIN THE ICC CRIME AGAINST "SEXUAL ABUSE" AND UNDER THE ICC LAWS THAT THERE IS NO CLEARLY CODIFIED ICC CRIME(S) LABELLED "SEXUAL ABUSE" BUT UNDER ICC LAWS 7(1)(g)-1 CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF RAPE IS/WAS CODIFIED AND LISTED ALONGSIDE OTHERS AS FOLLOWS:
(ii) 7(1)(g)-2 CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF SEXUAL SLAVERY
(iii) 7(1)(g)-3 CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF FORCED PROSTITUTION
(iv) 7(1) (g)-4 CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF FORCED PREGNANCY
(v) 7 (1) (g)-5 CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF ENFORCED STERILIZATION
(vi) 7 (1) (g)-6 CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE
(vii) 7 (1) (h) CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF PERSECUTION
(viii) 7 (1) (k) CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF OTHER INHUMANE ACTS

THAT UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL CODE (ICC) THE ABOVE RELATED SEXUAL RELATED CRIMES ARE CODIFIED AND LISTED BUT BY THE APPLICATION AND INTERPRETATION OF "PLAIN LANGUAGE TEXT USAGE" THAT THE CRIME RELATED AS "SEXUAL ABUSE" HAS NOT BEEN PLAINLY UNDER THE RULE OF "PLAIN LANGUAGE" CODIFIED AND LISTED.
HOWEVER, THE DEFECT(S) IS NOT INCURABLE BUT THE MAIN LEGAL PROBLEM HERE IS THAT HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI HIMSELF HAS NOT BEEN ACCUSED OF COMMITTING ANY "SEXUALLY RELATED CRIMES" AND HAS NOT HIMSELF OR THE CHURCH ENDORSED SUCH CRIMINAL RELATED PRACTICES.
THEREFORE ANY PURPORTED CRIMINAL RELATED INVESTIGATIVE ACTS PURPORTED DIRECTED AT THE HOLY FATHER WOULD AMOUNT TO "PERSECUTION" UNDER THE ICC LAW OF 7(1)(h) WHICH PROVIDES FOR "CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY OF PERSECUTION" SINCE ANY PURPORTED CRIMINAL RELATED ACT(S) PERSONALLY OR INDIVIDUALLY COMMITTED BY A CLERGY THAT THE POPE SHOULD NOT BE SEEN TO SUFFER IN PLACE OF THE OFFENDER.
IT IS IN THE LIGHT OF ABOVE THAT ANY PURPORTED ACT DIRECTED AT THE POPE WOULD VIOLATE 7(1) (h).
THAT THE CATHOLICS CHURCH HAS TAKEN SERIOUS ACTIONS OF THE "SEXUAL ABUSE CASES" AND EVEN WENT TO THE LENGTH OF SETTLING SOME OF THE CASES BY PAYING DAMAGES IN MONETARY TERMS TO SOME VICTIMS AND THE CHURCH SANCTIONED SOME OF THE OFFENDERS.
THAT THE CHURCH ALSO HAS COMMISSIONED AN INVESTIGATIVE STUDY INTO SOME OF THE PAST FAULTS ATTRIBUTED TO THE CHURCH AND I AM RESPECTFULLY APPEALING TO HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI AND THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS TO PUT THE DOCUMENT WHICH IS THE FINDINGS OF THE COMMISSION INTO ISSUE AND TO HUMBLY REFER TO IT BELOW AS EVIDENCE IN THAT RESPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE AS FOLLOWS:

The Holy See
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International Theological Commission
MEMORY AND RECONCILIATION:
THE CHURCH AND THE FAULTS OF THE PAST
December 1999

PRELIMINARY NOTE
The study of the topic “The Church and the Faults of the Past” was proposed to the International Theological Commission by its President, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in view of the celebration of the Jubilee Year 2000. A sub-commission was established to prepare this study; it was composed of Rev. Christopher BEGG, Msgr. Bruno FORTE (President), Rev. Sebastian KAROTEMPREL, S.D.B., Msgr. Roland MINNERATH, Rev. Thomas NORRIS, Rev. Rafael SALAZAR CARDENAS, M.Sp.S., and Msgr. Anton STRUKELJ. The general discussion of this theme took place in numerous meetings of the sub-commission and during the plenary sessions of the International Theological Commission held in Rome from 1998 to 1999. The present text was approved in forma specifica by the International Theological Commission, by written vote, and was then submitted to the President, Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who gave his approval for its publication.
Index
Introduction

1. The Problem: Yesterday and Today

1.1. Before Vatican II
1.2. The Teaching of the Council
1.3. John Paul II’s Requests for Forgiveness
1.4. The Questions Raised

2. Biblical Approach

2.1. The Old Testament
2.2. The New Testament
2.3. The Biblical Jubilee
2.4. Conclusion

3. Theological Foundations

3.1. The Mystery of the Church
3.2. The Holiness of the Church
3.3. The Necessity of Continual Renewal
3.4. The Motherhood of the Church

4. Historical Judgement and Theological Judgement

4.1. The Interpretation of History
4.2. Historical Investigation and Theological Evaluation

5. Ethical Discernment

5.1. Some Ethical Criteria
5.2. The Division of Christians
5.3. The Use of Force in the Service of Truth
5.4. Christians and Jews
5.5. Our Responsibility for the Evils of Today

