We "do not find in the New Testament any indication of celibacy being made compulsory...": Catholic New Advent Encyclopedia (a traditional website)

Source: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03481a.htm (21 Jan. 2020)

Excerpt:

Although we do not find in the New Testament any indication of celibacy being made compulsory either upon the Apostles or those whom they ordained, we have ample warrant in the language of Our Saviour, and of St. Paul for looking upon virginity as the higher call, and by inference, as the condition befitting those who are set apart for the work of the ministry. In Matthew 19:12, Christ clearly commends those who, "for the sake of the kingdom of God", have held aloof from the married state, though He adds: "he who can accept it, let him accept it". St. Paul is even more explicit:

I would that all men were even as myself; but every one hath his proper gift from God .... But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for them if they so continue, even as I.

And further on:

But I would have you to be without solicitude. He that is without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he is divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin thinketh on the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit. But she that is married thinketh on the things of this world how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your profit, not to cast a snare upon you, but for that which is decent and which may give you power to attend upon the Lord without impediment. (1 Corinthians 7:7-8 and 32-35)

St. Philip, One of First Seven Deacons, Had 4 Daughters; Late Tradition Holds He Later Became a Bishop

Source: https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Philip_%22the_Evangelist%22 (20 Jan. 2020)

Excerpt:

A late tradition describes him as settling at Tralles in Asia Minor, where he became the overseer or ruler of the church. “ Philip the deacon ” is commemorated on the 6th of June.

Source: http://biblesaints.blogspot.com/2017/10/4-bible-passages-on-st-philip-deacon.html?m=1 (20 Jan. 2020)

Excerpt:

Acts 21:8-9 ~ St. Philip the Deacon Hosting St. Paul in Caesarea & Four Prophetess Daughters
One of the last stops of Paul's 3rd Missionary Journey was when he, St. Luke, and others arrived in Caesarea and stayed with Philip the Evangelist/Deacon.  We also learn from this passage that St. Philip the Deacon had four prophetess daughters!

Priest Shortage: "Overwhelming Shortage of Priests" in Papua New Guinea (2017); only 565 priests available for 1,500 parishes

Source: https://youtu.be/qYSeoXJDZVE (19 Jan. 2020)

A message for Traditional Latin Mass Catholics: "Accept possibility of married priests, in limited form..." so that you don't "fall into the modernist trap" (Shane Schaetzel)

Source: 

https://completechristianity.blog/2019/06/16/the-truth-about-married-priests/ (14 Nov. 2019)

Excerpt: 

"The truth, however, is the truth, and no modernist can change it. Married men in the priesthood have always been allowed in the Catholic Church, in one way or another, whereas women priests have never been allowed and homosexual acts are sin. We know what the modernists want. They want total deconstruction of the Catholic faith, and they’re foolish enough to believe that if Rome simply allows what Jesus Christ and St Paul allowed, they can get the other things too. This is illogical and irrational thinking. Yet to modernists, logic and reason are rarely employed."

"Traditional Catholics shouldn’t fall into the modernist trap. If they can get traditional Catholics to resist something that doesn’t really defy tradition, like married priests for example, then they’ll succeed in making traditionalists look like nothing more than snooty obstructionists. The wiser thing to do is accept the possibility of married priests, in the limited form that is consistent with the Roman Rite and the Biblical text. Then stand firm against those things that the Roman Rite has never allowed and the Bible calls sin. The latter has nothing in common with the former. Women priests have nothing to do with married priests, and none of this has anything to do with homosexual acts. We must point out the fallacy for what it is, a “slippery slope” fallacy. Many traditional Catholics use this fallacy to argue against allowing married priests. It doesn’t work. It’s better to accept the possibility of married priests, in a limited way, and reject the women priests and homosexual acts entirely. This is a much stronger position against the modernists, because it’s based on history, tradition and scripture."

St. Clement of Alexandria (d. AD 215): Church "fully receives husband of one wife whether he be priest or deacon or layman...such a one shall be saved in the begetting of children"

Source: https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/religion-and-philosophy/apologetics/celibacy-in-the-priesthood.html (17 Jan. 2020)

Excerpt:

Clement of Alexandria (d. 215) echoed St. Pauls teaching: "All the same, the Church fully receives the husband of one wife whether he be priest or deacon or layman, supposing always that he uses his marriage blamelessly, and such a one shall be saved in the begetting of children."

Reply to 1P5 Blog on St. Bridget & Celibacy: Conceding Priests to Marry v. Married Men Ordained as Priests

The author of this 1P5 blog used St. Bridget's famous quote about any Pope revoking celibacy.  But my reply to the author is based on his gross misreading of St. Bridget.  Francis does not want to revoke celibacy but rather is looking into granting canonical dispensations as his predecessors -- both before Vatican II and after Vatican II -- have likewise done.

https://onepeterfive.com/a-father-to-his-flock-in-defense-of-priestly-celibacy/

17 Jan. 2020



1. Does that mean that B16, JP2, John XXIII, and Pius XII will suffer those punishments in Hell for admitting exceptions to the Latin rite norm of celibacy?  (All of these Popes admitted married men to the Latin rite priesthood.  E.g., according to the Pastoral Provision official website in the U.S., His Holiness Pius XII --  a pre-V2 Pope to boot -- began ordaining married convert Protestant clergy to the Latin rite priesthood.) 

