Corps Of Reserve Priests United For Service

A ranking Vatican official has raised questions about a meeting last summer in Santa Clara of U.S. Catholic bishops with married ex-priests whose organization advocates their return to priestly service. Cardinal Antonio Innocenti, who heads the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy, wrote to Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh. Wuerl and three fellow bishops talked on June 24 with five leaders of a national organization called CORPUS (Corps of Reserve Priests United for Service).

A ranking Vatican official has raised questions about a meeting last summer in Santa Clara of U.S. Catholic bishops with married ex-priests whose organization advocates their return to priestly service. Cardinal Antonio Innocenti, who heads the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy, wrote to Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh. Wuerl and three fellow bishops talked on June 24 with five leaders of a national organization called CORPUS (Corps of Reserve Priests United for Service).

A framed photo of the happy couple on their wedding day stands on a living room table, the bride in a traditional white gown, the groom in a tux. They live in a cozy house with a white picket fence, flowers and a big dog. The wife serves coffee and cheerfully disappears.

Patrick Sorohan owns and manages a community bookstore in Lancaster, Ohio. He has four young daughters, and he and his wife serve as lay readers in their local Catholic parish. Sorohan is also, in his view, a Roman Catholic priest. Thirteen years ago he sought and received formal "dispensation" from priestly ministry, and his hope is to return to the priesthood with his wife and family. "He's ready, willing and able," said his wife, Martha.

Dominec Rizzo wanted to get married by a Catholic priest, but he had one problem. He did not want to go through the time and trouble of getting his first marriage annulled. So he called Rent A Priest, a service that finds married priests to do jobs regular priests won't or can't do. "They're providing us a way to have a traditional ceremony--as close as possible--without actually being in a church," said Rizzo, who is set to get married in October at this city's Four Seasons Hotel.

During the summer, Charles D. Ara began receiving telephone calls from strangers and friends he had not heard from in years. Ara, who performed the marriage ceremony for Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, was suddenly a very popular person. Some of the calls were from former Roman Catholic priests who, as is Ara, are married and are no longer considered to be priests by the Catholic church. "Some of them said they wished they had been chosen to perform the wedding," Ara said.

This summer, Charles D. Ara began receiving telephone calls from strangers and friends he had not heard from in years. Ara, who performed the marriage ceremony for Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, was suddenly a very popular person. Some of the calls were from former Roman Catholic priests who, as is Ara, are married and are no longer considered to be priests by the Catholic church. "Some of them said they wished they had been chosen to perform the wedding," Ara said.

This summer, Charles D. Ara began receiving telephone calls from strangers and friends he had not heard from in years. Ara, who performed the marriage ceremony for Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, was suddenly a very popular person. Some of the calls were former Catholic priests who, like Ara, are married and no longer considered to be priests by the Catholic church. "Some of them said they wished they had been chosen to perform the wedding," Ara said.