Is it a sin to criticize a Priest?

[Kaitlyn]

I am not sure if this is the case but I remember reading in a prayer book called "Pieta" as a child it said we were not to do so publicly.

 

[If Not For Grace]

The short answer is No. Be sure your criticism is not of a gossip nature. Martin Luther regularly engaged in the practice. Just check your motives.

 

[Colin]

The morality of the rightness or wrongness of criticism applies to all human beings be they priest or not .

 

[ZaidaBoBaida]

The morality of the rightness or wrongness of criticism applies to all human beings be they priest or not .

Agreed. Priests are human beings just like all the rest of us. They commit sin just like all the rest of us. Sometimes they need to be called on it, or even turned over to the civil authorities - just like if one of us did it. This idea that it is a sin to criticize a priest is part of what enabled the culture of cover-up of abuse that happened in the church for decades.

 

[Andres88]

"Criticize" a priest. Define your concept of "criticizing," and the reasoning/purpose behind it.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says: " And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you:That you esteem them more abundantly in charity, for their work's sake. Have peace with them."

We should esteem them more abundantly because of their work, but if they are doing something wrong, we are to correct them. There's also a Bible passage in the NT that speaks on how we should do this correction in love; I just can't find it right now.

Now: Criticizing someone behind his back is not something I'd see positive. Matthew 18 calls us to go to that person. Always with the right attitude, of course.


---
EDIT:

1 Timothy 5:1,19. That's where it talks on how we should correct priests.

 

[KatherineS]

We should never criticize a priest when he is right.

Further, if the criticism has to do with his driving, it should never be done with hand gestures.

 

[Rhamiel]

The short answer is No. Be sure your criticism is not of a gossip nature. Martin Luther regularly engaged in the practice. Just check your motives.

well I saying that Martin Luther did something is a pretty good reason for Christians to avoid it.

Priests are our spiritual fathers and we should give them the proper respect that we give to our own parents, sometimes we might have to correct them, but it should be done with charity and respect and in privet, not gossiping about it with everyone else.

 

[KatherineS]

well I saying that Martin Luther did something is a pretty good reason for Christians to avoid it.

I would respectfully disagree.

“Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!”
― Martin Luther

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

I've heard it's sin to physically assault a priest

 

[Michie]

I think it applies to gossip & not respecting the vocation. Valid criticism is not a sin as far as I know.

Then there is this:

Our Lord's revelations to Mutter Vogel

"One should NEVER attack a priest, even when he's
in error, rather one should pray and do penance that
I'll grant him My grace again. He alone fully
represents Me, even when he doesn't live after my
example!

Continued- Priesthood - Criticism of Priests

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

I've heard it's sin to physically assault a priest

I would assume so, yes.

 

[Michie]

CRITICIZING THE CLERGY

A young priest who recently took over his first parish was rudely shocked one day when he heard members of his Orthodox Catholic flock engaging in biting gossip. Even loyal and fervent Orthodox Catholics sometimes catch themselves joining in gossip about a priest who they know, or one of whose faults they have heard. What did Father J. M. K. think?

'There's a special kind of malice attached to speaking evil about priests. They have the high and responsible office of administering to the spiritual needs of all the people of their parish. In general, the higher the office and dignity of the one whose reputation is assailed, the greater is the harm done by the evil task … and the greater the sin that is committed."

But can't a person criticize the dress or voice of a priest?

"Yes," says Father, "there are some things that may be said about a priest that do not in any way reflect on his good name and do not make respect for the priest more difficult for others.

"Active priests occupy a prominent position before their people." Every member of their flock is interested in them. Thus, there is no harm done when parishioners tell one another about a priest being bald, or not very good looking.

"Certainly there would be little harm in commenting that a certain priest is a very nervous public speaker, or very shy … so long as these are objective traits and the comment is not inspired by personal ill-feeling."

Then Father brought up the Ninth Commandment.

"In general," he said, "it forbids two great sins against charity. The first is detraction-which means unnecessarily revealing the secret but real sins of somebody else. Gossip comes under this heading.

"The second sin is that of slander or calumny. This means telling evil lies about others … interpreting their secret motives as evil … putting out suspicions of evil in others as if they were proved facts."

He explained they were sins because they injure the good name of a fellow human being. Secondly, they do harm to the good order of society by breaking down respect for lawful authority. It makes obedience and even the practice of religion itself difficult for those who have heard the evil talk about others.

He disapproved of so-called one-man campaigns of condemnation against a pastor's method of administering his parish.

"There are some Orthodox Catholics who make their dissenting views a starting point for a crusade of constant criticism and rebellious talk. They don't like the method of collection. They nag about these matters to everybody they meet.

