When addressing a Catholic Priest......

[Salty]

When you address a Catholic priest- do you call him "Father"? why or why not?

 

[agedman]

When you address a Catholic priest- do you call him "Father"? why or why not?

Nope,

I have one Father - My Heavenly Father.

I call him by whatever others do, except without the "father."

So, if the folks call him "father Paul," I just say, "Paul."

To date, none have questioned me about so doing.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Nope,

I have one Father - My Heavenly Father.

I call him by whatever others do, except without the "father."

So, if the folks call him "father Paul," I just say, "Paul."

To date, none have questioned me about so doing.

That's about it for me. Although I might use Pastor Paul. I hate any of the titles like that for any ministry people even myself, especially reverend.

 

[drfuss]

That's about it for me. Although I might use Pastor Paul. I hate any of the titles like that for any ministry people even myself, especially reverend.

I agree. Jesus said not to address an other Christian by an elevated title; that would include: pastor, father, reverend, deacon, teacher, apostle, bishop, etc.
We are all brothers.

 

[Mexdeaf]

Aside- having lived and ministered in South Texas, I always had a little laugh to myself when the Catholic students that I worked with would call me "Father" and ask me what time "Mass" was at our church. We had many visit and some saved.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

When you address a Catholic priest- do you call him "Father"? why or why not?

I don't, because he's not my father and, as a Christian, I don't recognize his authority.

On the one hand, I want to be polite and respectful but, on the other, as I believe Catholicism is a separate and distinct religion, apart from Christianity, I don't believe he's earned any of the honorific titles associated with Christian leaders.

So I usually just call him "Mr. _____".

Not very often that I run into that problem. I don't run into too many Catholic priests around here.

 

[Salty]

I agree. Jesus said not to address an other Christian by an elevated title; that would include: pastor, father, reverend, deacon, teacher, apostle, bishop, etc.
We are all brothers.

I have a question - but I started a new thread

 

[Arbo]

I have never addressed a Catholic priest using the title "father". Though I do not recognize spiritual authority over me, I do not think it appropriate to show derision for the office.

 

[saturneptune]

I would call him Paul for example, or Mr. Jones. He has no spiritual authority over any of us, but do think one should be cordial and civil as we may be near enough for his church members to hear.

I can remember in the Presbyterian church, many pastors used Reverend. As one poster pointed out above, only God is good.

If the RCC had a clear understanding of Scripture, they would run away from the name "Father."

 

[Jerome]

Timothy George of Founders Ministries used "Holy Father" when he appeared before the Pope at the Vatican last year:

http://www.beesondivinity.com/fromthedean/posts/vatican

He called the other Bishops there "Venerable Fathers".

 

[Salty]

Timothy George of Founders Ministries used "Holy Father" when he appeared before the Pope at the Vatican last year: ...

What would happen if you called him Unholy father?

 

[preachinjesus]

Depending on my relationship with the priest I usually defer to their title of "Father So-and-so" in formal settings. Like, if I'm addressing a group of people at an inter-Christian dialogue or something.

In private, informal conversation (particularly if I know them) I'll call them by their first name.

It doesn't bother me to call them "Father."

 

[Jerome]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=5829430&page=1

Under Italian law, courts can sentence people to up to five years in prison for "offending the honor" of the Pope.

An Italian prosecutor had vowed to take comedian Sabina Guzzanti to court on charges of religious slander. . . .Guzzanti said, "Within 20 years the Pope will be where he ought to be -- in hell, tormented by great big poofter devils. . . .Rome prosecutor Giovanni Ferrara initially threatened to prosecute the actress for offending the honor of the sacred and inviolable person of the pope. Today, however, Ferrara's office announced that the case would not move forward, since Italian Justice Minister Angelino Alfano decided not to proceed with the charges. ''Despite the fact that it would be possible to proceed with the case, I have decided not to

 

[Squire Robertsson]

Depends

If he is a parish priest or a priest on a parish's staff, I'd call him "Pastor". I look at the word as a job title not an honorific. If the priest is not in a parish, then mister last name.

 

[Iconoclast]

8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

 

[Jerome]

Confession 26:4

the Pope of Rome. . .is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

When you address a Catholic priest- do you call him "Father"? why or why not?

I refer to them as 'fodder'

 

[John of Japan]

I agree. Jesus said not to address an other Christian by an elevated title; that would include: pastor, father, reverend, deacon, teacher, apostle, bishop, etc.
We are all brothers.

This is not what Jesus said.

1. Jesus did not say a thing about what we should call another. He said "Do not be called...." There the onus is on the one with the position, so that he should not tell anyone to call him anything. If someone were to say to a pastor, "Hello, Mr. Jones" and the pastor were to object and say, "You must call me Rev. Jones," that is what Christ was condemning.

2. Jesus did not say a thing about the words pastor, reverend, deacon, apostle or bishop. He specifically used the words father, Rabbi (teacher) and Master (Greek kathegetes, meaning guide or teacher). His point was, you have only one teacher in spiritual matters and that is Jesus Christ. As for the word "apostle," Paul often called himself that, so there is no sin there in calling one's self pastor, etc.

In this matter the Catholics are greatly at fault, and no one should call any Catholic priest "father," because there is only one Father in Heaven. However, Paul referred to himself as a spiritual father (1 Cor. 4:14-15), not as a title but as a relationship, being the one who led them to Christ.

 

[Judith]

When you address a Catholic priest- do you call him "Father"? why or why not?

Nope. I find the term inappropriate and the position he is claiming as not biblical.

 

[Jerome]

The Rev. E. Kathleen Christopher, who serves under Gospel Coalition council member, the Rev. Dr. John Yates, at The Falls Church-Anglican:

my daughter gasped, “Mom – that priest – she’s a…WOMAN!” And so she was. “Yes,” I smiled, “Isn’t it great?” My daughter’s whole face lit up, “Yeah!” she said. At that moment neither I, nor anyone else, would have dreamed that a few years later, I myself would be ordained a priest, not because I could and not to make a “statement” for equal rights. Simply because it became clear to me that this is who I was created to be and what I was created to do. It was what God was calling me to do. In the denomination in which I grew up, all priests are called “father.” It’s a fitting address – all God’s children need fathers. Although relatively few congregations address their female counterparts by the title, the appropriate corollary to “father” is of course – “mother.” I have learned that just as all God’s children need fathers, all God’s children need mothers, too. So that is what I am, both to my biological children, now grown, and to my spiritual children, most of whom are grown – I’m a mother to them. I am blessed to minister to men, women, and children.

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