With this article, Vigilius continues the analysis begun in his first part. Today the theme is celibacy. PAK
The Celibacy of Christ
Showing posts with label Celibacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celibacy. Show all posts
Analysis: "Querida Amazonia, a Blueprint for a Lay Church" - by Fr. Pio Pace, Roman Curia Insider
It has been a while, but Father Pio Pace, our pseudonymous very influential insider in the Roman Curia, was at last able to send us a special comment on the new post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Querida Amazonia.
***
Querida Amazonia: a document for a kind of "Lay Church"?
Father Pio Pace
Will married viri probati be ordained to the priesthood? This question was the focus of all the attention, before, during, and after the assembly of the Amazon Synod, and the bishops of the German 'Synodal Way' were mounting an ambush, getting ready to seize the issue to force the institutional transformation of the Church.
For all sorts of political and tactical reasons, the long-expected apostolic exhortation does not mention it. It does not reject the possibility (as it has been hastily claimed): it simply does not mention it. In fact, the exhortation goes much further, in the direction of a Laicized Church, in which the common priesthood of the baptized largely absorbs the priestly ministry, being mixed up with it.
Because this text, under a modest appearance, is actually very ambitious. One should read with great attention the beginning of the Exhortation: it is presented as a, "framework of reflection," which is an invitation to read the final document of the Synod (which speaks of priestly ordination of married deacons), but rises up to more fundamental, and certainly more radical, considerations. The central passage deals with the "Inculturation of ministry" (paragraphs 85-90), followed by thoughts on the communities (91-98), then on the role of women (99-103).
Apostolic Exhortation “Querida Amazonia” — full text
Full Text of the papal document following the Amazon Synod
Notes: Regarding the priesthood and the Eucharist, we call your attention in particular to Paragraphs 82-98.
No opening whatsoever was made for the ordination of married men/viri probati to the Priesthood. On the contrary, in the spirit of making clear clericalism is not central, there is an emphasis on the lay ministry as "distinctively lay" (cf. paragraph 94).
The paragraphs on women (99-103) also do not have any revolutionary content.
Paragraphs 104-105 make clear that the path forward should not be an either/or, but solutions beyond conflicts of the past.
One particular good point is the one of Paragraph 18, with extensive historical references in footnote 17, making clear the permanent solicitude of the Church, through various pontificates, and since the earliest days of Christian presence in the New World, for the welfare of the indigenous peoples. Specific reference is made even to the Laws of the Indies (Leyes de las Indias), promulgated by the Spanish Crown with specific protections for the indigenous populations. The 1909 text of one of the first bishops of Amazonas (Manaus), Brazil, Frederico Benicio, named by Saint Pius X to that extensive territory, is expressly quoted.
One particular good point is the one of Paragraph 18, with extensive historical references in footnote 17, making clear the permanent solicitude of the Church, through various pontificates, and since the earliest days of Christian presence in the New World, for the welfare of the indigenous peoples. Specific reference is made even to the Laws of the Indies (Leyes de las Indias), promulgated by the Spanish Crown with specific protections for the indigenous populations. The 1909 text of one of the first bishops of Amazonas (Manaus), Brazil, Frederico Benicio, named by Saint Pius X to that extensive territory, is expressly quoted.
Despite all problems (the downsides are numerous), we can rightly say that this is the best possible document we could have hoped for in the current pontificate and in the current age. It is not the best document (that would be impossible in the current moment in time), but it is, in a Leibnizian way, the best possible text...
Full text below:
Anno Domini MMXX - Notes for the Year: Benedict XVI Speaks Up in Defense of Priestly Celibacy - Could this be why Amazon Synod document is late?
One can suspect this with the upcoming publication of a Book jointly written by Benedict XVI and Cardinal Sarah. A scoop revealed by Jean-Marie Guenois, of conservative French daily Le Figaro, as we note below in excerpts from the Associated Press report (book excerpts in bold):
Pope Benedict XVI breaks silence to reaffirm priest celibacyBy NICOLE WINFIELDVATICAN CITY (AP) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has broken his silence to reaffirm the value of priestly celibacy, co-authoring a bombshell book at the precise moment that Pope Francis is weighing whether to allow married men to be ordained to address the Catholic priest shortage.Benedict wrote the book, “From the Depths of Our Hearts: Priesthood, Celibacy and the Crisis of the Catholic Church,” along with his fellow conservative, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, who heads the Vatican’s liturgy office and has been a quiet critic of Francis.
