The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-03-10

Orders an impeachment to the sacrament
OF matrimony. In this way he prevent
ed concubinage among the priesthood,
because, whether lawfully or unlawfully
living in the marriage state, they were
deprived of the rights and privileges of
clerics. !
After this decree OF Gregory VII. the
celibacy of the Western priesthood be-
came universally recognized and re-
spected, and the evils countenanced and
encouraged by temporal princes were
arrested and destroyed.
Mont Catholics, as rule, believe that
cclibacy is part OF the doctrine OF the
Catholic church. This error will be
readily perceived by a knowledge OF
Gregory's action and the papal legis-
lation which has followed it. 1t is en-
tircly disciplinary in its character, and
in no sense is an article OF faith. 1t is
often believed, too, that all Catholic
priests make a vow OF celibacy, which
is also incorrect. The Catholic church
holds, as decrced by Gregory VII. and
the pontiffs who have followed him, that
the major Holy Orders are a ban to
matrimony. This papal mandate rem
ders the marriage OF priest, deacon,
or subdeacon, duly ordained, not only
unlawful, but null and void according
to the church, and in Catholic countries
null and void according to the law OF
the land. The marriage of priest,
deacon or subdeacon is regarded pre-
cisely in the same light as the marriage
of divorced person whose husband or
wife is living. In the sight of the
church it is concubinage, and not
matrimony. Those who receive the
major Holy Orders place it beyond
their power to contract matrimony,
but, as explained before, no
vow of celibacy is taken. This class
OF priesthood is known as secular
those who are directly under the control
OF the bishops, and not in the monastic
orders or minor religious communities.
The monastic orders take solemn
VOWS of poverty, chastity, and obedi-
ence. Many of the religious take the
VOW of chastity and obedience to their
superiors, but do not include the VOW
of voluntary poverty. These are delib-
crate promises to God, and as such
there is no power in the Church to dis
pense them. They are as binding OH
the minor degrees of the sacerdotal life
as on the ordained priests or the con-
secrated bishop. In many religious
communities there is class known as
the lay brothers, who are not destined
for the priesthood, but who live under
the same rule and make the same vows.
The breaking of these VOWS is as griev-
Gus a sin for the lay brother, who is not
a priest and never will be priest as it is
for the man who has received the sacer-
dotal orders. No better explanation
can be given of the status of celibacy in
the Roman Catholic church. This holds
true, also, as regards the VOWS of chas
tity taken by women in religious orders.
A small branch of the church which
acknowledges the primacy OF St. Peter
ard his successors differs in regard to
the law of celibacy. This divergence
has existed from the first ages of the
church. At the council of Nicaea, 314
to 325 A. D., some of the bishops re-
sisted the attempt to impose life of
cclibacy on the clergy. History says
they yielded point, however, to their
Western brethren, and consented to the
regulation that no man could marry
after ordination. 1t was permissible
for deacon to marry. About the fifth
century this concession was withdrawn
and only sub-deacon was allowed to
contract matrimony. The Eastern rite
permits the marriage of sub-deacons. 1t
is custom in the scminaries under this
control to permit candidates for Holy
Orders to leave the seminary before
they have taken deacon's orders and
to contract marriage. This permission
is not always availed Of; indeed, the
proportion is becoming less and less
every year. The marriage must be con-
tracted with virgin. To marry
widow would be bar to ordination.
Nor can second marriage be contract
ed This practice, while permitted, is
not encouraged, and the bishops are
never selected from among the married
clergy. These priests are restricted in
their marital intercourse, are permitted
to say mass only under certain condi-
tions, and are expected to practise some
trade or lucrative occupation aside
from their pastoral duties, in order to
support their families.
Since the rumor concerning the per-
mission extended to the South Ameri-
can priests to break the law of celibacy,
it has frequently been said that the
Pope had no power to rescind this es-
tablished order-that it would require
a council of the church. This is an
other error, growing out of a mis-
conception of the discipline which
prevails. Leo XIII. has the same
power to withdraw this order
that Gregory VII. had to issue it.
Nothing, however, is more unlikely.
The South American priests do not de-
sire and have never petitioned for such
a dispensation. Through the prelates