More Pastoral Provision

As I prep to do battle on the celibacy issue (tonight at 9), a married man is ordained in Spain:

David Evans, 65, from Zimbabwe has converted to Catholicism and the Vatican has approved his ordination, the Tenerife Diocese, where Fr. Evans has been assigned, said on Monday.

"Of course, David Evans will continue to be married to his wife, Patricia, after his ordination as a priest," the diocese added in a statement.

However the statement added that the case did not mark the start of the Catholic church abolishing celibacy for priests.

"It is rather a very singular exception considering (Fr. Evans') situation as a married man and his very particular circumstances in coming from the Anglican church, a community which allows its ministers to marry," it added.

The Roman Catholic Church has accepted about 200 married Anglican ministers into its clergy in Britain and smaller numbers from Anglican and Protestant churches in other countries since Anglican ministers opposed to the ordination of women began converting to Catholicism.

With the PP numbers on the spike they're on, can this case-by-case, piecemeal process keep going? Seems that the Holy See will have to impose greater order on the chaos at some point.

-30-