Priestly celibacy: More than a mere discipline
Yesterday, we reported that priestly celibacy was once again on Pope Francis' radar (see here). We at Rorate have seen this coming for a while as an organic -- yet oh-so-non-organic -- development in the future erosion of the Church's tradition.
Confirmed: Priestly celibacy, homosexual clergy to be the next battlefields in this Pontificate
Is this also the opening of the war over "decentralization"?
Sandro Magister's latest column (Married Priests. The Germany-Brazil Axis) published today, carries more concrete proofs of Pope Francis' openness to creating "exceptions" to the law of priestly celibacy in the Latin Rite, with support from German and German-Brazilian clerics. This time we are no longer dealing with mere rumors or speculation, but direct affirmations by two well-known clerics who have corresponded or spoken with the Pope that he is indeed willing to consider the possibility of married Latin-Rite priests, at least in certain regions of the world (beginning with the Amazon), with the hope that the reform will then "develop a dynamic of its own".
A Pope who carefully plans what he says and does; and more from National Geographic's important new article on Francis
National Geographic has posted online its August 2015 feature article on Pope Francis (Will the Pope Change the Vatican? Or Will the Vatican Change the Pope?). Despite the presence of the standard clichés and stereotypes that mainstream secular American media is largely incapable of shedding when discussing Catholicism, the article's value is derived from its snippets of interviews with the Pope's circle of close friends. These shed much light on his plans and strategy for the future of the Church. Equally as important are the assertions that Pope Francis, far from being spontaneous and guileless, carefully plans the things he says and does.
From the Synod of the Family, to clerical celibacy, to the Pope's attitude towards homosexuality, a clear picture emerges of a Papacy that, without explicitly aiming at changing doctrine, does aim at a very real revolution within the Church. Below is a selection of passages from the article that reveal much not only about the Pope's intentions, but also the unmistakable power and control that he exerts within the Vatican.
Exclusive translation: newest papal controversial declarations to Scalfari
- Did Pope defend the annihilation of souls?
What Pope Francis may say to Europe's Nonbelievers
Eugenio Scalfari
La Repubblica
March 15, 2015
“We must avoid that the good [souls] be lost and we must do everything possible to save the lost ones”
The mercy to which Pope Francis is dedicating the upcoming Jubilee Year has this objective: the prodigal son of the parable whom the father welcomes [home] as a celebration of life, forgiveness among men and the infinite forgiveness of God towards His creatures. Repentance is the condition [necessary] for mercy to fall upon that soul and illuminate it with its light.
Pope Bergoglio did not pick the name Francis (unusual for the Church of Rome) by chance: the Saint from Assisi saw and loved all of God’s creatures because they all carry a spark of the divinity in them; the good shepherd is that spark which must discover and cancel with his love the dross accumulated in life itself and which has banished it into the depths, suffocating its light.
However, the theme of sin and repentance remain. And if repentance does not come? If the spark has gone out or has never existed? Pope Francis never considered that that spark could go out or that some natures could have even been deprived of it from birth; so the care for souls must never stop nor be interrupted and this is the task of the missionary work of the Church. At one of our meetings he spoke to me of that mission which concerned also unbelievers. “The missionary Church” – he said to me – does not proselytize, but strives to awaken the search for good in their souls.”
“Your Holiness, – I replied – I don’t believe in the existence of the soul.”
EXCLUSIVE: CARDINAL BURKE INTERVIEW WITH RORATE CAELI
Follow @RorateCaeli on Twitter
Last week, Rorate Caeli interviewed Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke via telephone on numerous topics. Nothing was off the table for this interview and His Eminence was incredibly generous with his time. He showed himself to be brilliant and yet filled with humility. And his care and concern for traditional Catholics must be acknowledged and appreciated.
In this wide-ranging interview, His Eminence talked about issues ripped from the news such as: Vatican officials threatening to sue bloggers; more priests coming under his authority; the dismantling of the Franciscans of the Immaculate; how traditional Catholics can save their souls in this modern world -- and get their children the sacraments in the traditional rite in the face of dissenting bishops; priestly celibacy; daily confusion from Pope Francis; and much, much more.