2. There is a big difference between conceding priests to marry v. a married man being ordained a priest.  The first is an abomination (the correct sense of St. Bridget) and the second sense is permitted by the Church.  More solid, orthodox married men (both EF & OF) reading 1P5 should step up to the Latin rite priesthood if the Church declares it permissible.  The Church taketh away but the Church also giveth. 

3. <<<Yawn>>>   Can you please cite any Church document evidence before AD 309, preferably a universal not local document, about mandated celibacy and/or continence coming from the Twelve Apostles?  All you did was do your homework and re-hash Cardinal Stickler's book, but even Stickler admits he couldn't find any evidence before the 300s (and after the NT).  Fact: Married priests existed before mandated celibacy existed.  It was not part of the venerable Tradition of the entire universal holy Catholic Church but rather existed in local traditions where some not all priests were celibate and/or continent.

4. Whether B16 and/or Ganswein were pressured to or not, whether you think B16 is still the real Pope or not, whether B16 really co-authored or not, regardless of any circumstances, at the end of the day, the fact is that B16 withdrew his endorsement from the celibacy book on the Memorial Feast of St. Hilary of Poitiers, a married priest Doctor of the Church.  Benedict XVI has done the most to restore married men in the Latin rite priesthood.

Benedict Removes Endorsement From Celibacy Book on Feast of St. Hilary of Poitiers, Married Latin Rite Clergyman & Doctor of the Church

Did anyone else notice this?

It is noteworthy that Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, was the Memorial Feast of St. Hilary.  This was the day that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI removed his endorsement from Cardinal Sarah's book on celibacy.

With Benedict withdrawing his name, irrespective of any circumstances leading up to the withdrawal of his name (e.g., pressured or not), the point is that, at the end of the day, in the final analysis, the book by Cardinal Sarah is mere theological opinion and does not carry Benedict's public blessing anymore.  

The chapter from Benedict in the new book carries at best the same weight as "Jesus of Nazareth," which Benedict wrote not in his capacity as Bishop of Rome but in his capacity as a great theologian.  It is clear that only that one chapter is "100% Benedict" and it is to that theological writing that carries significance.  The rest of the book is nothing more than Cardinal Sarah's opinion.

The good Cardinal can document all he wants about Benedict participating but again, at the end of the day, Benedict withdrew his name.  And even Cardinal Sarah acknowledges and accepts this.

Therefore, if we wish to construe what message Benedict is sending, then we should construe that on the feast of a married priest canonized Doctor of the Church Benedict does not publicly support whatever Cardinal Sarah wrote in the new book.

Some calendars will put St. Hilary's feast on Jan. 14, but the idea is the same.  Pope Emeritus acted this week on an issue affecting the Catholic Church.  And sent a message.

St. Hilary was married when ordained to Holy Orders and had a daughter named Afra, too.  Whether he was continent is debatable.  The point is he was a married Latin rite priest. He lived circa Anno Domini 315-368.

Dear Athanasius of the West, what does God want of His Church concerning the issue of married priests in the Latin rite?

St. Hilary, pray for us.

1P5: Real Issue of Book Not About Celibacy But Rather About Control

Source: https://youtu.be/osgYPID996A (15 Jan. 2020)

UPDATE: Benedict Removes Name From Cardinal Sarah's Book & "Had Not Approved Any Project of a Co-Signed Book": Archbishop Gänswein, Secretary to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Source: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-01/book-pope-emeritus-priestly-celibacy-statement-ganswein.html (14 Jan. 2020)

Excerpt: 

 "I can confirm that this morning, at the indication of the Pope emeritus, I asked Cardinal Robert Sarah to contact the publishers of the book requesting them to remove the name of Benedict XVI as co-author of the book itself, and also to remove his name from the introduction and conclusions".

"The Pope emeritus in fact knew the Cardinal was preparing a book”, Archbishop Gänswein added, “and had sent a short text of his on the priesthood”, authorizing the Cardinal to use it as he wished. But the Pope emeritus “had not approved any project for a co- signed book, nor had he seen and authorized the cover. It was a misunderstanding, without questioning the good faith of Cardinal Sarah".

Benedict Speaks in New Co-Authored Book with Cardinal Sarah: "It Does Not Seem Possible" Since "Ability to Renounce Marriage" is a "Criterion of Ministry"

Source: http://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-emeritus-benedict-and (13 Jan. 2020)

Excerpt:

“The conjugal state concerns man in his totality, and since the service of the Lord also requires the total gift of man, it does not seem possible to realize the two vocations simultaneously,” Benedict writes, according to quotes in Le Figaro. “Thus, the ability to renounce marriage in order to place oneself totally at the disposal of the Lord is a criterion for the ministry if it is to be carried out simultaneously.”

Russell Shaw: Viri Probati "goes back at least to the time of the Second Vatican Council but only lately has come to life again"

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column/viri-probati-3893 (24 Dec. 2019)

Excerpt:

The idea of ordaining viri probati (mature, trustworthy men) to celebrate Mass and provide other sacramental services in places where celibate priests are in short supply goes back at least to the time of the Second Vatican Council but only lately has come to life again. If the experiment in the Amazon – supposing it’s approved – succeeds in meeting the need there, it is likely to be repeated by bishops in other places with the same problem.