The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-05-15

really become operative and almost universal
Roman Pontifs and diocesan or particular 'oul'
ellis repeatedly legislated in favor OF an
clergy but owing to the intermittent wars oe'"e1"
kings barons mobiles and petty princes ana 10 '"N
chaotic condition of European society 1t was LII
possible for the Popes and particular Couhcii9 u
enforce their own enactments
The law of celibacy was at time before the
Council of Trent universally observed indeed a.
late as the fifth centurysit regarded rather as
a council of perfection than law binding the con
science When St Gregory VII. was raised to the
PanaI chair. he found the Western Church III an
exceedingly disorganized condition, and at once set
70 work TO carry out reform. In his first synod
hold A u 1914 some most stringent DEGREES we're
nassed resnectinp clerical celibacy. These enact
mepts were. however. received by the clergy OF
Italy Germany and France with more than diSsa'
isfaction Strong remonstrances were seil III
against such rigorous laws those which we're az
tempted to be enforced. The Mllanese clergy Doiu
" maintained the lawfulness of clerical marriages
under certain restrictions and quoted their fornler
Archbishop St Ambrose as their authority Inc
Germans went so far to that to lnterdlct 'he
marriage of the clergy was intoerable
FnoIand however seems to have been niue
more favorable TO the Popes measure than was the
ease with some of the continental countries tor IN
A. d. 1916 the Council of Winchester. under Arch
bishop Lanfrance passed some DEGREES III support
Of ST. Gregorv's system of reform, though less
stringent in their provisions than those OF the
synod which had been held two years previously at
Rome. BY dint of indomtable perseverance and III
the teeth of the most determined opposition. the
H.rf n +Io oil
lar history-carred his point. Irregularities con-
tinued in England. was natural and that to
sufficient extent to render it necessary that canonS
should be passed-as for instance, IN A u l23''
and again in A. d. 1268-against the retention OF
wives by the clergy. But from the time OF st.
Gregory VII. the matter may be considered as VIZ
tually settled and clerical celibacy became the law
and after the Council of Trent, the practice
throughout the Western Church.
Let it be understood however. that from the
very beginning the church advised celibacy for It's
clergy that from the very beginning great numbers
of her priests voluntarily led a cebate life. and
these were the martyrs and c0nfessors who Christ
ianized the Roman empire. While we cannot ac-
cept unreserYedly and reconcile with the bare, hard
facts of history, the expression OF the sanity Pere
Lacordare when he says. in his twenty second
Conference" :-"Thanks be to God. the Catholic
priesthood has undergone that trial (celibacy) for
nearly twenty centuries can. however, endoree
his statement when he adds 1.-THE enemies of the
priesthood have watched it increasingly in the pres
ent time and in history: they have sgnalized some
partial scandals, but the entire body has remained
secure" When Mr.. Fielding says celibacy is Con
trary to the divine and natural law" he is writing
ungrammatcally and carrying his opposition to the
teachings and practice of our Divine Lord. ST Paul
and the apostles who were celibate priests,