6. Pastoral and Missionary Perspectives

6.1. The Pastoral Aims
6.2. The Ecclesial Implications
6.3. The Implications for Dialogue and Mission

Conclusion

Introduction
The Bull of Indiction of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, Incarnationis mysterium (November 29, 1998), includes the purification of memory among the signs “which may help people to live the exceptional grace of the Jubilee with greater fervor.” This purification aims at liberating personal and communal conscience from all forms of resentment and violence that are the legacy of past faults, through a renewed historical and theological evaluation of such events. This should lead - if done correctly - to a corresponding recognition of guilt and contribute to the path of reconciliation. Such a process can have a significant effect on the present, precisely because the consequences of past faults still make themselves felt and can persist as tensions in the present.
The purification of memory is thus “an act of courage and humility in recognizing the wrongs done by those who have borne or bear the name of Christian.” It is based on the conviction that because of “the bond which unites us to one another in the Mystical Body, all of us, though not personally responsible and without encroaching on the judgement of God, who alone knows every heart, bear the burden of the errors and faults of those who have gone before us.” John Paul II adds: “As the successor of Peter, I ask that in this year of mercy the Church, strong in the holiness which she receives from her Lord, should kneel before God and implore forgiveness for the past and present sins of her sons and daughters.”(1) In reiterating that “Christians are invited to acknowledge, before God and before those offended by their actions, the faults which they have committed,” the Pope concludes, “Let them do so without seeking anything in return, but strengthened only by ‘the love of God which has been poured into our hearts’ (Rom 5:5).”(2)
The requests for forgiveness made by the Bishop of Rome in this spirit of authenticity and gratuitousness have given rise to various reactions. The unconditional trust in the power of Truth which the Pope has shown has met with a generally favorable reception both inside and outside the Church. Many have noted the increased credibility of ecclesial pronouncements that has resulted from this way of acting. Some reservations, however, have also been voiced, mainly expressions of unease connected with particular historical and cultural contexts in which the simple admission of faults committed by the sons and daughters of the Church may look like acquiescence in the face of accusations made by those who are prejudicially hostile to the Church. Between agreement and unease, the need arises for a reflection which clarifies the reasons, the conditions, and the exact form of the requests for forgiveness for the faults of the past.
The International Theological Commission, in which a diversity of cultures and sensitivities within the one Catholic faith are represented, decided to address this need with the present text. The text offers a theological reflection on the conditions which make acts of “purification of memory” possible in connection with the recognition of the faults of the past. The questions it seeks to address are as follows: Why should it be done? Who should do it? What is the goal and how should this be determined, by correctly combining historical and theological judgement? Who will be addressed? What are the moral implications? And what are the possible effects on the life of the Church and on society? The purpose of the text is, therefore, not to examine particular historical cases but rather to clarify the presuppositions that ground repentance for past faults.
Having noted the kind of reflection which will be presented here, it is important also to make clear what is referred to when the text speaks of the Church: it is not a question of the historical institution alone or solely the spiritual communion of those whose hearts are illumined by faith. The Church is understood as the community of the baptized, inseparably visible and operating in history under the direction of her Pastors, united as a profound mystery by the action of the life-giving Spirit. According to the Second Vatican Council, the Church “by a strong analogy is compared to the mystery of the Incarnate Word. In fact, as the assumed nature is at the service of the divine Word as a living instrument of salvation, indissolubly united to him, so also in a not dissimilar way, the social structure of the Church is at the service of the Spirit of Christ which vivifies it for the building up of the body” (cf. Eph 4:16).(3) This Church, which embraces her sons and daughters of the past and of the present, in a real and profound communion, is the sole Mother of Grace who takes upon herself also the weight of past faults in order to purify memory and to live the renewal of heart and life according to the will of the Lord. She is able to do this insofar as Christ Jesus, whose mystical body extended through history she is, has taken upon himself once and for all the sins of the world.
The structure of the text mirrors the questions posed. It moves from a brief historical revisiting of the theme (Chapter 1), in order to be able to investigate the biblical foundation (Chapter 2) and explore more deeply the theological conditions of the requests for forgiveness (Chapter 3). The precise correlation of historical and theological judgement is a decisive element for reaching correct and efficacious statements that take proper account of the times, places, and contexts in which the actions under consideration were situated (Chapter 4). The final considerations, that have a specific value for the Catholic Church, are dedicated to the moral (Chapter 5), pastoral and missionary (Chapter 6) implications of these acts of repentance for the faults of the past. Nevertheless, in the knowledge that the necessity of recognizing one’s own faults has reason to be practiced by all peoples and religions, one hopes that the proposed reflections may help everyone to advance on the path of truth, fraternal dialogue, and reconciliation.
At the conclusion of this introduction, it may be useful to recall the purpose of every act of “purification of memory” undertaken by believers, because this is what has inspired the work of the Commission: it is the glorification of God, because living in obedience to Divine Truth and its demands leads to confessing, together with our faults, the eternal mercy and justice of the Lord. The “confessio peccati,” sustained and illuminated by faith in the Truth which frees and saves (“confessio fidei”), becomes a “confessio laudis” addressed to God, before whom alone it becomes possible to recognize the faults both of the past and of the present, so that we might be reconciled by and to him in Christ Jesus, the only Savior of the world, and become able to forgive those who have offended us. This offer of forgiveness appears particularly meaningful when one thinks of the many persecutions suffered by Christians in the course of history. In this perspective, the actions undertaken by the Holy Father, and those requested by him, regarding the faults of the past have an exemplary and prophetic value, for religions as much as for governments and nations, beyond being of value for the Catholic Church, which is thus helped to live in a more efficacious way the Great Jubilee of the Incarnation as an event of grace and reconciliation for everyone.
1. The Problem: Yesterday and Today
1.1 Before Vatican II
The Jubilee has always been lived in the Church as a time of joy for the salvation given in Christ and as a privileged occasion for penance and reconciliation for the sins present in the lives of the People of God. From its first celebration under Boniface VIII in 1300, the penitential pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul was associated with the granting of an exceptional indulgence for procuring, with sacramental pardon, total or partial remission of the temporal punishment due to sin.(4) In this context, both sacramental forgiveness and the remission of temporal punishment have a personal character. In the course of the “year of pardon and grace,”(5) the Church dispenses in a particular way the treasury of grace that Christ has constituted for her benefit.(6) In none of the Jubilees celebrated till now has there been, however, an awareness in conscience of any faults in the Church’s past, nor of the need to ask God’s pardon for conduct in the recent or remote past.
Indeed, in the entire history of the Church there are no precedents for requests for forgiveness by the Magisterium for past wrongs. Councils and papal decrees applied sanctions, to be sure, to abuses of which clerics and laymen were found guilty, and many pastors sincerely strove to correct them. However, the occasions when ecclesiastical authorities – Pope, Bishops, or Councils – have openly acknowledged the faults or abuses which they themselves were guilty of, have been quite rare. One famous example is furnished by the reforming Pope Adrian VI who acknowledged publicly in a message to the Diet of Nuremberg of November 25, 1522, “the abominations, the abuses...and the lies” of which the “Roman court” of his time was guilty, “deep-rooted and extensive…sickness,” extending “from the top to the members.”(7) Adrian VI deplored the faults of his times, precisely those of his immediate predecessor Leo X and his curia, without, however, adding a request for pardon. It will be necessary to wait until Paul VI to find a Pope express a request for pardon addressed as much to God as to a group of contemporaries. In his address at the opening of the second session of the Second Vatican Council, the Pope asked “pardon of God…and of the separated brethren” of the East who may have felt offended “by us” (the Catholic Church), and declared himself ready for his part to pardon offences received. In the view of Paul VI, both the request for and offer of pardon concerned solely the sin of the division between Christians and presupposed reciprocity.
1.2 The Teaching of the Council
Vatican II takes the same approach as Paul VI. For the faults committed against unity, the Council Fathers state, “we ask pardon of God and of the separated brethren, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”(8) In addition to faults against unity, it noted other negative episodes from the past for which Christians bore some responsibility. Thus, “it deplores certain attitudes that sometimes are found among Christians” and which led people to think that faith and science are mutually opposed.(9) Likewise, it considers the fact that in “the genesis of atheism,” Christians may have had “some responsibility” insofar as through their negligence they “conceal rather than reveal the authentic face of God and religion.”(10) In addition, the Council “deplores” the persecutions and manifestations of anti-Semitism “in every time and on whoever’s part.”(11) The Council, nevertheless, does not add a request for pardon for the things cited.
From a theological point of view, Vatican II distinguishes between the indefectible fidelity of the Church and the weaknesses of her members, clergy or laity, yesterday and today,(12) and therefore, between the Bride of Christ “with neither blemish nor wrinkle...holy and immaculate” (cf. Eph 5:27), and her children, pardoned sinners, called to permanent metanoia, to renewal in the Holy Spirit. “The Church, embracing sinners in her bosom, is at the same time holy and always in need of purification and incessantly pursues the path of penance and renewal.”(13)
The Council also elaborated some criteria of discernment regarding the guilt or responsibility of persons now living for faults of the past. In effect, the Council recalled in two different contexts the non-imputability to those now living of past faults committed by members of their religious communities:

