The Heights is reporting that after a lecture on sacraments at Jesuit Boston College last week, theology professor Fr. Michael Himes called the notion of telling someone they have to be celibate “absolutely mad”. He also reportedly appeared to endorse same-sex marriage.
From the article:
After the lecture, Himes was drawn off the topic of sacraments by an audience question inquiring about gay marriage. “If it is true that there are people who are irretrievably homosexual, then it is vicious to tell them they can’t get married,” Himes said in response. “To tell someone they have to be celibate is absolutely mad.”
According to the Boston College website, Fr. Himes (who appears on his profile page sans clerical garb) teaches Introduction to Christian Theology I & II, Sacramental Principal, and Contemplation and Ethics, among other courses at the Jesuit institution.
Adam Wilson
CNS Staff
Matthew Archbold
Charlotte Hays
31 Comments
Just reading the headline is enough. The standard must be set based on the Magisterium but we all fall short of the glory of God. The just man falls seven times a day. The standard can not be removed and license given or the Church’s stand on the natural law falls.
In other words, he has charged God with being absolutely mad.
One thinks that this chap is irretrievably mad.
How is this fellow allowed to remain a priest let alone a Theologian at a Catholic college????.All priests as well as Theologians should be required to sign and notorize Ecl. Corda or like this so called priest should be sent packing and expelled from the faith not to mention the priesthood-Theology position.Mr Hines, I hesitate to call him a priest apparantly has never heard of Rex Humana-Catholic morals either.
St. Paul warned the early church of those who would try to distort the faith, both from without And within the church. We have seen & heard of many “priests & so-called faithful” who have lost their faith trying to distort our faith. The Letters of Peter, Paul, James & John in the New Testament are very much worth reading; as well as the Gospels.
Priests like this need to be defrocked.
He teaches Intro to Christian Theology 1 and 2!!?? What a nightmare. Wake up parents! Just because you are sending your kid to a “Catholic” college doesn’t mean you will get Catholic teaching.
I LIKE THAT JESUS SAYING A GOOD MAN FALLS SEVEN TIMES A DAY. HOW TRUE. ANOTHER ONE THAT GETS A PASSOVER IS IF THY EYE OFFEND THEE PLUCK IT OUT.
JUST IMAGINE A HOUSE AND A SENATE FULL OF SEEING EYE DOGS. JESUS MENTIONED OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY. HE IS A TOUGH ACT OF FOLLOW. BUT GOOD PEOPLE TRY EVERY DAY. TO ME WE HAVE THE BEST RELIGION. LET US TRY NOT TO DESTROY IT. NOT EVEN CONGRESS CAN AMMEND THE 10 COMMANDMENTS. WHEN CHRIST WENT TO CANA HE CELEBRATED MARRIAGE BETWEEN A PLUS AND A MINUS. THUS A FULL CHARGE.
http://WWW.MEDIACRAPMATTERS.US
Get rid of him… . bpp
This person should be dismissed by BC immediately. He should also be asked to resign from the priesthood, or be defrocked forthwith.
Any so-called theology professor at a Catholic college advocating such heresies must be dealt with without delay!
It’s becoming much more obvious that Jesuits aren’t really Catholjc after all. They have their own “whatever I want” kind of religion.
Too true.
In fact, I am growing more happy as my tenure at Seattle Preparatory School (a Jesuit HS) shortens and my anticipation of attending JP CATHOLIC (that one in San Diego) to study film production increases!
It is called “In the Jesuit Tradition”. There are those who have the idea that this is akin to “white man speak with forked tongue”.
This does not surprise me coming from a Jesuit. With a few exceptions, the Jesuits have lost the Faith.
The comments attributed to Himes in the article clearly indicate a lack of knowledge of the Catholic Faith. As for homosexuals, the celibate life is the only alternative to stand in compliance with the teachings of Christ. Priests also must take the vow of Chastity and remain celebate so it’s not like it is not an achievable goal or reasonalbe lifestyle. Take a choice, love God or love sex and take the consequences of your actions and choice. But don’t complain about your choice.
