Nun And Priest Staying Married With Papal Dispensation

A husband and wife are making headlines. In Germany, this husband and wife are a bit of an oddity. The husband recently took vows as a Catholic priest, and his wife is a Catholic nun. The still-married couple required papal dispensation for their new life paths.
Edeltraut Klueting and Harm make vows in church
In 1977, Edeltraut Kluting and Harm got married. They were Lutherans at this time. The husband and wife were clerics at the Lutheran church they served at while also having two kids. The couple converted to Catholicism after their children were grown. While staying married to Harm, Edeltraut got papal dispensation in 2004. This ensured she could take vows as a Carmelite nun. Harm got dispensation to be a Catholic priest also. The marriage will not be ended for these purposes. The couple will stay married.
Catholic priests are often married
There is one image that comes to mind typically with the phrase "Catholic priest" comes about. It is usually a man serving in the church that is celibate. Pope Piux XII in 2950 made a ruling that allowed any priests from other Christian denominations to convert to the Catholic religion, stay married and also become a Catholic priest. Eastern Bloc nations have more married priests than any other. The church knows about these 5 to 10 percent of priests that serve this way.
Celibacy?
As long as a pope dispensation has been given, the Catholic church allows exceptions to married couples even though the Catholic church traditionally demands nuns and priests stay celibate and unmarried. The vows have been taken by fewer people yearly. Inside and outside of the Catholic church this has elevated some concerns. Last year, the Catholic church started a new conversion program meant to help Anglican priests and bishops convert to the Roman Catholic religion. You will find certain Catholic sects that allow married priests and female priests, but the mainstream Roman Catholic church has not indicated it's ready to consider the possibility.
Articles cited
The Star
thestar.com/printarticle/942850

By: Helen Louie

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