“What was committed during the passion (of Christ) cannot be imputed either indiscriminately to all Jews then living nor to the Jews of our time.”(14)
“Large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church – at times not without the fault of men on both sides. However, one cannot charge with the sin of separation those who now are born into these communities and who in these are instructed in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church embraces them with fraternal respect and love.”(15)

When the first Holy Year was celebrated after the Council, in 1975, Paul VI gave it the theme of “renewal and reconciliation,”(16) making clear in the Apostolic Exhortation Paterna cum benevolentia that reconciliation should take place first of all among the faithful of the Catholic Church.(17) As in its origin, the Holy Year remained an occasion for conversion and reconciliation of sinners to God by means of the sacramental economy of the Church.
1.3. John Paul II’s Requests for Forgiveness
Not only did John Paul II renew expressions of regret for the “sorrowful memories” that mark the history of the divisions among Christians, as Paul VI and the Second Vatican Council had done,(18) but he also extended a request for forgiveness to a multitude of historical events in which the Church, or individual groups of Christians, were implicated in different respects.(19) In the Apostolic Letter Tertio millennio adveniente,(20) the Pope expresses the hope that the Jubilee of 2000 might be the occasion for a purification of the memory of the Church from all forms of “counter-witness and scandal” which have occurred in the course of the past millennium.(21)
The Church is invited to “become more fully conscious of the sinfulness of her children.” She “acknowledges as her own her sinful sons and daughters” and encourages them “to purify themselves, through repentance, of past errors and instances of infidelity, inconsistency and slowness to act.”(22) The responsibility of Christians for the evils of our time is likewise noted,(23) although the accent falls particularly on the solidarity of the Church of today with past faults. Some of these are explicitly mentioned, like the separation of Christians,(24) or the “methods of violence and intolerance” used in the past to evangelize.(25)
John Paul II also promoted the deeper theological exploration of the idea of taking responsibility for the wrongs of the past and of possibly asking forgiveness from one’s contemporaries,(26) when in the Exhortation Reconciliatio et paenitentia, he states that in the sacrament of Penance “the sinner stands alone before God with his sin, repentance, and trust. No one can repent in his place or ask forgiveness in his name.” Sin is therefore always personal, even though it wounds the entire Church, which, represented by the priest as minister of Penance, is the sacramental mediatrix of the grace which reconciles with God.(27) Also the situations of “social sin” - which are evident in the human community when justice, freedom, and peace are damaged – are always “the result of the accumulation and concentration of many personal sins.” While moral responsibility may become diluted in anonymous causes, one can only speak of social sin by way of analogy.(28) It emerges from this that the imputability of a fault cannot properly be extended beyond the group of persons who had consented to it voluntarily, by means of acts or omissions, or through negligence.
1.4. The Questions Raised
The Church is a living society spanning the centuries. Her memory is not constituted only by the tradition which goes back to the Apostles and is normative for her faith and life, but she is also rich in the variety of historical experiences, positive and negative, which she has lived. In large part, the Church’s past structures her present. The doctrinal, liturgical, canonical, and ascetical tradition nourishes the life of the believing community, offering it an incomparable sampling of models to imitate. Along the entire earthly pilgrimage, however, the good grain always remains inextricably mixed with the chaff; holiness stands side by side with infidelity and sin.(29) And it is thus that the remembrance of scandals of the past can become an obstacle to the Church’s witness today, and the recognition of the past faults of the Church’s sons and daughters of yesterday can foster renewal and reconciliation in the present.
The difficulty that emerges is that of defining past faults, above all, because of the historical judgement which this requires. In events of the past, one must always distinguish the responsibility or fault that can be attributed to members of the Church as believers from that which should be referred to society during the centuries of ‘Christendom’ or to power structures in which the temporal and spiritual were closely intertwined. An historical hermeneutic is therefore more necessary than ever in order to distinguish correctly between the action of the Church as community of faith and that of society in the times when an osmosis existed between them.
The steps taken by John Paul II to ask pardon for faults of the past have been understood in many circles as signs of the Church’s vitality and authenticity, such that they strengthen her credibility. It is right, moreover, that the Church contribute to changing false and unacceptable images of herself, especially in those areas in which, whether through ignorance or bad faith, some sectors of opinion like to identify her with obscurantism and intolerance. The requests for pardon formulated by the Pope have also given rise to positive emulation both inside and outside the Church. Heads of state or government, private and public associations, religious communities are today asking forgiveness for episodes or historical periods marked by injustices. This practice is far from just an exercise in rhetoric, and for this reason, some hesitate to do so, calculating the attendant costs – among which are those on the legal plane - of an acknowledgement of past wrongs. Also from this point of view, a rigorous discernment is necessary.
Nevertheless, some of the faithful are disconcerted and their loyalty to the Church seems shaken. Some wonder how they can hand on a love for the Church to younger generations if this same Church is imputed with crimes and faults. Others observe that the recognition of faults is for the most part one-sided and is exploited by the Church’s detractors, who are satisfied to see the Church confirm the prejudices they had of her. Still others warn against arbitrarily making current generations of believers feel guilty for shortcomings they did not consent to in any way, even though they declare themselves ready to take responsibility to the extent that some groups of people still feel themselves affected today by the consequences of injustices suffered by their forbears in previous times. Others hold that the Church could purify her memory with respect to ambiguous actions in which she was involved in the past simply by taking part in the critical work on memory developed in our society. Thus she could affirm that she joins with her contemporaries in rejecting what the moral conscience of our time reproaches, though without putting herself forward as the only guilty party responsible for the evils of the past, by seeking at the same time a dialogue in mutual understanding with those who may feel themselves still wounded by past acts imputable to the children of the Church. Finally, it is to be expected that certain groups might demand that forgiveness be sought in their regard, either by analogy with other groups, or because they believe that they have suffered wrongs. In any case, the purification of memory can never mean that the Church ceases to proclaim the revealed truth that has been entrusted to her whether in the area of faith or of morals.
Thus, a number of questions can be identified: Can today’s conscience be assigned ‘guilt’ for isolated historical phenomena like the Crusades or the Inquisition? Isn’t it a bit too easy to judge people of the past by the conscience of today (as the Scribes and Pharisees do according to Mt 23:29-32), almost as if moral conscience were not situated in time? And, on the other hand, can it be denied that ethical judgement is always possible, given the simple fact that the truth of God and its moral requirements always have value? Whatever attitude is adopted must come to terms with these questions and seek answers that are based in revelation and in its living transmission in the faith of the Church. The first question is therefore that of clarifying the extent to which requests for forgiveness for past wrongs, especially if addressed to groups of people today, are within the biblical and theological horizon of reconciliation with God and neighbor.
2. Biblical Approach
The investigation of Israel’s acknowledgement of faults in the Old Testament and the topic of the confession of faults as found in the traditions of the New Testament can developed in various ways.(30) The theological nature of the reflection undertaken here leads us to favor a largely thematic approach, centering on the following question: What background does the testimony of Sacred Scripture furnish for John Paul II’s invitation to the Church to confess the faults of the past?
2.1. The Old Testament
Confessions of sins and corresponding requests for forgiveness can be found throughout the Bible – in the narratives of the Old Testament, in the Psalms, and in the Prophets, as well as in the Gospels of the New Testament. There are also sporadic references in the Wisdom Literature and in the Letters of the New Testament. Given the abundance and diffusion of these testimonies, the question of how to select and catalogue the mass of significant texts arises. One may inquire here about the biblical texts related to the confession of sins: Who is confessing what (and what kind of fault) to whom? Put in this way, the question helps distinguish two principal categories of “confession texts,” each of which embraces different sub-categories, viz., a) confession texts of individual sins, and b) confession texts of sins of the entire people (and of those of their forebears). In relation to the recent ecclesial practice that motivates this study, we will restrict our analysis to the second category.
In this second category, different expressions can be found, depending on who is making the confession of the sins of the people and on who is, or is not, associated with the shared guilt, prescinding from the presence or absence of an awareness of personal responsibility (which has only matured progressively: cf. Ez 14:12-23; 18:1-32; 33:10-20). On the basis of these criteria, the following rather fluid cases can be distinguished:

