On the Admission of Married Men to the Priesthood

This is a great sacrament, Saint Paul says of marriage. 1 Jesus Christ raised marriage to the dignity of a Sacrament and gives many graces to help married people to discharge their duties properly. What a benefit to the world are holy families where husband and wife are generously fulfilling their solemn duties to each other and to their children, if God has blessed them with children. Such families are also a great blessing to the Church as Saint Paul said to Timothy of the good man: the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, of good behaviour, chaste, given to hospitality, a teacher, not given to wine, no striker but modest, not quarrelsome, not covetous: but one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all chastity. 2 We can say that marriage is the training ground of saints. Let us sing the praises of the man, who governs his household well, who heeds Saint Paul's advice to love his wife as Christ loves the Church. 3 Saint Paul says: But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they so continue, even as I. But if they do not contain themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to be burnt. 4 We live in an age of unparalleled temptation, so it is advisable for most to enter the married state. Let us read from Sacred Scripture: Then the angel Raphael said to him: Hear me, and I will shew thee who they are, over whom the devil can prevail. For they who in such manner receive matrimony, as to shut out God from themselves, and from their mind, and to give themselves to their lust, as the horse and mule, which have not understanding, over them the devil hath power. 5 Although one of the ends of marriage is the allaying of concupiscence, this is not the primary end. Those who enter marriage solely to have a legitimate outlet for these passions, enter it wrongly. They enter marriage more out of lust than out of true love. We would like to issue a special warning on the dangers of pre-marital sex. We have personally seen many marriages where the couple indulged in the pleasures of the flesh prior to marriage, only to find that their marriage rests on a shaky foundation. Some have even become virtually sex-less marriages after they have married. Let us recall that marriage was instituted by Almighty God from the beginning in order to bring children into the world and raise them to be saints. The couple must cultivate a mutual love, where the husband loves his wife as Christ loves the Church and the wife obeys her husband as the Church obeys Christ. Much more can be said on the Great Sacrament of marriage, but this is not the primary purpose of this decree. The Church throughout her history has modified her disciplinary laws to accommodate the changes of the times. The Church cannot modify doctrine, nor will she
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Ephesians 5:32 I Timothy 3:2-4 3 Ephesians 5:25 4 I Corinthians 7:8-9 5 Tobias 6:16-17

ever modify her doctrine. However, as a good mother, the Church must modify her disciplinary laws for the good of the faithful. We can see this in the modifications of the laws of fasting and abstinence over the centuries. In the Ages of Faith, Saint Thomas could ask the question Is three in the afternoon the appropriate time for the faster's meal. 6 At that time the faithful ate one meal at three in the afternoon, which was meatless. Today's people cannot function for the most part on one meal a day nor without any meat in their diet, so the Church permits two other meatless meals in order to maintain strength and meat at the main meal, except on days of abstinence. Milk products were also forbidden, but are now permitted. We come now to the matter of priestly celibacy, which was introduced over a millennium ago into the West, but has never been instituted as a requirement in the East. So the Church has two sets of laws working, and this worked rather well until the Twentieth Century. The Twentieth Century saw several changes, including a mixing of East and West in North America, where dual laws were being pursued. Then the Great Apostasy happened with the Vatican II Conciliar Church and the Novus Ordo which flowed from it. 7 In seeking solutions to the Great Apostasy, men have sought to pursue a vocation in many ways for the love of God. As we enter the Twenty-First Century, we are confronted by one of many prophecies that are being now fulfilled: The people will be like the Christians of the primitive Church. 8 There are man possible interpretations of this private prophecy. In considering the current condition of the Church, as the Vicar of Jesus Christ, We believe that it is time to address the matter of clerical celibacy in order to do what is best for the Church. A look at the first three centuries will find that celibacy was not required and few priests, and even bishops were celibate. Let us return to Saint Paul: It behoveth therefore a bishop to be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, of good behaviour, chaste, given to hospitality, a teacher, 9 This appears to have been the law of the Church in the first centuries, a law which applies to priests in the Eastern Rites to this day. Before we proceed to consider the details of the modification of Church Law, let us consider the objections that will be raised briefly. Some act as if priestly celibacy is such an ancient tradition that it has been raised to the level of a doctrine of the Church. Even long standing traditions have been set aside, if they were merely disciplinary. Also the practice of the Church shows the continual admission of married men to the diaconate and priesthood in the East to this day. Some object that if we remove celibacy, we will never be able to restore it to the Church. But the Church must legislate for the time she is in. True, she often moves slow, but when she must move, she moves with deliberation. And We are not calling for the elimination of priestly celibacy, but for permitting married men into the priesthood. Let us consider what the pastor is to his flock. He is called father, because he is a father and shepherd of his flock. And who could be more imminently qualified to be a father to a number of people, but a man who has been a good husband and father to his own family? His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant: because thou
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II-II Q147 A7 Antipope Paul VI named his church at the close of Vatican II the church of the Council also translated as the Conciliar Church. 8 Abbess Maria Steiner 9 I Timothy 3:2

hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 10 Indeed, faithfully fulfilling the duties of marriage is a good training ground for fulfilling the duties of a pastor of a parish. We, as the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, determine that the following procedure will be followed for those wishing to enter the clerical state. Canon Law shall be revised in order to accommodate these provisions. Further, the same practice shall apply to both the East and the West, so that there is uniformity in this matter. Also We wish to discourage the changing of Rites for the sole reason of retaining a wife. The Church has always discouraged the change of Rites or any encouragement of such a change, unless there is a weighty reason. The Church has always desired the retention of the various Rites, as they have come from Her earliest days. Therefore the Law shall be: 1. A man wishing to enter training for the diaconate or priesthood must be the husband of one or celibate. The laws governing the investigation of the character of a candidate remain unchanged. 2. If a man is married, his wife must consent to his entrance into clerical training. 3. The wife must be questioned again prior to the diaconate being conferred, and her consent must remain firm and free. 4. Once entering the diaconate, a man is no longer free to marry. That is, if his wife dies he is not free to remarry. If he has entered as a celibate, he shall observe celibacy until the end of his life. Each case will be handled as needed and We shall be issuing directions for the acceptance of married deacons, priests and Bishops into the Church as active ministers as well as the education and promotion of married men to Holy Orders. It is Our great hope that these many men who God has called to the priesthood shall find their way to fulfilling their vocation in life.

The Monastic Priesthood

While the West adopted strict celibacy, the East adopted the system We are instituting for the Universal Church. Celibate men went into monasteries to pray and study and some were promoted to the holy priesthood. These men lived a life of quiet prayer and contemplation while studying the profound truths of the Faith. These monasteries became the centers of education in both the East and the West, preserving the truth, both spiritual and material for the good of the Church and the people as a whole. Saint Paul says: And every one that striveth for the mastery refraineth himself from all things. 11 We hope to establish a place where men can live a life of prayer, study and mortification in order to refrain from all things as Saint Paul advises. Saint Paul also says: But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection 12 We need a powerhouse of prayer where men beg God in His infinite mercy to send down grace upon the world to hasten the universal conversion.
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Matthew 25:23 I Corinthians 9:25 12 I Corinthians 9:27

Saint Anthony said: Believe me, brethren, Satan dreads the watchings of holy men, their prayers, fasts, voluntary poverty, mercy and humility, and above all their ardent love for Christ the Lord, at the mere sign of whose most holy cross he is disabled and put to flight. In the monastery We intend to establish, this will be the center of the simple rule of life. To this will be added a few other practices, which are essential to the spiritual life. The Catholic Encyclopedia says: All writers on the spiritual life uniformly recommend, nay, command under penalty of total failure, the practice of silence. And yet, despite this there is perhaps no rule for spiritual advancement more inveighed against, by those who have not even mastered its rudiments, than that of silence. Silence is essential for all who wish to become Saints. God speaks to us in silence, therefore in the monastery, even work time will be as silent as the work allows. As a religious institution, the practice of Grand Silence from the beginning of Compline until after Mass shall be religiously observed. In addition to this the spirit of silence shall be an essential part of the day. To better observe the spirit of silence, television will not be permitted, except on rare occasions. Because computers are essential to the secular work, their use shall be permitted during work time and even as a part of recreation. They will be limited to a work area to be designated, depending on the building we acquire. The schedule shall be flexible, since there are many things to consider. Work, prayer, meals, sleep, and play are the five fingers of our hand, but the smaller and last is play. We shall observe this rule as our basis. The morning shall begin with meditation and Mass and the day will end with Compline, when there are sufficient in the monastery to chant this office. Other spiritual practices, such as Benediction and Stations of the Cross shall be celebrated together. Men who study in the monastery for the priesthood shall be ordained either to remain in the monastery or to go into ministry amongst the faithful. The monastery itself shall also maintain a church for the faithful in the area to come and be taught the Divine and Catholic Faith. Some may also enter to be brothers and thus serve God in this holy vocation.

Conclusion
God has called many men to serve Him in His holy priesthood. A vocation is a powerful thing and our salvation may depend on our pursuing the vocation God has called us to. As Pope We have removed some obstacles to pursuing a vocation, since the vocation to marriage and to the priesthood are not necessarily mutually exclusive. True, celibacy is an honorable state, but it is not a doctrine of the Divine and Catholic Faith. Celibacy is a discipline of the Church and therefore when the needs of the Church require, it is not to be insisted upon. We pray that all God are calling to the priesthood shall heed this sacred call and help preach the Gospel to all creatures. Given this 14th day of February, 2012 Feast of Saint Valentine Pope Michael