Vatican reaffirms the value of priestly celibacy

(17 Nov. 2006) : In a short statement released Thursday at the conclusion of Pope Benedict XVI’s three hour meeting with the heads of the decasteries of the Roman Curia, the Church confirmed her adherence to the discipline of priestly celibacy for Latin Rite priests. The statement revealed that Participants in the meeting received detailed information on petitions for dispensation from the obligation of celibacy presented in recent years and on the possibility of readmission, to the exercise of the ministry, of priests who at present meet the conditions established by the Church.

The value was reaffirmed of the option for priestly celibacy, according to the Catholic tradition, and the need was confirmed for a solid human and Christian formation for seminarians as well as for already ordained priests," the statement said. Catholic priests of the Latin Rite promise to be celibate, unmarried and chaste for life. While the celibacy requirement is considered a discipline, the Church has consistently held that it is an important rule, which will not be changed.

According to data from the Vatican Congregation for Clergy, every year about 1,000 priests leave the priestly ministry. The congregation also published data on priests who have returned to priestly ministry between 1970 and 1995. They undergo a rigorous procedure, carried out case by case. Their number varies greatly from one year to another. In those years, a total of 9,551 priests have returned.