All may reprint/repost this interview -- but you must credit Rorate Caeli.
VATICAN OFFICIALS THREATENING TO SUE BLOGGERS
Rorate
Caeli: Your Eminence, thank you very
much for agreeing to this interview. As the most-read international blog for
traditional Catholics, we believe this will give much hope to our readership, and to traditional-minded Catholics everywhere. For our first question: The
traditional world, recently, has been stunned by the news that two officials of
the Vatican have threatened to sue traditional-minded Catholic bloggers and
reporters. Do you agree with this approach, and do you think we should expect to
see more of this in the future?
Card. Burke: Unless the blogger has committed a calumny
on someone's good name unjustly, I certainly don't think that that's the way we
as Catholics should deal with these matters. I think contact should be made. I
presume that the Catholic blogger is in good faith, and if there's someone in
the hierarchy who is upset with him, the
way to deal with it would be first to
approach the person directly and try to resolve the matter in that way. Our Lord
in the Gospel and St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians instruct us
not to take our disputes to the civil forum, that we should be able, as
Catholics, to resolve these matters among ourselves. (cf. Mt. 18:15; 1 Cor.
6:1-6)
A stern Messori on the Pope, Scalfari, Vatican Denials, and equivocations on Priestly celibacy: “We must pray for them”.
| Messori and Cardinal Ratzinger during one of their famous meetings that would lead to the landmark book "The Ratzinger Report" |
Libero Quotidiano , July 15, 2014
The latest controversial “interview” given by Pope Francis to Eugenio Scalfari, published in La Repubblica on July 13, has provoked what is by now a ritual of refutations/denials by the Vatican. In this conversation, the Pope seemed, among other things, to have maintained that “celibacy was established in the tenth century, that is, 900 years after the death of our Lord”, as if he wanted to lessen its importance and to put it into the category of discipline rather than theology. And in fact he allegedly added: “The Eastern Catholic church has had the authority right to the present time to have priest get married”. As for the future, Francis is said to have declared that “the problem certainly exists but there are solutions to it and I will find them.” But are these words really part of the conversation between the Pope and Scalfari? We asked this question to the journalist and writer Vittorio Messori.
Did you read the interview given by Pope Francis to Eugenio Scalfari in La Repubblica on July 13?
M: Of course. Given the thicket of denials and refutations, what we have to figure out is how much is the work of Scalfari and how much of Bergoglio. This is not the first time that Scalfari has shown imagination. Last year he maintained that ‘just a few days before, the Jesuit Bergoglio had finally beatified the founder of the Order, Saint Ignatius of Loyola’. He was wrong by just four centuries.
The Holy Father seems to have relativized the vexing question of clerical celibacy, an obsession of all the “liberal” clergy. Francis replied that celibacy had been established only in the tenth century, ‘that is, 900 years after the death of our Lord’
M: I would not presume to give lessons to a Pope! But I have examined the problem from an historical perspective some years ago. The facts of the matter are not what was said. Abstention from marriage is traceable back to Apostolic times.
But Saint Peter was married.
M: But he was married before he knew Jesus. We do not know what happened after. Actually, we should use the broader term ‘continence’, which includes not only the renunciation of marriage, but also choosing not to have marital intercourse if one is already married. In the ancient Church, the majority of the clergy were made up of men that, with the consent of their wife, were admitted into Holy Orders after leaving their family. Jesus promised “one hundred-fold on this earth and in the world to come to those who, for love of Him and his Kingdom, ‘ left their home, parents, brothers, wives, sons.’
Antonio Socci's scathing words against Bishop Galantino:
"There you go again!" "Poverty? OK, give back the taxpayers' money!"
