celibacy of the clergy

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | 700+ words | Copyright

celibacy of the clergy. In the E. Church the legal position has always been that priests and deacons may marry before ordination but not after, and that bishops must be celibate. In the W. Church a legal position was gradually reached by which all the higher clergy were required to be celibate. The earliest canonical enactment is can. 33 of the Council of Elvira (c.306); in the Middle Ages there were repeated efforts to enforce celibacy on those in Holy Orders. This position is retained in the RC Church, though since the Second Vatican Council some older married men have been made deacons and dispensations are sometimes granted to married clergy received into the RC Church from other Communions. In the C of E the obligation to celibacy was abolished in 1549.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "celibacy of the clergy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "celibacy of the clergy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-celibacyoftheclergy.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "celibacy of the clergy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-celibacyoftheclergy.html

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