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CELIBACY
IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
35. Although it would be
highly instructive to go through the writings of past centuries on
ecclesiastical celibacy, this would take so long that We will let a brief
account suffice. In Christian antiquity the Fathers and ecclesiastical writers
testify to the spread through the East and the West of the voluntary practice
of celibacy by sacred ministers 71 because of its profound suitability
for their total dedication to the service of Christ and His Church.
36. From the beginning of
the 4th century, the Church of the West strengthened, spread and confirmed this
practice by means of various provincial councils and through the supreme
pontiffs. 72 More than anyone else, the supreme pastors and teachers of
the Church of God, the guardians and interpreters of the patrimony of the faith
and of holy Christian practices, promoted, defended, and restored
ecclesiastical celibacy in successive eras of history, even when they met
opposition from the clergy itself and when the practices of a decadent society
did not favor the heroic demands of virtue. The obligation of celibacy was then
solemnly sanctioned by the Sacred Ecumenical Council of Trent 73 and
finally included in the Code of Canon Law. 74
37. The most recent
sovereign pontiffs who preceded Us, making use of their doctrinal knowledge and
spurred on by ardent zeal, strove to enlighten the clergy on this matter and to
urge them to its observance. 75 We do not wish to fail to pay homage to
them, especially to Our well-loved immediate predecessor, whose memory is still
fresh in the hearts of men all over the world. During the Roman Synod, with the
sincere approval of all the clergy of the city, he spoke as follows: "It
deeply hurts Us that . . . anyone can dream that the Church will deliberately
or even suitably renounce what from time immemorial has been, and still
remains, one of the purest and noblest glories of her priesthood. The law of
ecclesiastical celibacy and the efforts necessary to preserve it always recall
to mind the struggles of the heroic times when the Church of Christ had to
fight for and succeeded in obtaining her threefold glory, always an emblem of
victory, that is, the Church of Christ, free, chaste and catholic."
76
The
Church of the East
38. If the legislation of
the Eastern Church is different in the matter of discipline with regard to
clerical celibacy, as was finally established by the Council of Trullo held in
the year 692, 77 and which has been clearly recognized by the Second
Vatican Council, 78 this is due to the different historical background
of that most noble part of the Church, a situation which the Holy Spirit has
providentially and supernaturally influenced.
We Ourselves take this opportunity to
express Our esteem and Our respect for all the clergy of the Eastern Churches,
and to recognize in them examples of fidelity and zeal which make them worthy
of sincere veneration.
39. We find further
comforting reasons for continuing to adhere to the observance of the discipline
of clerical celibacy in the exaltation of virginity by the Eastern Fathers. We
hear within Us, for example, the voice of St. Gregory of Nyssa, reminding us
that "the life of virginity is the image of the blessedness that awaits us
in the life to come." 79 We are no less assured by St. John
Chrysostom's treatise on the priesthood, which is still a fruitful subject for
reflection. Intent on throwing light on the harmony which must exist between
the private life of him who ministers at the altar and the dignity of the order
to which his sacred duties belong, he affirmed: ". . . it is becoming that
he who accepts the priesthood be as pure as if he were in heaven."
80
40. Further, it is by no
means futile to observe that in the East only celibate priests are ordained
bishops, and priests themselves cannot contract marriage after their ordination
to the priesthood. This indicates that these venerable Churches also possess to
a certain extent the principle of a celibate priesthood and even of the
appropriateness of celibacy for the Christian priesthood, of which the bishops
possess the summit and fullness.
The
Tradition of the Western Church
41. In any case, the
Church of the West cannot weaken her faithful observance of her own tradition.
Nor can she be regarded as having followed for centuries a path which instead
of favoring the spiritual richness of individual souls and of the People of
God, has in some way compromised it, or of having stifled, with arbitrary
juridical prescriptions, the free expansion of the most profound realities of
nature and of grace.
Particular
Cases
42. In virtue of the
fundamental norm of the government of the Catholic Church, to which We alluded
above, 82 while on the one hand, the law requiring a freely chosen and
perpetual celibacy of those who are admitted to Holy Orders remains unchanged,
on the other hand, a study may be allowed of the particular circumstances of
married sacred ministers of Churches or other Christian communities separated
from the Catholic communion, and of the possibility of admitting to priestly functions
those who desire to adhere to the fullness of this communion and to continue to
exercise the sacred ministry. The circumstances must be such, however, as not
to prejudice the existing discipline regarding celibacy.
