The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17
POPULAR APOLOGET TICS
Adapted from the German of Rev.
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev.
James Watcher.
90. The Clergy and Family Life.


! Objection: A married clergy could
set good example by its model fam
lily life. How blessed the influence in
this regard is the Protestant parson-
age.
Answer: 1. We find plenty of ex-
amples of an excellent family life
among the laity. But we need higher
examples, examples of sacrifice and
voluntary self-denial in the interest Of
the higher treasures Of mankind. The
example of a chaste priestly life acts
nightly on morality and for the sane
tity of matrimonial life which is the
foundation of happy family life.
,. BY family cares the priest would
be greatly hindered in his official Gu-
ties. Just think of confession. Even
Nietzsche knew that, when he writes:
Luther, after allowing the priest a
wife, had to abolish confession; that
was psychOlOgically correct; but with
this in reality the Christian priest
himself was abolished, whose greatest
utility always was to be a holy ear,
a silent we'll, Il grave for secrets"
(Froehliche Wissenschaft, p. 293)
Hearing confessions sometimes de-
mands heroic sacrifices, even life it.
self. Just think of hearing the confess
sions of people having typhus, cholera,
etc, and in hospitals and on the bat
tie field In such circumstances the
thought of wife and children would
often be a hindrance for the married
priest. In battle the general relies
more on the young soldiers than on
the older who have a family.
The unmarried priest is not hinder
ed in charity. The married man will
always look first to the needs of his
family. The priest in higher sense
can meet the needy members of his
family by charitable assistance. Often
the celibate priest is a kind of second
providence for the needy.
The Protestant parsonage is not al
ways a source of edification. Some
times without the pastors fault scan
dals may take place and have taken
place. What will the people think
and say if such a pastor breaches, if
he dares to do so at all, on the educa-
ton Of children and similar subjects?
physician, heal myself" Not every
thing is gold that glitters.
81. The Council of Trent and
Holy Scripture.
Objection: The Council of Trent
declares: "lf any one says that the
clergy can enter valid marriage, let
him be damned" According to this
all married Protestant clergy would
be damned. But Holy Scripture
teaches: at behoveth bishop to be
blameIess, the husband Of one wife"
q Tim. 2:2.)
Answer: 1. The Council speaks of
clergy that is, priests, not of lay
people. Now Protestant ministers are
only laymen, no priests, for they them
selves do not acknowledge a differ
enCe between priest and layman;
hence the Council of Trent does not
say that Protestant ministers can not
contract valid marriage.
Moreover, the expression "anathema
Sit" with which the canons of cOun-
ellis generally close, does not mean a
condemnation to hell, but simply an
exclusion from the Church. Before
God no one is excluded from the
Church who does not knowingly and
willfully commit a mortal sin against
such canon. which. if persevered i'll
to the end, will eventually condemn a
man to hell The question about the
salvation of those outside the Church
was treated in article Of this series.
2. in the beginning of Christianity
the Church had to draw her ministers
also from the ranks of the married,
as there were not enough single per
sons. But the bishop was not allowed
to have been married more than once.
This was the first step towards the
later celibacy. st. Paul could not
mean that a bishop had to be mar
ried man, for he himself, a bishop,
was not married and he appointed the
cclibates Titus and Timothy as bish-
obs. Besides, as we have seen, he
highly recommends celibacy to all.