Because only priests can say Mass, people in at least 85 per cent of Amazon villages cannot attend the liturgy every week and some cannot do so for years. At a news conference presenting the document, Cardinal Michael Czerny, who was the synod's secretary, acknowledged the Pope had listened to some of the solutions proposed by his critics. The issue of celibacy has been discussed in other countries with a shortage of priests, including developed ones such as Germany, and some Eastern Catholic rites already allow married men to be priests.
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Key points: Pope considered proposal was to ordain some deacons in Amazon Some had feared a weakening of celibacy rules Pope's dismissal seen as a boost for Church conservatives. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 28 seconds 28 s. Posted 12 Feb 12 Feb Wed 12 Feb at pm. Former Pope Benedict breaks silence to warn Pope Francis against celibacy rules.
Catholic Church's ban on female priests forever, Pope says. More on:. Top Stories Chinese leaders agree to historic resolution cementing Xi Jinping's power. In the Christological sense, a priest must look to Christ as the ideal, eternal priest. This identification permeates his whole being. Just as Christ remained celibate and dedicated His life to the service of His Father and all people, a priest accepts celibacy and consecrates himself totally to serve the mission of the Lord.
This total giving and commitment to Christ is a sign of the Kingdom present here and now. In the ecclesiological sense, just as Christ was totally united to the Church, the priest through his celibacy bonds his life to the Church. He is better able to be a Minister of the Word of God— listening to that Word, pondering its depth, living it, and preaching it with whole hearted conviction. He is the Minister of Sacraments, and, especially through the Mass, acts in the person of Christ, offering himself totally to the Lord.
Finally, in the eschatological sense, the celibate life foreshadows the freedom we will have in heaven when perfectly united with God as His child. A man when called to Holy Orders freely accepts the obligation of celibacy, after prayerful reflection and consideration.
Having made that decision, celibacy does grant the bishop, priest, or deacon the freedom to identify with Christ and to serve Him and the Church without reservation, condition, or hesitation. Secondly, celibacy involves sacrifice, and a sacrifice is an act of love. When they become parents, they sacrifice to support the raising of children. Decisions of love always entail sacrifice. And so it is with the clergy.
Sixteenth Century Council of Trent states that celibacy and virginity are superior to marriage. Eighteenth Century American Declaration of Independence. Nineteenth Century Napoleon. Peter, Apostle St. Felix III 2 children St.
Hormidas 1 son St. History sources: Oxford Dictionary of Popes; H. Foy Ed. Jewtt The Ordination of Women ; A. DeRosa Vicars of Christ Myth: All priests take a vow of celibacy. Fact: Most priests do not take a vow. It is a promise made before the bishop. Paul emphasizes the liberty unmarried Christians have in contrast to the obligations married Christians have to their families. It is important to note that, alongside its discussion of celibacy, 1 Corinthians 7 also clearly affirms Christian marriage.
Further, multiple passages of Scripture speak directly about married church leaders, including specific instructions about married bishops or overseers 1 Tim. Priestly celibacy was discussed and debated by Christian leaders during the earliest centuries of the church, including at the Council of Nicaea. While some at that time upheld celibacy as an ideal state for clergy, others opposed requiring it.
Within Catholicism, clerical celibacy continued to be viewed as ideal by many, and various ecclesial rulings in the early centuries of Christendom supported this view. The expectation that Catholic priests be celibate was clarified and more strictly enforced beginning in the 11th century under Pope Gregory VII. After the Reformation, many Protestant leaders notably Martin Luther affirmed marriage and family life for clergy.
Today, it is important to note that within Eastern Catholic rites married men are commonly ordained as priests; the emphasis on priestly singleness and celibacy is found primarily within the Latin or Western rite of the Catholic church.
In some rare cases, the Latin rite also allows married men to become priests if they previously served as ministers within specific Protestant denominations prior to their conversion to Catholicism.
Christianity Today has examined the topic of clerical celibacy in a variety of ways throughout the years. Here are some of our most important articles on this topic:.
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