And that the authority of the Church does
not hesitate to exercise her power in this matter can be seen from the recent
Ecumenical Council, which foresaw the possibility of conferring the holy
diaconate on men of mature age who are already married. 83
43. All this, however,
does not signify a relaxation of the existing law, and must not be interpreted
as a prelude to its abolition. There are better things to do than to promote
this hypothesis, which tears down that vigor and love in which celibacy finds
security and happiness, and which obscures the true doctrine that justifies its
existence and exalts its splendor. It would be much better to promote serious
studies in defense of the spiritual meaning and moral value of virginity and
celibacy. 84
The
Mind of the Council
44. Holy virginity is a
very special gift. Nevertheless, the whole present-day Church, solemnly and
universally represented by the pastors responsible for her welfare (with due
respect, as We have said, for the discipline of the Eastern Churches),
manifested her absolute faith "in the Holy Spirit that the grace of
leading a celibate life, so desirable in the priesthood of the New Testament,
will be readily granted by God the Father if those who by ordination share the
priesthood of Christ humbly and earnestly ask it together with the whole
Church." 85
The
Prayer of the People of God
45. We wholeheartedly call
on the entire People of God to do their duty in bringing about an increase in
priestly vocations. 86 We ask them fervently to beg the Father of all,
the divine Spouse of the Church, and the Holy Spirit, her principle of life,
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and of
His Church, to pour out, especially at present, this divine gift, which the
Father certainly does not wish to give stintingly. They should also fervently
pray, in like manner, that souls may dispose themselves to receive this gift by
a profound faith and a generous love. In this way, in our world which needs
God's glory, 87 priests, ever more perfectly conformed to the one and
supreme Priest, will be a real glory to Christ, 88 and, through them,
"the glory of the grace" of God will be magnified in the world of
today. 89
46. Yes, venerable and
well-beloved brothers in the priesthood, whom We cherish "with the
affection of Christ Jesus," 90 it is indeed this world in which we
live, tormented by the pains of growth and change, justly proud of its human
values and human conquests, which urgently needs the witness of lives
consecrated to the highest and most sacred spiritual values. This witness is
necessary in order that the rare and incomparable light radiating from the most
sublime virtues of the spirit may not be wanting to our times.
The
Hidden Wisdom of God
47. Our Lord Jesus Christ
did not hesitate to confide the formidable task of evangelizing the then-known
world to a handful of men to all appearances lacking in number and quality. He
bade this little flock not to lose heart, 91 for, thanks to His
constant assistance, 92 through Him and with Him, they would overcome
the world. 93 Jesus has also taught us that the kingdom of God has an
intrinsic and unobservable dynamism which enables it to grow "without
[man's] knowing it." 94 The harvest of God's kingdom is great, but
the laborers, as in the beginning, are few. Actually, they have never been as
numerous as human standards would have judged sufficient. But the heavenly King
demands that we pray "the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into
His harvest." 95 The counsels and prudence of man cannot supersede
the hidden wisdom of Him who, in the history of salvation, has challenged man's
wisdom and power by His own foolishness and weakness. 96
The
Courage of Faith
48. Supported by the power
of faith, We express the Church's conviction on this matter. Of this she is
certain: if she is prompter and more persevering in her response to grace, if
she relies more openly and more fully on its secret but invincible power, if,
in short, she bears more exemplary witness to the mystery of Christ, then she
will never fall short in the performance of her salvific mission to the
world—no matter how much opposition she faces from human ways of thinking or
misrepresentations. We must all realize that we can do all things in Him who
alone gives strength to souls 97 and increase to His Church. 98
49. We are not easily led
to believe that the abolition of ecclesiastical celibacy would considerably
increase the number of priestly vocations: the contemporary experience of those
Churches and ecclesial communities which allow their ministers to marry seems
to prove the contrary. The causes of the decrease in vocations to the
priesthood are to be found elsewhere—for example, in the fact that individuals
and families have lost their sense of God and of all that is holy, their esteem
for the Church as the institution of salvation through faith and the
sacraments. The problem must be examined at its real source.
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