Tuesday 25 March 2014

THE PRIESTLY CELIBACY, priestly celibacy has a biblical basis in the Evangelical Council of our Lord transmitted in the Gospel of St. Matthew (19:12), also taken by St. Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians (7:8-9, 25-27, and especially 32-33), and was confirmed by St. John in the revelation (14:4-5). It is clear that once the Apostles received the call, already not lead a double life. The tradition of priestly celibacy was solemnly proclaimed by the Council of Nicaea, the first Ecumenical Council, in the year 325. Canon No. 3, approved unanimously by the parents, did not support absolute exceptions. The Council considers that the ban for all bishops, priests and deacons against having a wife is absolute. All subsequent Councils who have addressed the issue have renewed this ban. Not only would be a violation of the sacred tradition delete a measure enacted for 2,000 years as absolutely binding, but one must also recognize that priestly celibacy should be seen not only as of ecclesiastical institution, but that is part of what is more widely known in Catholic moral theology as "the law positive divine", initiated by Christ and his Apostles. That is, it is not merely disciplinary in nature. The Council of Elvira in the 304 indicates that all bishops, priests and deacons and all other clergymen should refrain from marrying. The Council of Carthage in the year 390 declared that celibacy is of Apostolic origin. San Epifanio de Salamina (ca. 315-403): "Is the same apostles who has decreed this law". Saint Jerome (ca. 342-420): "priests and deacons should be Virgin or widowed before being ordered, or at least observe perpetual Continence after ordination... If married men find this hard to bear, must not go against me, but against Scripture and of the entire ecclesiastical order "." Pope Saint Inocencio I (401-417): "This is not a question of imposing the new members of the clergy and arbitrary obligations, but remember that the tradition of the Apostles and fathers has transmitted to us". San Pedro Damián (1007-1072) wrote: "no one can ignore the fact that all the fathers of the Catholic Church have unanimously imposed the inviolable rule of continence of clerics in major orders". The Lateran Council of 1139 confirmed that the clerics are forbidden to marry. There is a reason for this tradition. The cleric orders greater, under his management, contracts a marriage with the Church, and cannot be bigamous. St. Jerome in his treatise "Adversus Jovinianum,"based on priestly celibacy in the virginity of Christ. The universal law of priestly celibacy, confirmed by the Council of Nicaea is applied and continues applying, to the Church of the East, as well as the West. It is noteworthy that in this Council, the Orientals (Greeks) were an overwhelming majority. Previously, the Council of Neo - Caesarea (314) had reminded all clergymen of the East large orders of the inviolability of the present law, under penalty of deposition.
The Church of East began at a late date in violation of its own law of celibacy. The Quinisexto Council of 692, which San Beda the Venerable (673-735) called "a synod is frowned upon," violated the Apostolic tradition on the celibacy of the clergy, by stating that "all clergy, except bishops may continue within marriage". The Popes refused to approve the conclusions of the Council on the issue of celibacy and the Church of East sowed the seeds of his schism. The German scholar, Stefan Heid, in his book, "Celibacy in the early Church", shows that the continencia-celibato after the ordination in the priesthood was the absolute standard from the start - even for married people [who let his marriage] to be sorted - a triumph of grace on the nature, so to speak. Practice Eastern we now see was a reduction of the rule and not, as the modernists, claim the original practice of the Roman Catholic Church.

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