St. Ignatius of Loyola , St. Francis Xavier, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Francis Borgia, all Jesuit saints, pray to Our Lord for your brothers so they may do HIS Will.
A one-time Marxist said that they – the Marxists – had planted their members in the Church. I believe the Freemasons did the same. Did they select particular orders – such as the Jesuits?
Ed M. from Waterbury, once a priest, a apriest forever, no matter how one may fall or rise, he is always a priest. Father Himes deserves our prayers.
Fr. John Hardon, SJ was a holy Jesuit. Any given man can be a sinner and betray his calling, his founder and his priesthood. Pray for him.
Well, he’s Jesuit. He’s at Boston College. What would you expect? Someone who believes what the Church actually teaches? Come on!
He’s diocesan, not a Jesuit.
Needs his “mandatum” revoked asap!
…I know, sadly, I know…
I am shocked by the sheer indifference that some Catholic institutions seem to have in regards to things like this.
If I remember right, whoever was pope in 1773 suppressed the Jesuits for several years. If it wasn’t for the wild Catherine the Great of Russia, the Jesuits might’ve faded into oblivion.
I happened to be recently re-reading a number of books concerning the Father Feeney situation and was rather amazed to learn that he was seriously concerned about the nonsense and heresies being taught at Boston College THEN (the 1940s!). He would seem to be a prophetic voice considering what this Jesuit ignoramus has said today.
Feeney, a Jesuit, was also apparently concerned about evidence of homosexuality in the Order he was finding a decade before that, in the 1930s. He brought these concerns to his superiors, who apparently did nothing about it. And now we have come to this. Incredible.
My father and uncle both went to a Catholic mens’ college in the late 1940s/early 1950s. Both of them said the biggest problem was getting propositioned by some of the priests there. Since what passed for Church leaders didn’t fix the problem then, we’re paying the price for it now.
A couple of G.K.Chesterton quotes:
“Moral issues are always terribly complex for someone without principles.”
“When men cease to believe in God they do not thereafter believe in nothing; they believe in anything!”
Obviously shouldn’t be a priest and shouldn’t be teaching at a Catholic school.
from Bill Foley
May I suggest a natural argument vs same-sex acts and so-called “marriage” between two persons of the same sex.
The basis is THE PARTS DO NOT FIT.
This applies to the psychological, emotional, and spiritual aspects—three areas in which a man and a woman do fit.
The other facet is the physical dimension. The sexual/generative parts of the male and female bodies do fit, THEY ARE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER LIKE A LOCK AND A KEY, and this fit is IN ACCORD WITH NATURE. This natural fit also follows a natural purpose, namely, the generation of a human life. The sexual/generative parts of two males or of two females DO NOT FIT and do not fulfill the natural purpose of generating human life.
A reply to # 15 comment. Dear sir, I think they need to change that rule. With Priests like these(Hines-BC and McBrien-ND) who needs enemies. We would be better off with a shortage of priests and bring in clergy from the Philipines, Poland , India and Africa than these so called priests running loose at alleged Catholic colleges. No wonder the Cardinal Newman society and Real catholic TV has a full time job exposing the wayward clergy at wayward so called catholic(in name only) colleges and the jesuit priesthood.GOD help us with clergy like Mr. Hines teaching theology in priestly garb at BC..
The frustrating thing is that colleges such as BC celebrate thinking like that of Fr. Himes while teachers such as myself who are faithful to the magisterium continually are overlooked for teaching positions.
The Catholic Church requires that its priests be celibate. If Fr. Himes calls that “mad”, then it would stand to reason that he is unable to practice celibacy himself. This would seem to be an untenable position, for Fr. Himes, Boston College and the Diocese of Boston. Someone needs to be held accountable.
Well! What is Fr. Himes telling us!? Celibacy is the only option a gay has to live the Faith. We widows, widowers, divorcees, and singles can be celibate why should gays be any different? Life can be just fine without sexual activity.