Ah, bishop Nunzio Galantino! Personally chosen by the Pope to be the new Secretary-General of the Italian Bishops' Conference (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana - CEI), Bishop Galantino entered the world stage with one infamous statement:
“I do not identify with the expressionless faces ['visi inespressivi'] of those who recite the Rosary outside the clinics where interruption of pregnancy [‘l’interruzione della gravidanza’] is practiced, but with those young people who are opposed to this practice and strive for the quality of life of the people, for their right to health, to work.”
| Saint Bernadette Soubirou's "expressionless Rosary face" (Galantino dixit), 1861 |
It's like a twofer insult -- mocking what he considers to be the "expressionless" faces of pro-life bishops, priests and faithful who risk it all to pray in front of baby slaughterhouses, plus the gall to use the pro-death shock-free nickname for abortion, "interruption of pregnancy." Quite startling even for extremely liberal bishops.
Bishop Galantino has the terrible habit of granting imprudent interviews where he says horrid things, but always only against faithful Catholics, and, after his latest one, the great Italian journalist and author Antonio Socci has had enough. Why all this talk of "poverty" this and "poverty" that, and no question of renouncing the golden tax allocations in Italy? By the Italian system of religious financing (called 8/1000, "otto per mille", or eight per thousand), the Italian government has the obligation of sending 8‰ ('eight per thousand' or = 0.8%) of the income tax paid by all taxpayers, and taxpayers are the ones who choose in their tax returns which organization can receive the amount -- either an officially recognized confession, or the government's own social assistance programs. As most Italians are nominally Catholic, the largest amount goes to the Catholic Church. "You want to be poor?" says Socci, "be poor then!"
Socci is no traditionalist, quite the opposite -- he is even a strong supporter of Medjugorje, and quite happy with his Novus Ordo mass. His extremely harsh words below are absolutely unprecedented for a mainstream Catholic writer in Italy. In a sense, with his words, Bishop Galantino broke a pact of courtesy and conviviality between Bishop and faithful, and Socci has followed his lead, whether we agree with his tone or not .
_________________________________
In order to be coherent, poverty-obsessed Bishops (such as Galantino)
must renounce their 8 per thousand
Antonio Socci
June 22, 2014
June 22, 2014
The Church wants to be “poorer in material goods and richer in evangelical virtue and has no need of protection, guarantees and certainties.”
Bishop Galantino, the new Secretary General of the CEI “made up” by Bergoglio in order to oversee and punish [Conference President] Cardinal Bagnasco (“guilty” of not having supported the Argentine prelate in the Conclave) did it again yesterday as he has done in the past. So – if words make any sense – the Church doesn’t welcome funds from the ‘8 per 1000’ anymore.
On another occasion, Galantino had thundered: “what is the use in the world today of a Church determined in defending its positions (at times its own real privileges).”
Everyone knows that it was the secular world of the ‘left’ that defined the ‘8 per 1000’ as a Church “privilege”, along with the exemption of the ICI [local property tax] and private schools (which among other things save the state a lot of money). Now, in the name of the CEI, Galantino, who craves the applause of the “Scalfarian”* public opinion, is doing the same thing. At this point, why make him unhappy by inundating the Italian Church with millions of euros?**
We have to make him happy, even if it’s halfhearted because of the problems that will arise for many good priests who labor heroically in important and excellent missions (and the many works of charity that could close leaving the task of helping the needy to the State). It’s right to fulfill the ardent desires for poverty of Galantino and company, who detest the “privileges” and money given to the Church.
Even then, certain people assert that it would be more credible (to go beyond the words) if the Secretary of the CEI would be coherent and propose the actual cancellation of the “8 for 1000’. If we do not choose to give the “8 for 1000” [to the Church], the State will get those funds anyway and perhaps there will be one less tax to pay, (as Ezio Greggio*** would say: “8 for a 1000”? No, no. I am struggling for myself and it’s already hard going”).
Mother Teresa's
"expressionless Rosary face" (Galantino dixit)
|
ANTI-CATHOLIC TV
Once it becomes poor, the CEI will have to make cuts. Even to its TV2000 network (a structure with costs), the daily newspaper “Avvenire”, and the news agency Sir (with 427 employees, among journalists, technicians and management). However, Galantino couldn’t have understood this, as, with regard to the media, he recently summoned several directors informing them that he himself will create “an editorial plan” to put all of the media - with his wise guidance - under only one man. He wants to be in charge of everything.