A first series of texts represents the entire people (sometimes personified as a single “I”) who, in a particular moment of its history, confesses or alludes to its sins against God without any (explicit) reference to the faults of the preceding generations.(31)
Another group of texts places the confession - directed to God - of the current sins of the people on the lips of one or more leaders (religious), who may or may not include themselves explicitly among the sinful people for whom they are praying.(32)
A third group of texts presents the people or one of their leaders in the act of mentioning the sins of their forebears without, however, making mention of those of the present generation.(33)
More frequent are the confessions that mention the faults of the forebears, linking them expressly to the errors of the present generation.(34)

We can conclude from the testimonies gathered that in all cases where the “sins of the fathers” are mentioned, the confession is addressed solely to God, and the sins confessed by the people and for the people are those committed directly against him rather than those committed (also) against other human beings (only in Nm 21:7 is mention made of a human party harmed, Moses).(35) The question arises as to why the biblical writers did not feel the need to address requests for forgiveness to present interlocutors for the sins committed by their fathers, given their strong sense of solidarity in good and evil among the generations (one thinks of the notion of “corporate personality”). We can propose various hypotheses in response to this question. First, there is the prevalent theocentrism of the Bible, which gives precedence to the acknowledgement, whether individual or national, of the faults committed against God. What is more, acts of violence perpetrated by Israel against other peoples, which would seem to require a request for forgiveness from those peoples or from their descendants, are understood to be the execution of divine directives, as for example Gn 2-11 and Dt 7:2 (the extermination of the Canaanites), or 1 Sm 15 and Dt 25:19 (the destruction of the Amalekites). In such cases, the involvement of a divine command would seem to exclude any possible request for forgiveness.(36) The experiences of maltreatment suffered by Israel at the hands of other peoples and the animosity thus aroused could also have militated against the idea of asking pardon of these peoples for the evil done to them.(37)
In any case the sense of intergenerational solidarity in sin (and in grace) remains relevant in the biblical testimony and is expressed in the confession before God of the “sins of the fathers,” such that John Paul II could state, citing the splendid prayer of Azaria: “‘Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers... For we have sinned and transgressed by departing from you, and we have done every kind of evil. Your commandments we have not heeded or observed’ (Dn 3:26,29-30). This is how the Jews prayed after the exile (cf. also Bar 2:11-13), accepting the responsibility for the sins committed by their fathers. The Church imitates their example and also asks forgiveness for the historical sins of her children.”(38)
2.2. The New Testament
A fundamental theme connected with the idea of guilt, and amply present in the New Testament, is that of the absolute holiness of God. The God of Jesus is the God of Israel (cf. Jn 4:22), invoked as “Holy Father” (Jn 17:11), and called “the Holy One” in 1 Jn 2:20 (cf. Acts 6:10). The triple proclamation of God as “holy” in Is 6:3 returns in Acts 4:8, while 1 Pt 1:16 insists on the fact that Christians must be holy “for it is written: ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (cf. Lv 11:44-45; 19:2). All this reflects the Old Testament notion of the absolute holiness of God; however, for Christian faith the divine holiness has entered history in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Old Testament notion has not been abandoned but developed, in the sense that the holiness of God becomes present in the holiness of the incarnate Son (cf. Mk 1:24; Lk 1:35; 4:34; Jn 6:69; Acts 3:14; 4:27,30; Rev 3:7), and the holiness of the Son is shared by “his own” (cf. Jn 17:16-19), who are made sons in the Son (cf. Gal 4:4-6; Rom 8:14-17). There can be no aspiration to divine sonship in Jesus unless there is love for one’s neighbor (cf. Mk 12:29-31: Mt 22:37-38; Lk 10:27-28).
Love of neighbor, absolutely central in the teaching of Jesus, becomes the “new commandment” in the Gospel of John; the disciples should love as he has loved (cf. Jn 13:34-35; 15:12,17), that is, perfectly, “to the end” (Jn 13:1). The Christian is called to love and to forgive to a degree that transcends every human standard of justice and produces a reciprocity between human beings, reflective of the reciprocity between Christ and the Father (cf. Jn 13:34f; 15:1-11; 17:21-26). In this perspective, great emphasis is given to the theme of reconciliation and forgiveness of faults. Jesus asks his disciples to be always ready to forgive all those who have offended them, just as God himself always offers his forgiveness: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Mt 6:12; 6:12-15). He who is able to forgive his neighbor shows that he has understood his own need for forgiveness by God. The disciple is invited to forgive the one who offends him “seventy times seven,” even if the person may not ask for forgiveness (cf. Mt 18:21-22).
With regard to someone who has been injured by another, Jesus insists that the injured person should take the first step, canceling the offense through forgiveness offered “from the heart” (cf. Mt 18:35; Mk 11:25), aware that he too is a sinner before God, who never refuses forgiveness sincerely entreated. In Mt 5:23-24, Jesus asks the offender to “go and reconcile himself with his brother who has something against him” before presenting his offering at the altar. An act of worship on the part of one who has no desire beforehand to repair the damage to his neighbor is not pleasing to God. What matters is changing one’s own heart and showing in an appropriate way that one really wants reconciliation. The sinner, however, aware that his sins wound his relationship with God and with his neighbor (cf. Lk 15:21), can expect pardon only from God, because only God is always merciful and ready to cancel our sins. This is also the significance of the sacrifice of Christ who, once and for all, has purified us of our sins (cf. Heb 9:22; 10:18). Thus, the offender and the offended are reconciled by God who receives and forgives everyone in his mercy.
In this context, which could be expanded through an analysis of the Letters of Paul and the Catholic Epistles, there is no indication that the early Church turned her attention to sins of the past in order to ask for forgiveness. This might be explained by the powerful sense of the radical newness of Christianity, which tended to orient the community toward the future rather than the past. There is, however, a more broad and subtle insistence pervading the New Testament: in the Gospels and in the Letters, the ambivalence of the Christian experience is fully recognized. For Paul, for example, the Christian community is an eschatological people that already lives the “new creation” (cf. 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15), but this experience, made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus (cf. Rom 3:21-26; 5:6-11; 8:1-11; 1 Cor 15:54-57), does not free us from the inclination to sin present in the world because of Adam’s fall. From the divine intervention in and through the death and resurrection of Jesus, it follows that there are now two scenarios possible: the history of Adam and the history of Christ. These proceed side by side and the believer must count on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus (cf., for example, Rom 6:1-11; Gal 3:27-28; Col 3:10; 2 Cor 5:14- 15) to be part of the history in which “grace overflows” (cf. Rom 5:12-21).
A similar theological re-reading of the paschal event of Christ shows how the early Church had an acute awareness of the possible deficiencies of the baptized. One could say that the entire “corpus paulinum” recalls believers to a full recognition of their dignity, albeit in the living awareness of the fragility of their human condition. “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1). An analogous reason can be found in the Gospel narratives. It arises decisively in Mark where the frailties of Jesus’ disciples are one of the dominant themes of the account (cf. Mk 4:40-41; 6:36-37, 51-52; 8:14-21,31-33; 9:5-6,32-41; 10:32-45; 14:10-11, 17- 21, 27-31,50; 16:8). Even if understandably nuanced, the same motif recurs in all of the Evangelists. Judas and Peter are respectively the traitor and the one who denies the Master, though Judas ends up in desperation for his act (cf. Acts 1:15-20), while Peter repents (cf. Lk 22:61) and arrives at a triple profession of love (cf. in Jn 21:15-19). In Matthew, even during the final appearance of the risen Lord, while the disciples adore him, “some still doubted” (Mt 28:17). The Fourth Gospel presents the disciples as those to whom an incommensurable love was given even though their response was one of ignorance, deficiencies, denial, and betrayal (cf. Jn 13:1-38).