They do their best to make the pastor appear to others as ignorant, imprudent, foolish and perhaps even idiotic just because they disagree with the way he does things.

"This sort of constant criticism, accompanied, as it usually is, by the bad example of refusal to cooperate in any way with the pastor, can in due time cause much damage."

The young priest continued. "Priests are human beings. In dealing with multitudes of people, they cannot escape hurting individuals now and then. Like everybody, priests ace subject to sickness, fatigue, moods, mistakes of judgment.

He gave three examples. A priest may rebuke a person coming late to Divine Liturgy without knowing that the person may have been the one in a hundred who had a good reason, A priest may get impatient with a mother's crying child and thus incur the mother's wrath. A priest may choose the wrong approach for reminding a backsliding parishioner of his duty to help support the parish financially.

"Such incidents, and a hundred like them, have caused persons to bear a grudge against a priest. Very often it is persons who have been greatly at fault who are most apt to nurse a grudge against a priest. The worst of this is that such persons don't come to church regularly and keep their children away-using as an excuse … 'Father was unkind to me' ."

Despite their lofty vocation, priests remain human. They have to save their own souls like everybody else. But they can also choose to lose them. The Orthodox Catholic faithful will always see some faults in their priests and will have some reason to be resentful toward them at times, Is there an answer?

"Yes." he said. "God promised infallible guidance to His Church, and Grace and salvation through the Divine Liturgy and the Sacraments. He did not promise that all His priests would he saints and geniuses at the same time.

"Before unnecessarily criticizing the clergy, remember that a whispered prayer for the priests will be a far, far better thing to do."

Criticizing the Clergy

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Lately I've definitely had plenty of cause to criticize mine!

 

[Michie]

Lately I've definitely had plenty of cause to criticize mine!

I hear so many different views hen it comes to criticizing clergy. I guess just keep charity in mind.

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

I've heard it's sin to physically assault a priest

It's always a sin to physically assault someone without justification. However, it is no longer an automatic excommunication for striking a priest.

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

Do you want to know about criticizing a priest? I'll give you a straightforward answer. Take it for what you will, but this is what you will typically find. If you write a letter or confront your priest, he will ignore if you hold no power in the parish, either by reputation, connections, time, or money.

If you write or confront him and you have some sway (see above) then he will pretend to give a darn about what you have to say. He may even implement one of your suggestions/criticisms depending on your credibility versus the strength of your suggestion.

If you write your bishop, you will be ignored unless you have a lot of money. If you write the Pope, you will be ignored unless you are very powerful in worldly affairs or you are very very very (saintly) reputable in the Church.

I say this as a devout Catholic and a man that nearly became a priest. The way the Church operates is revolting. I know not everyone does this, but it is an institution based on humans who are very weak.

 

[Andres88]

Do you want to know about criticizing a priest? I'll give you a straightforward answer. Take it for what you will, but this is what you will typically find. If you write a letter or confront your priest, he will ignore if you hold no power in the parish, either by reputation, connections, time, or money.

If you write or confront him and you have some sway (see above) then he will pretend to give a darn about what you have to say. He may even implement one of your suggestions/criticisms depending on your credibility versus the strength of your suggestion.

If you write your bishop, you will be ignored unless you have a lot of money. If you write the Pope, you will be ignored unless you are very powerful in worldly affairs or you are very very very (saintly) reputable in the Church.

I say this as a devout Catholic and a man that nearly became a priest. The way the Church operates is revolting. I know not everyone does this, but it is an institution based on humans who are very weak.

Has this been your experience? If so, very unfortunate indeed. However, it calls my attention that what you say implies that all the Church authorities care about is money, or power in worldy affairs. Likewise, saying that it's an institution based on humans. Composed of humans? Yes. Physically led by humans? Yes. But based on humans? That's going too far.

In the end, do you have a suggestion on what should be done regarding the case where a priest does wrong? Because all you seem to be saying is that one will achieve nothing by 'correcting' a priest.

 

[Luther073082]

well I saying that Martin Luther did something is a pretty good reason for Christians to avoid it.

Wow some of you really think Luther is Satan's handyman. Not enough just to disagree with the guy??

I know he's not perfect but seriously??

 

[Rhamiel]

Wow some of you really think Luther is Satan's handyman. Not enough just to disagree with the guy??

I know he's not perfect but seriously??

yeah it is crazy
some people just do not like the guy...

... oh wait... I am one of those people... yeah...

is it really that big of a shock that the Catholic Sub-forum is not the host of the Luther Fan Club?

 

[Wesley1982]

The only criticism I have is because of the vocation and religious life thing ...