Comment Contribution:
Here, Albrecht hit the heart of the matter and correctly stated, "There is no evidence for the alleged apostolic obligation of perpetual continence until the third century..." That's right & even Cardinal Stickler (and Cardinal Sarah's book with B16's CONTRIBUTION to Sarah's book) cannot find any evidence before AD 305. There is simply NO, ZERO, ZILCH, NADA evidence prior to AD 305 for 'mandated' continence. Clement of Alexandria in AD 200 said the Church accepts married priests and deacons who are saved in begetting children. The VERY FIRST evidence for mandated continence was the LOCAL Elvira Synod of AD 305 which had only 19 bishops from Spain. A forteriori, Elvira Synod (which carries the same juridical weight as the Amazon Synod btw) was a LOCAL and NOT UNIVERSAL act of a very small section of the Catholic Church. Thus, it is erroneous to hold that "married priests were expected to be continent" or that "obligatory continence comes from the apostles" bc of the Elvira Synod -- THERE IS NO EVIDENCE BEFORE AD 305. One can say that continence "came from an epoch close to the Apostles" (which B16 did say while Pope), but scholarship shows that 'mandatory continence' does not come from the Apostles. We cannot be more traditional than Tradition. As B16 as CONTRIBUTOR (not co-author) CONTRIBUTED to +Sarah's book, "love is essence of priesthood of Jesus Christ." V2 said in PO16 that celibacy is "not of the essence of the priesthood" and Trent and theologians from Trent held that celibacy is NOT divine law. Thus, agape is the heart of the priesthood of the New Law, and all the debates about continence and celibacy are like the circumcision issue. The Church has the authority to declare and regulate celibacy and continence, to grant dispensations to the celibacy Latin norm and ordain married deacons to the priesthood as the Church see fits. The Church taketh away but the Church also giveth.
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