This constant presentation of Jesus’ disciples, who vacillate when it comes to yielding to sin, is not simply a critical re-reading of the early history. The accounts are framed in such a way that they are addressed to every other disciple of Christ in difficulty who looks to the Gospel for guidance and inspiration. Moreover, the New Testament is full of exhortations to behave well, to live at a higher level of dedication, to avoid evil (cf., for example, Jas 1:5-8, 19-21; 2:1-7; 4:1-10; 1 Pt 1:13-25; 2 Pt 2:1-22; Jude 3:13; 1 Jn 5-10; 2:1-11; 18-27; 4:1-6; 2 Jn 7-11; 3 Jn 9-10). There is, however, no explicit call addressed to the first Christians to confess the faults of the past, although the recognition of the reality of sin and evil within the Christian people – those called to the eschatological life proper to the Christian condition – is highly significant (it is enough to note the reproaches in the letters to the seven Churches in the Book of Revelation). According to the petition found in the Lord’s Prayer, this people prays: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Lk 11:4; cf. Mt 6:12). Thus, the first Christians show that they are well aware that they could act in a way that does not correspond to their vocation, by not living their Baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus.
2.3. The Biblical Jubilee
An important biblical precedent for reconciliation and overcoming of past situations is represented by the celebration of the Jubilee, as it is regulated in the Book of Leviticus (Ch. 25). In a social structure made up of tribes, clans, and families, situations of disorder were inevitably created when struggling individuals or families had to “redeem” themselves from their difficulties by consigning their land, house, servants, or children to those who had more means than they had. Such a system resulted in some Israelites coming to suffer intolerable situations of debt, poverty, and servitude in the same land that had been given to them by God, to the advantage of other children of Israel. All this could result in a territory or a clan falling into the hands of a few rich people for greater or lesser periods of time, while the rest of the families of the clan came to find themselves in a condition of debt or servitude, compelling them to live in total dependence upon a few well-off persons.
The legislation of Leviticus 25 constitutes an attempt to overturn this state of affairs (such that one could doubt whether it was ever put into practice fully!). It convened the celebration of the Jubilee every fifty years in order to preserve the social fabric of the People of God and restore independence even to the smallest families of the country. Decisive for Leviticus 25 is the regular repetition of Israel’s profession of faith in God who had liberated his people in the Exodus. “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God” (Lv 25:38; cf. vss 42,45). The celebration of the Jubilee was an implicit admission of fault and an attempt to re-establish a just order. Any system which would alienate an Israelite – once a slave but now freed by the powerful arm of God – was in fact a denial of God’s saving action in and through the Exodus.
The liberation of the victims and sufferers becomes part of the much broader program of the prophets. Deutero-Isaiah, in the Suffering Servant songs (Is 42:1-9; 49:1-6; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12) develops these allusions to the practice of the Jubilee with the themes of ransom and of freedom, of return and redemption. Isaiah 58 is an attack on ritual observance that has no regard for social justice; it is a call for liberation of the oppressed (Is 58:6), centered specifically on the obligations of kinship (v.7). More clearly, Isaiah 61 uses the images of the Jubilee to depict the Anointed One as God’s herald sent to “evangelize” the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and to announce the year of grace of the Lord. Significantly, it is precisely this text, with an allusion to Isaiah 58:6, that Jesus uses to present the task of his life and ministry in Luke 4:17-21.
2.4. Conclusion
From what has been said, it can be concluded that John Paul II’s appeal to the Church to mark the Jubilee Year by an admission of guilt for the sufferings and wrongs committed by her sons and daughters in the past, as well as the ways in which this might be put into practice, do not find an exact parallel in the Bible. Nevertheless, they are based on what Sacred Scripture says about the holiness of God, the intergenerational solidarity of God’s people, and the sinfulness of the people. The Pope’s appeal correctly captures the spirit of the biblical Jubilee, which calls for actions aimed at re-establishing the order of God’s original plan for creation. This requires that the proclamation of the “today” of the Jubilee, begun by Jesus (cf. Lk 4:21), be continued in the Jubilee celebration of his Church. In addition, this singular experience of grace prompts the People of God as a whole, as well as each of the baptized, to take still greater cognizance of the mandate received from the Lord to be ever ready to forgive offenses received.(39)
3. Theological Foundations
“Hence it is appropriate that as the second millennium of Christianity draws to a close the Church should become ever more fully conscious of the sinfulness of her children, recalling all those times in history when they departed from the spirit of Christ and his Gospel and, instead of offering to the world the witness of a life inspired by the values of faith, indulged in ways of thinking and acting which were truly forms of counter-witness and scandal. Although she is holy because of her incorporation into Christ, the Church does not tire of doing penance. Before God and man, she always acknowledges as her own her sinful sons and daughters.”(40) These words of John Paul II emphasize how the Church is touched by the sin of her children. She is holy in being made so by the Father through the sacrifice of the Son and the gift of the Spirit. She is also in a certain sense sinner, in really taking upon herself the sin of those whom she has generated in Baptism. This is analogous to the way Christ Jesus took on the sin of the world (cf. Rom 8:3; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13; 1 Pt 2:24).(41) Furthermore, in her most profound self-awareness in time, the Church knows that she is not only a community of the elect, but one which in her very bosom includes both righteous and sinners, of the present as well as the past, in the unity of the mystery which constitutes her. Indeed, in grace and in the woundedness of sin, the baptized of today are close to, and in solidarity with, those of yesterday. For this reason one can say that the Church – one in time and space in Christ and in the Spirit – is truly “at the same time holy and ever in need of purification.”(42) It is from this paradox, which is characteristic of the mystery of the Church, that the question arises as to how one can reconcile the two aspects: on the one hand, the Church’s affirmation in faith of her holiness, and on the other hand, her unceasing need for penance and purification.
3.1. The Mystery of the Church
“The Church is in history, but at the same time she transcends it. It is only ‘with the eyes of faith’ that one can see her in her visible reality and at the same time in her spiritual reality as bearer of divine life.”(43) The ensemble of her visible and historical aspects stands in relation to the divine gift in a way that is analogous to how, in the incarnate Word of God, the assumed humanity is sign and instrument of the action of the divine Person of the Son. The two dimensions of ecclesial being form “one complex reality resulting from a human and a divine element,”(44) in a communion that participates in the Trinitarian life and brings about baptized persons’ sense of being united among themselves despite historical differences of time and place. By the power of this communion, the Church presents herself as a subject that is absolutely unique in human affairs, able to take on the gifts, the merits, and the faults of her children of yesterday and today.
