Cardinal Parolin defends clerical celibacy

February 10, 2016

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, delivered the concluding address at a recent conference on clerical celibacy as a pathway to freedom.

Speaking at Pontifical Gregorian University on February 6, Cardinal Parolin said that celibacy, far from being an “inhuman” demand, allows a priest to serve the Lord with a “free and undivided heart,” configures him in a special way to Christ, and leaves him more free for his priestly mission.

Other speakers at the conference included Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and Archbishop Joël Mercier, the secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy.

 

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Further information:

• Per viaggiare leggeri (L’Osservatore Romano, p. 7)
• Full text of address
• Il celibato sacerdotale, un cammino di libertà (Pontifical Gregorian University)