Will the Catholic Church's 'Priestly Celibacy' Maintained for Over a Thousand Years Change?

Pope: "Celibacy is a temporary measure... just a discipline"
German Bishops' Conference also requests Pope to abolish priestly celibacy

The Roman Catholic Church, which has strictly upheld 'clerical celibacy' for over a thousand years, is now speculated to possibly change its stance soon.

On the 12th (local time), foreign media such as the British Daily Telegraph and The Times reported that Pope Francis (98), the leader of 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide who recently celebrated his 10th anniversary of enthronement, stated that "the rule of priestly celibacy is a temporary measure," suggesting that celibacy could be reconsidered.

The Pope's remarks originated from an interview published on the 10th by Infobae, an internet media outlet in his homeland Argentina. In this interview, the Pope said, "There is no contradiction in priests getting married. Celibacy in the Western Church is a temporary measure." He continued, "It (celibacy) is not eternal like the permanent ordination of priests," explaining, "(Whether a priest leaves the Church is another matter, but ordination is eternal. On the other hand, celibacy is just a discipline."

Pope Francis [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

'Clerical celibacy' is a major point of contention in the Catholic Church alongside 'female ordination.' The custom of priests not marrying in the Roman Catholic Church is believed to have started around the 4th century, but clerical celibacy was codified into canon law at the First Lateran Council in 1123.

The Vatican, starting from the Amazon Synod (a Catholic Church assembly convened to discuss and decide on doctrine, discipline, and liturgy) held for a month beginning October 2019, focused on the issue of allowing married men to be ordained priests only in the Amazon region, where the shortage of priests is severe, leading to predictions that the long-standing rule of clerical celibacy might change.

However, despite these predictions, Pope Francis made no mention of this issue in the apostolic exhortation "Querida Amazonia" released in February 2020 after the Synod. Earlier, in 2019, the Pope actively defended priestly celibacy as "a gift of the Lord," but noted that it is not a 'doctrine' but a 'tradition,' leaving room for modification under special circumstances or needs. In contrast, conservative Catholics such as Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, predecessors of Pope Francis, maintained a firm stance that priests must never marry.

The Telegraph stated, "Currently, the Vatican enforces celibacy on priests following the example of Jesus, but demands to abolish the rule of priestly celibacy are growing to address the issue of child sexual abuse by clergy worldwide." The outlet also reported that in the Eastern Orthodox Church, which allows priests to marry, cases of sexual abuse by priests have been reported far less frequently compared to the Roman Catholic Church.

German Bishops' Conference Passes Reform Proposal to Appoint Female Deacons

Meanwhile, on the 11th, the German Catholic Bishops' Conference passed a groundbreaking reform proposal at the 'Synodal Path' meeting, which included requests to the Pope to abolish the celibacy obligation for priests, appoint female deacons, and bless same-sex marriages. The 'Synodal Path' was established in response to a 2019 report by the German Catholic Bishops' Conference revealing that 1,679 priests were directly or indirectly involved in sexual abuse crimes against minors between 1946 and 2014, with 3,677 victims, aiming for comprehensive reform of the German Catholic Church.

The 'Synodal Path,' a reform discussion body involving about 200 participants including German Catholic bishops, priests, nuns, and lay representatives, held its final meeting in Frankfurt from the 9th to the 11th and adopted 15 reform proposals by vote. The proposal to allow female priests did not pass, and the final decision on permitting the appointment of female deacons rests with Pope Francis.