The telling analogy to the mystery of the incarnate Word implies too, nevertheless, a fundamental difference. “Christ, ‘holy, innocent, and undefiled’ (Heb 7:26), knew no sin (cf. 2 Cor 5:21), but came only to expiate the sins of the people (cf. Heb 2:17). The Church, however, embracing sinners in her bosom, is at the same time holy and always in need of purification and incessantly pursues the path of penance and renewal.”(45) The absence of sin in the Incarnate Word cannot be attributed to his ecclesial Body, within which, on the contrary, each person – participating in the grace bestowed by God – needs nevertheless to be vigilant and to be continually purified. Each member also shares in the weakness of others: “All members of the Church, including her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners (cf. 1 Jn 1:8-10). In everyone, the weeds of sin will still be mixed with the good wheat of the Gospel until the end of time (cf. Mt 13:24-30). Hence the Church gathers sinners already caught up in Christ’s salvation but still on the way to holiness.”(46)
Already Paul VI had solemnly affirmed that the Church “is holy, though she includes sinners in her bosom, for she herself has no other life but the life of grace... This is why she suffers and does penance for these faults, from which she has the power to free her children through the blood of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.”(47) The Church in her “mystery” is thus the encounter of sanctity and of weakness, continually redeemed, and yet always in need of the power of redemption. As the liturgy – the true “lex credendi” – teaches, the individual Christian and the community of the saints implore God to look upon the faith of his church and not on the sins of individuals, which are the negation of this living faith: “Ne respicias peccata nostra, sed fidem Ecclesiae Tuae”! In the unity of the mystery of the Church through time and space, it is possible to consider the aspect of holiness, the need for repentance and reform, and their articulation in the actions of Mother Church.
3.2. The Holiness of the Church
The Church is holy because, sanctified by Christ who has acquired her by giving himself up to death for her, she is maintained in holiness by the Holy Spirit who pervades her unceasingly: “We believe that the Church…is indefectibly holy. For Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is praised as being ‘alone holy,’ loved the Church as his bride and gave himself up for her, so that she might be made holy (cf. Eph 5: 25), and has united her to himself as his body and has filled her with the gift of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God. For this reason, everyone in the Church…is called to holiness.”(48) In this sense, from the beginning, the members of the Church are called the “saints” (cf. Acts 9:13; 1 Cor 6:1; 16:1). One can distinguish, however, the holiness of the Church from holiness in the Church. The former - founded on the missions of the Son and Spirit – guarantees the continuity of the mission of the People of God until the end of time and stimulates and aids the believers in pursuing subjective personal holiness. The form which holiness takes is rooted in the vocation that each one receives; it is given and required of him as the full completion of his own vocation and mission. Personal holiness is always directed toward God and others, and thus has an essentially social character: it is holiness “in the Church” oriented towards the good of all.
Holiness in the Church must therefore correspond to the holiness of the Church. “The followers of Christ, called by God not according to their works, but according to his own purpose and grace, and justified in the Lord Jesus, have been made truly children of God in the Baptism of faith and sharers in the divine nature, and thus are really made holy. They must therefore hold on to and perfect in their lives that sanctification which they have received from God.”(49) The baptized person is called to become with his entire existence that which he has already become by virtue of his baptismal consecration. And this does not happen without the consent of his freedom and the assistance of the grace that comes from God. No one becomes himself so fully as does the saint, who welcomes the divine plan and, with the help of grace, conforms his entire being to it! The saints are in this sense like lights kindled by the Lord in the midst of his Church in order to illuminate her; they are a prophecy for the whole world.
3.3 The Necessity of Continual Renewal
Without obscuring this holiness, we must acknowledge that due to the presence of sin there is a need for continual renewal and for constant conversion in the People of God. The Church on earth is “marked with a true holiness,” which is, however, “imperfect.”(50) Augustine observes against the Pelagians: “The Church as a whole says: Forgive us our trespasses! Therefore she has blemishes and wrinkles. But by means of confession the wrinkles are smoothed away and the blemishes washed clean. The Church stands in prayer in order to be purified by confession and, as long as men live on earth it will be so.”(51) And Thomas Aquinas makes clear that the fullness of holiness belongs to eschatological time; in the meantime, the Church still on pilgrimage should not deceive herself by saying that she is without sin: “To be a glorious Church, with neither spot nor wrinkle, is the ultimate end to which we are brought by the Passion of Christ. Hence, this will be the case only in the heavenly homeland, not here on the way of pilgrimage, where ‘if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves’...”(52) In reality, “though we are clothed with the baptismal garment, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. Now, in this new petition [‘forgive us our trespasses’], we return to him like the prodigal son (cf. Lk 15:11-32) and, like the tax collector, recognize that we are sinners before him (cf. Lk 18:13). Our petition begins with a ‘confession’ of our wretchedness and his mercy.”(53)
Hence it is the entire Church that confesses her faith in God through the confession of her children’s sins and celebrates his infinite goodness and capacity for forgiveness. Thanks to the bond established by the Holy Spirit, the communion that exists among all the baptized in time and space is such that in this communion each person is himself, but at the same time is conditioned by others and exercises an influence on them in the living exchange of spiritual goods. In this way, the holiness of each one influences the growth in goodness of others; however, sin also does not have an exclusively individual relevance, because it burdens and poses resistance along the way of salvation of all and, in this sense, truly touches the Church in her entirety, across the various times and places. This distinction prompts the Fathers to make sharp statements like this one of Ambrose: “Let us beware then that our fall not become a wound of the Church.”(54) The Church therefore, “although she is holy because of her incorporation into Christ, … does not tire of doing penance: Before God and man, she always acknowledges as her own her sinful sons and daughters”(55) of both yesterday and today.
3.4. The Motherhood of the Church
The conviction that the Church can make herself responsible for the sin of her children by virtue of the solidarity that exists among them through time and space because of their incorporation into Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, is expressed in a particularly effective way in the idea of “Mother Church” (“Mater Ecclesia”), which “in the conception of the early Fathers of the Church sums up the entire Christian aspiration.”(56) The Church, Vatican II affirms, “by means of the Word of God faithfully received, becomes a mother, since through preaching and baptism she brings forth children to a new and immortal life, who have been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of God.”(57) Augustine, for example, gives voice to the vast tradition, of which these ideas are an echo: “This holy and honored mother is like Mary. She gives birth and she is a virgin, from her you were born - she generates Christ so that you will be members of Christ.”(58) Cyprian of Carthage states succinctly: “One cannot have God as a father who doesn’t have the Church as a mother.”(59) And Paulinus of Nola sings of the motherhood of the Church like this: “As a mother she receives the seed of the eternal Word, carries the peoples in her womb and gives birth to them.”(60)
According to this vision, the Church is continually realized in the exchange and communication of the Spirit from one believer to another, as the generative environment of faith and holiness, in fraternal communion, unanimity in prayer, solidarity with the cross, and common witness. By virtue of this living communication, each baptized person can be considered to be at the same time a child of the Church, in that he is generated in her to divine life, and Mother Church, in that, by his faith and love he cooperates in giving birth to new children for God. He is ever more Mother Church, the greater is his holiness and the more ardent is his effort to communicate to others the gift he has received. On the other hand, the baptized person does not cease to be a child of the Church when, because of sin, he separates himself from her in his heart. He may always come back to the springs of grace and remove the burden that his sin imposes o
Toronto T 10 years ago