At any rate, Galantino just appointed to the administration of TV2000 Paolo Ruffini - the one who has made Catholics suffer more than anyone else, as director of several TV networks. Just to give an example, as director of Rai 3, Ruffini, along with Fazio and Saviano**** created: “Vieni via con me” (Come away with me), a program – as a result of its unilateralism – that had lengthy polemics with “Avvenire” and Catholics. By choosing Ruffini, Galantino is calling for the applause of the secularized world and the dominant “way of thinking”. Things that go hand in hand with his craving for microphones and TV cameras. He even went on “Ballarò”***** where his loquacious vanity brought to mind Sacha Guitry’s quip: “There are people who talk, talk, and talk …until they find something to say.”
His problem is the seeking of applause at any price. Since the applause of the world comes only when things are said in conformity with the dominant culture, this is why the “little ideological report” is needed: Galantino does it often. Even yesterday.
| "Expressionless rosary face," (Galantino dixit) brought to you by the Pope of "certain gatherings" |
GALANTINO’S BLUNDERS
In his craving to attack militant Catholics (the ones he should instead defend and represent), with his interview to “Regno”, anticipated by some newspapers, he once again threw the battle of the “non-negotiable principles” under the bus, even if they are official Church Magisterium. And he rejected “certain gatherings” from the times of Wojtyla, Ruini and Ratzinger.
Then he laid it on even thicker, by putting us on guard about values which “become ideology” (without explaining what this means). He recalled in an incorrect way the episode when Peter unsheathes his sword in defense of the Master, by adding a disturbing comment: “I must confess that I am left perplexed at the violent behavior, also verbal, when values are defended.”
Violence? From the synthesis given by “Avvenire”, it’s difficult to understand what he’s referring to, but more or less, it would appear to be the typical Galantino “blunder.” Despite being in the context of his dispute on the non-negotiable principles, it seems incredible that he may be referring to Catholics, because there are no groups of Catholics that practice violence. On the contrary, Catholics are generally trampled on by the intolerance of other people and Galantino wouldn’t dream of protesting against that.
Anyway, he doesn’t even say a word about the ongoing efforts of the left to prohibit freedom of expression about “homosexual marriage” with a liberty-destroying law. [The "anti-homophobia" bill]
Recently Galantino proclaimed that the Church has to change and must speak, “free of taboos about married priests, Communion to the divorced and remarried, and homosexuality.” Then he really decided to overdo things and came out with this devastating declaration: “In the past we concentrated exclusively on the 'no' to abortion and euthanasia. It cannot be like this, in the middle there is an 'existence' which develops. I don’t identify with the expressionless faces of those who recite the Rosary outside the clinics where interruption of pregnancy is practiced.” Apart from the blithe dismissal of the Church’s perennial Magisterium, that contemptuous remark about the “expressionless faces” deeply offended those who recite the Rosary for the women and children. (And has Galantino ever looked in the mirror? Who does he think he is? Rudolph Valentino?)
With those words the Secretary of the CEI has unjustifiably offended the great pro-life people who were motivated by Pope John Paul’s magisterium, and examples of saints like Mother Teresa of Calcutta. There was a wave of indignation. Not only because a bishop had never been seen mocking Catholics who pray, not only because those prayers were initiated in Italy by a figure like Don Oreste Benzi – but also because, at times, bishops themselves take part. Moreover, sometimes, the ones who organize these moments of prayer are women who have experienced the drama of abortion themselves. Some of them replied to Galantino with touching words.
Nonetheless, the Bishop from Cassano Jonico – now with a ‘subscription to blundering’ – didn’t think of apologizing. On the contrary, last week he launched another one of his bright ideas in his [own] diocese: “We want to apologize to the non-believers because many times the way we live our religious experience completely ignores the sensibilities of unbelievers, and we say and do things that very often don’t reach them, but rather vex them."
Another "expressionless Rosary face" -
show some sentiment, please, Padre Pio?
|
DOES HE WANT TO BE BETTER THAN JESUS?
With this, Galantino intends to show that he is better than Jesus Himself, Who never apologized to the world for coming into it in order to wake it up and “vex” sinners. Rather he claimed: “Do not think that I came to send peace upon the earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword.” (Matthew 10, 34). In fact, Jesus must have created plenty of vexation for unbelievers, since those who became so infuriated finished Him off in such a vicious way. After which others have continued to kill martyrs throughout the centuries, right up until the present day.
