Clerical Celibacy (Catholic Church) - Exceptions

Exceptions

Exceptions are sometimes made (including in Latin Rite Catholicism), granted by authority of the Pope, when married Protestant clergy become Catholic. For instance, married Anglicans have joined the Catholic priesthood in personal prelatures and through the United States Pastoral Provision. Because the rule of celibacy is an ecclesiastical law and not a doctrine, it can, in principle, be changed at any time by the Pope. Nonetheless, both the present Pope, Benedict XVI, and his predecessors, have spoken clearly of their understanding that the traditional practice was not likely to change.

Richard McBrien says that the existence of these exceptions, along with the declining number of priests in active ministry (in McBrien's North America and in Europe, although on a worldwide scale the number has since 2000 been increasing steadily, reversing the strong downward tendency of the 1970s, not yet fully undone, and the reported cases of non-observance of the norm (a phenomenon with a history of many centuries) will keep discussion on the subject going, and that questions are asked with regard to the impact of celibacy on the human development of the clergy and with regard to the maintenance of the obligation in countries where celibacy is viewed negatively.

The Latin term viri probati has its origin in the first-century First Epistle of Clement, which says that the apostles appointed successors and provided that, when these died "other approved men (δεδοκισμαμένοι ἄνδρες) should succeed to their ministration". The Second Vatican Council quoted this phrase in Latin: "Constituerunt itaque huius modi viros ac deinceps ordinationem dederunt, ut cum decessissent, ministerium eorum alii viri probati exciperent" ("They therefore appointed such men, and gave them the order that, when they should have died, other approved men would take up their ministry"). Some commentators have proposed that, without questioning the necessity of celibacy as a general rule for priestly ordination in the Latin Church, married men of proven seriousness and maturity (viri probati) could in emergency situations, such as the Czech bishops believed existed in that country before 1989, be ordained to the priesthood in the Latin Church.