Well if you can't stand the heat you can get out. This is optional. How ever what this lawyer is writing about is revolutionary . I applaud him for thinking outside the box. Good job brother?

Well if you can't stand the heat you can get out. This is optional. How ever what this lawyer is writing about is revolutionary . I applaud him for thinking outside the box. Good job brother?
Drakkos007@yahoo.com 10 years ago

I Timothy 4:1-3 However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, 2 by the hypocrisy ...
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I Timothy 4:1-3 However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, 2 by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron; 3 forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth.

If the Catholic Church was founded on Christian principals and the Bible this wouldn't be a problem today.
kraboa coaltar 10 years ago

Nobody impose the priest on them. If they want to have sex they can be ordinary church member and get married. It is not a practice of catholic to allow their priest to have sex. Homosexuality is a satanic tool that has come ...
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Nobody impose the priest on them. If they want to have sex they can be ordinary church member and get married. It is not a practice of catholic to allow their priest to have sex. Homosexuality is a satanic tool that has come to destroy even the most dedicated man.
Alhaji 10 years ago

They should all go and marry, and stop fooling themselves with lying against the innocent Jesus.For Jesus not to marry is not a proof that he had forbidden marriage.

They should all go and marry, and stop fooling themselves with lying against the innocent Jesus.For Jesus not to marry is not a proof that he had forbidden marriage.
awukey 10 years ago

be concerned with your profession

be concerned with your profession
BBSmith 10 years ago

plain down right common sense.
If a man or woman is denied sexual relief due to this STUPID celibacy rule then they will seek sexual relief however they can. They will all at least masturbate in private and anybody who seeks ...
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plain down right common sense.
If a man or woman is denied sexual relief due to this STUPID celibacy rule then they will seek sexual relief however they can. They will all at least masturbate in private and anybody who seeks to deny this is worse than stupid, but some will seek sexual relief from young children and the most vulnerable people in society. I know as I was abused.
It is UNnatural to deny any human being sexual relief.
If a person, wether priest, nun or layman choose of their own free will to be celibate then that is their right and their choice, but IMPOSED church celibacy is a CRIME against humanity.
This crime is perpetuated by church leaders.
Mr. Benony Tony Amekudzi is 100% spot on, correct, speaks basic common sense. WELL SAID.
Okofo 10 years ago

Kwasiaaaa..dze wo fie as3m.

Kwasiaaaa..dze wo fie as3m.
Ghana1 10 years ago

How clear is the thought and mind of benony tony amekudzi! While the other authors and speakers are avoiding the true core of legislation in ghana, benony tony is cutting through to the essential core of ghana mind. May all g ...
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How clear is the thought and mind of benony tony amekudzi! While the other authors and speakers are avoiding the true core of legislation in ghana, benony tony is cutting through to the essential core of ghana mind. May all ghana citizens and friends alike realize in the true beauty of the beautiful words of amekuzi! The marriage issue can be solved by simply heeding amekuzdi's nearly divine inspired words. WAKE UP GHANA, BENONY TONY HAS SPOKEN THE CRYSTAL CLEAR WORDS OF JUSTICE.
Jak 10 years ago

Those who call this man a fool shd come again.Marriage comes with a greater responsibility of decency and moral uprightness. It is a common knowledge supported by evidence that the catholic church of today is full of BEASTS i ...
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Those who call this man a fool shd come again.Marriage comes with a greater responsibility of decency and moral uprightness. It is a common knowledge supported by evidence that the catholic church of today is full of BEASTS in cassock who cant keep their zip closed not only on ordinary church members but on married women as well. They being allowed to marry will let them have some sense of dignity and to also imagine how they would feel if some one flirts with their wife. Those who called this man a fool are themselves THE BEGEST OF FOOLS. IDIOTS. NONESENSE AT ITS APOGGY.
Vinney 10 years ago

This is purely out of logic. I am a catholic and I'll never at any point agree that catholic priest should marry. If a priest cannot follow the oath sworn, sack him!! Talking as if only catholic priest are the only paedophile ...
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This is purely out of logic. I am a catholic and I'll never at any point agree that catholic priest should marry. If a priest cannot follow the oath sworn, sack him!! Talking as if only catholic priest are the only paedophiles, homosexuals or adulters!! Come on be realistic, muslims and traditionalist can marry more than one wife and my fellow christians are allowed to marry just one. Frankly we can all point out in our communities the number of muslims, traditionalist and christians who are paedophiles, homosexuals and adulterers. If you think allowing catholic priest to marry will solve it then you're on a lost path. Count the number of married pastors who commit adultery or are paedophiles..., think deeply before you make such illogical utterances.
Lafia 10 years ago

it has been there since time immemorial, if a priest can't continue celibacy,he is free to go form his own church on Mars and make women there his sex machines and sex bombs. no problem. foolish lawyer dictating to the premie ...
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it has been there since time immemorial, if a priest can't continue celibacy,he is free to go form his own church on Mars and make women there his sex machines and sex bombs. no problem. foolish lawyer dictating to the premier and ruling church of the world Roman catholic? he will lose his foolish law profession soon
Kwame Aidoo 10 years ago

You have hit the nail on the head May God bless for revealing the truth.Let those who have EARS hear what the Spirit of God is saying.Catholics, do not be disobedient to the Joly Spirit who is greater than the pope and all th ...
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You have hit the nail on the head May God bless for revealing the truth.Let those who have EARS hear what the Spirit of God is saying.Catholics, do not be disobedient to the Joly Spirit who is greater than the pope and all the catholic cardinals.Will you listen to GOD or man; if you really believe in CHRIST?!
PROSPER 10 years ago

They are rational being. Let them choose from pussy which the creator designed for sexual purposes and ass for discharging shit. This papa religion is a disgrace to human race.