However, Galantino is not interested in Christian “combat”, and not even in Christian martyrs. With all the “big talk” in our clerical world, not once – these past weeks – have we heard him mention publicly the case of Meriam, the young pregnant mother who is being held in prison in Sudan, was sentenced to 100 lashes and to be hanged, just because she is a Christian and just because she married a Christian. But these things don’t shock Galantino. Yet great testimonies like the ones of Meriam or Asia Bibi will remain for eternity. While “Galantino’s blunders” by midday have already become salad wrapping-paper at the street market.
As Chesterton said; “We don’t need a Church that moves with the world. We need a Church that moves the world.”
[Source. Translation: Contributor Francesca Romana]
[Source. Translation: Contributor Francesca Romana]
__________________________
Cardinal Piacenza on the "Eucharistic Nature" of Priestly Celibacy.
ZENIT has published a translation of a long and detailed address by Mauro Cardinal Piacenza, the recently-appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, regarding the theological underpinnings of clerical celibacy and the teachings of the Popes from Pius XI to Benedict XVI on the matter. It is one of the strongest affirmations in recent years of the theological necessity for priests to be celibate.
Interestingly, the Cardinal speaks of the pronouncements of the Council of Elvira and the Second Council of Carthage regarding celibacy as "dogmatic pronouncements". He also specifically denounces the idea that celibacy is merely "ecclesiastical law", explaining that celibacy is "an intrinsic demand of the priesthood and of the configuration to Christ that the sacrament determines."
Interestingly, the Cardinal speaks of the pronouncements of the Council of Elvira and the Second Council of Carthage regarding celibacy as "dogmatic pronouncements". He also specifically denounces the idea that celibacy is merely "ecclesiastical law", explaining that celibacy is "an intrinsic demand of the priesthood and of the configuration to Christ that the sacrament determines."
Eastern Catholicism and Clerical Celibacy
From Zenit:
ROME, MARCH 9, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Married priests are an exception and the Church is increasingly convinced that they must remain so, according to a spiritual theology professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
Father Laurent Touze explained the foundations of priestly celibacy when he spoke at a two-day conference held last week at Rome's Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. The conference, "Priestly Celibacy: Theology and Life," was sponsored by the Congregation for the Clergy as an event for the Year for Priests.
ZENIT spoke with Father Touze about the exceptions to priestly celibacy and the future of celibacy for the Church.
ZENIT: Is celibacy a dogma of faith or a discipline?
Father Touze: Neither one nor the other. It isn't a dogma of faith because we see married priests in the Church today such as, for example, some [priests] of the Eastern Catholic Church. Not all but some admit married priests. Or as has been reminded recently in the Holy Father's motu propio "Anglicanorum coetibus," published last Nov. 4: Among the ex-Anglicans who want to return to communion with the Catholic Church, there will be married priests admitted.
ZENIT: With this measure, do you think that one day, celibacy might become voluntary also for priests of the Latin rite?
Father Touze: No, because the Church is understanding more and more the relation between priesthood, episcopate and celibacy. It is something that could be likened to the revelation of a dogma, though it isn't so at this time; one tends increasingly to understand that a practice must be promoted among all priests and also among Eastern Catholic priests which is truly similar to the one lived in the first centuries.
ZENIT: But in the first centuries there were many married priests, including the Apostles?
Father Touze: Studies have convincingly shown that this must be questioned: Celibacy of all clerics wasn't lived, but from the moment of inclusion in the priestly order these men had to live continence with the permission of their wives, because this was a commitment of the couple.
ZENIT: Why, then, are exceptions made?
Father Touze: Historically because there has been a manipulation of texts and I believe a bad translation that the Eastern Church, which has separated from Rome and has recognized that what they had declared contrary to tradition, could be accepted. In this connection there truly are some exceptions. The Church discovered that she had the possibility of admitting exceptions but that these should be understood as such. Respectably, as the Second Vatican Council stressed, there are very holy married priests in the Eastern Catholic Churches who have contributed much to the history of the Church and to the faith in times of persecution, but they are truly exceptions and must be understood as such.
ZENIT: However, these exceptions are not made with bishops. Does episcopal celibacy have a special meaning?