They are rational being. Let them choose from pussy which the creator designed for sexual purposes and ass for discharging shit. This papa religion is a disgrace to human race.
DAN 10 years ago

cut their testicle tubes to stop birthing excess children!

cut their testicle tubes to stop birthing excess children!
Steve 10 years ago

the command by the Catholic Church that priests cannot marry is what 1 Timothy 4:1-3 a teaching of Demons I told the Catholic Church this years ago but they said they go by Church Doctrine not God's word.

the command by the Catholic Church that priests cannot marry is what 1 Timothy 4:1-3 a teaching of Demons I told the Catholic Church this years ago but they said they go by Church Doctrine not God's word.
Steve 10 years ago

at least 2 of the Apostles were married

at least 2 of the Apostles were married
PEACE 10 years ago

Amekudzi u are Right.They should live our boys alone

Amekudzi u are Right.They should live our boys alone
KEN 10 years ago

I have never ever seen a goat or a sheep that made a mistake to fuck ass. If Catholic Priests decide to fuck ass instead of pussy, then they are a bit lower than goats and sheep. Shame !!!

I have never ever seen a goat or a sheep that made a mistake to fuck ass. If Catholic Priests decide to fuck ass instead of pussy, then they are a bit lower than goats and sheep. Shame !!!
PEACE 10 years ago

Fucking Boys ass is more evil and wicked

Fucking Boys ass is more evil and wicked
PALMER 10 years ago

Allow catholic priest to marry and fuck the wives, instead of small small boys and other people's wives.

Allow catholic priest to marry and fuck the wives, instead of small small boys and other people's wives.
DONBOLI 10 years ago

Whether sex or marriage, it is not for non believers. Its a religion not a game where the rules charge.
Amekudzi not know what Catholic stand for. If they think it right they would join the catholic church.
Amekudzi those ...
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Whether sex or marriage, it is not for non believers. Its a religion not a game where the rules charge.
Amekudzi not know what Catholic stand for. If they think it right they would join the catholic church.
Amekudzi those fathers who sin in their line of duty shall be judge by God. They lied to themselfs that they are catholics. They are not catholic because catholics dont do such things.
Yaw Br3nya 10 years ago

Amicus Cathilica. I share your views

Amicus Cathilica. I share your views
Just 10 years ago

For all u know, many of these priests might be happy about this assertion because, no one knows what they are emotionally going through.

For all u know, many of these priests might be happy about this assertion because, no one knows what they are emotionally going through.
Kofi Coussey54 10 years ago

Your prescription is not the best. Allowing priests to marry does not solve the problem. Why is it that married men go after other girls and sometimes other married women? Why is that some married pastors go after other girls ...
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Your prescription is not the best. Allowing priests to marry does not solve the problem. Why is it that married men go after other girls and sometimes other married women? Why is that some married pastors go after other girls and sometimes other married women even in their own church? The answer is lack of self discipline. In anything we do, we should develop self discipline to be able to succeed. Read this text from St. Paul to the Corinthians; 1 Cor. 7:32-35, “I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” It is better to be unmarried and be devoted to the Lord’s affairs. This noble choice needs prayers and self discipline to be able to succeed. Peace be with you.
Alhaji Pope 10 years ago

Making people to be Homosexual or lesbien was a brain child of Vatican. the catholic church was practicinng all sort of barbaric and evil things even before the scandal of cadinal Boujar who became a pope.

Making people to be Homosexual or lesbien was a brain child of Vatican. the catholic church was practicinng all sort of barbaric and evil things even before the scandal of cadinal Boujar who became a pope.
Analyst 10 years ago

It is a well-known fact that most Catholic Priests, if not all, find it very difficult to keep to their celibacy vow. Indeed, the natural desire for a healthy adult person to have sex is very strong and very difficult to deny ...
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It is a well-known fact that most Catholic Priests, if not all, find it very difficult to keep to their celibacy vow. Indeed, the natural desire for a healthy adult person to have sex is very strong and very difficult to deny always. That is why the good Lord instituted marriage between a man and a woman for them to mutually derive their sexual satisfaction in a holy manner.
Celibacy for Priests is not a Biblical doctrine. The first Pope, Saint Peter, was married before he met Jesus and continued in his marriage after meeting Jesus. And the Lord Jesus never asked him to divorce his wife before making him His Apostle.
Before Saul, who later became Saint Paul, dramatically met Jesus to become His disciple, he was not married. Saint Paul chose to remain unmarried when he became an Apostle of Jesus Christ. It is not logical to take this to be the rule for priestly celibacy because Paul had been exercising celibacy even before he met Christ – it was not Christ who instructed him not to marry but by his own free will choice. This meant that, if Paul realised along the way that he could no longer stand it, he could decide to marry anytime and nobody would take him to task. This is reflected in the advice he himself gave to other members of the church.
Listen to Paul advising Saint Timothy, the then Bishop of Ephesus, about who is qualified to be a Bishop: “A bishop then must be blameless, THE HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach.” (1Timothy: 3:2).
In this world ruled by Satan, an unmarried Priest is an easy target for demons. The demon-possessed beautiful “daughters of Eve” know how to help him to stop burning under intense sexual desires. No doubt, there are many Catholic Priests with secret mistresses and illegitimate children. A higher form of demonic attack on the Catholic Priests is when in their desperate effort to portray themselves as celibates, they sexually attack boys under their care – ie homosexuality which is one step worse than adultery or fornication. The priceless way to save these Priests is to allow them to marry like all other mortals.
komla fiajye 10 years ago

You can be learned but very ignorant. Half education is just poisonous to the community. You know nothing about conon law. Better practise what you know Mr. Lawyer

You can be learned but very ignorant. Half education is just poisonous to the community. You know nothing about conon law. Better practise what you know Mr. Lawyer
Divine 10 years ago

Let me tell u mr.Amekudzi u kal urself ,stay away from the holy church n learn to be a lawyer who can win relevant cases.You always want to win de attention of people and fame.but who told u dat ur letter reached de pope! m ...
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Let me tell u mr.Amekudzi u kal urself ,stay away from the holy church n learn to be a lawyer who can win relevant cases.You always want to win de attention of people and fame.but who told u dat ur letter reached de pope! ma frnd jx forget.the church is wise and wisdom than u are

Catholic priests must have sex – Amekudzi

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