Father Touze: Undoubtedly. It is very different, both theologically as well as historically. What's more, with the constitution "Lumen Gentium," Vatican II defined that the episcopate is the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. It is necessary to discover the specificity of the episcopate and, hence, episcopal celibacy. And it can be demonstrated with the fact that for the celibacy or continence of a bishop an exception has never been made.
This is something studied by the Church on which the Roman pontificate has had to reflect more recently in contemporary history on two occasions: after the French Revolution, where some bishops, or better, former bishops, asked to marry.
This has been studied and it has been said that it is impossible, that this had never been done, that at stake was the dogmatic issue. Or still recently with the ordination of married men and married bishops that were effected in former Czechoslovakia by imposition or with the pressure of the Communist Party in power. There also the Church affirmed on the fact that the bishop must always be celibate or if he had married before his ordination because he would have to live continence from the moment of his episcopal ordination.
[Translation by ZENIT]
Married Priests Will Always Be an Exception
Interview With Theologian on the Foundations of Celibacy
By Carmen Elena Villa
ROME, MARCH 9, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Married priests are an exception and the Church is increasingly convinced that they must remain so, according to a spiritual theology professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
Father Laurent Touze explained the foundations of priestly celibacy when he spoke at a two-day conference held last week at Rome's Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. The conference, "Priestly Celibacy: Theology and Life," was sponsored by the Congregation for the Clergy as an event for the Year for Priests.
ZENIT spoke with Father Touze about the exceptions to priestly celibacy and the future of celibacy for the Church.
ZENIT: Is celibacy a dogma of faith or a discipline?
Father Touze: Neither one nor the other. It isn't a dogma of faith because we see married priests in the Church today such as, for example, some [priests] of the Eastern Catholic Church. Not all but some admit married priests. Or as has been reminded recently in the Holy Father's motu propio "Anglicanorum coetibus," published last Nov. 4: Among the ex-Anglicans who want to return to communion with the Catholic Church, there will be married priests admitted.
ZENIT: With this measure, do you think that one day, celibacy might become voluntary also for priests of the Latin rite?
Father Touze: No, because the Church is understanding more and more the relation between priesthood, episcopate and celibacy. It is something that could be likened to the revelation of a dogma, though it isn't so at this time; one tends increasingly to understand that a practice must be promoted among all priests and also among Eastern Catholic priests which is truly similar to the one lived in the first centuries.
ZENIT: But in the first centuries there were many married priests, including the Apostles?
Father Touze: Studies have convincingly shown that this must be questioned: Celibacy of all clerics wasn't lived, but from the moment of inclusion in the priestly order these men had to live continence with the permission of their wives, because this was a commitment of the couple.
ZENIT: Why, then, are exceptions made?
Father Touze: Historically because there has been a manipulation of texts and I believe a bad translation that the Eastern Church, which has separated from Rome and has recognized that what they had declared contrary to tradition, could be accepted. In this connection there truly are some exceptions. The Church discovered that she had the possibility of admitting exceptions but that these should be understood as such. Respectably, as the Second Vatican Council stressed, there are very holy married priests in the Eastern Catholic Churches who have contributed much to the history of the Church and to the faith in times of persecution, but they are truly exceptions and must be understood as such.
ZENIT: However, these exceptions are not made with bishops. Does episcopal celibacy have a special meaning?
Father Touze: Undoubtedly. It is very different, both theologically as well as historically. What's more, with the constitution "Lumen Gentium," Vatican II defined that the episcopate is the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. It is necessary to discover the specificity of the episcopate and, hence, episcopal celibacy. And it can be demonstrated with the fact that for the celibacy or continence of a bishop an exception has never been made.
This is something studied by the Church on which the Roman pontificate has had to reflect more recently in contemporary history on two occasions: after the French Revolution, where some bishops, or better, former bishops, asked to marry.
This has been studied and it has been said that it is impossible, that this had never been done, that at stake was the dogmatic issue. Or still recently with the ordination of married men and married bishops that were effected in former Czechoslovakia by imposition or with the pressure of the Communist Party in power. There also the Church affirmed on the fact that the bishop must always be celibate or if he had married before his ordination because he would have to live continence from the moment of his episcopal ordination.
[Translation by ZENIT]
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