Presbyterorum Ordinis
Encyclopedia
Presbyterorum Ordinis, the Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, is one of the documents produced by the Second Vatican Council
. Promulgated by Pope Paul VI
on December 7, 1965, it had been earlier approved by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,390 to 4. The title means "Order of Priests" in Latin, and is taken from the first line of the decree (its incipit
), as is customary for such documents in the Catholic Church.
s of faith
, prefigured in the person of Melchizedek
, and must themselves be dispensers of a life other than earthly life; they must not seek to please men but rather must follow Christian doctrine and life and strive always for holiness and voluntary poverty. Deriving authority from Christ
within the hierarchical church, priests provide the ministry by which the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is made perfect, in union with the sacrifice of Christ. Their own spiritual sacrifice is key, including the celebration of the mystery of the Holy Eucharist
— the greatest task of priests — and the recitation of the Divine office (see Breviary
), the voice of the Church, together with Christ, making intercession. Prayer
, example, and penance enable the church to exercise a true motherhood toward all souls who are to be led to Christ, irrespective of nationality, blood, or time. Priests must help the faithful to know and love the liturgy
, and for their own part must ever strive to perfect their knowledge of divine and secular affairs. Perfect and perpetual continence is suitable for the priesthood in many ways, and prefigures the world to come, in which the children of the resurrection
neither marry nor take wives. The dispenser of the mysteries of God can see himself in the man who sowed his field, of whom the Lord
said: "then sleep and rise, night and day, and the seed should sprout without his knowing" (Mk
4:27).
was to blame and that it was not directly related to the documents of the Council. Historians have also pointed to the damage caused by the sexual revolution
in 1968 and the strong backlash over Humanae Vitae
. Yet other authors have asserted that the drop in vocations was at least partly deliberate and was part of an attempt to de-clericalize the Church and allow for a more pluralistic clergy.
There is also a related phenomenon of exodus from the priesthood, which began under Paul VI and continued during the papacy of John Paul II. In 2007, "La Civilta Cattolica" reported that 69,063 priests left the ministry between 1964 and 2004 but said 11,213 of them later returned.
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. Promulgated by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on December 7, 1965, it had been earlier approved by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,390 to 4. The title means "Order of Priests" in Latin, and is taken from the first line of the decree (its incipit
Incipit
Incipit is a Latin word meaning "it begins". The incipit of a text, such as a poem, song, or book, is the first few words of its opening line. In music, it can also refer to the opening notes of a composition. Before the development of titles, texts were often referred to by their incipits...
), as is customary for such documents in the Catholic Church.
Contents
- Preface (1)
- The Priesthood in the Ministry of the Church (2-3)
- The Ministry of Priests (4-11)
- Priests' Functions (4-6)
- Priests' Relationships with Others (7-9)
- The Distribution of Priests, and Vocations to the Priesthood (10-11)
- The Life of Priests (12-21)
- The Vocation of Priests to the Life of Perfection (12-14)
- Special Spiritual Requirements in the Life of a Priest (15-17)
- Aids to the Life of Priests (18-21)
- Conclusion and Exhortation (22)
Highlights
Priests are sacramentSacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
s of faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
, prefigured in the person of Melchizedek
Melchizedek
Melchizedek or Malki Tzedek translated as "my king righteous") is a king and priest mentioned during the Abram narrative in the 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis....
, and must themselves be dispensers of a life other than earthly life; they must not seek to please men but rather must follow Christian doctrine and life and strive always for holiness and voluntary poverty. Deriving authority from Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
within the hierarchical church, priests provide the ministry by which the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is made perfect, in union with the sacrifice of Christ. Their own spiritual sacrifice is key, including the celebration of the mystery of the Holy Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
— the greatest task of priests — and the recitation of the Divine office (see Breviary
Breviary
A breviary is a liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially by bishops, priests, and deacons in the Divine Office...
), the voice of the Church, together with Christ, making intercession. Prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
, example, and penance enable the church to exercise a true motherhood toward all souls who are to be led to Christ, irrespective of nationality, blood, or time. Priests must help the faithful to know and love the liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
, and for their own part must ever strive to perfect their knowledge of divine and secular affairs. Perfect and perpetual continence is suitable for the priesthood in many ways, and prefigures the world to come, in which the children of the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
neither marry nor take wives. The dispenser of the mysteries of God can see himself in the man who sowed his field, of whom the Lord
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
said: "then sleep and rise, night and day, and the seed should sprout without his knowing" (Mk
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
4:27).
Controversy
The period that followed the promulgation of Presbyterorum Ordinis was marked by a severe drop in the number of priestly vocations in the Western World. Church leaders had argued that age-old secularizationSecularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
was to blame and that it was not directly related to the documents of the Council. Historians have also pointed to the damage caused by the sexual revolution
Sexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
in 1968 and the strong backlash over Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25 July 1968. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the continuing proscription of most forms of birth...
. Yet other authors have asserted that the drop in vocations was at least partly deliberate and was part of an attempt to de-clericalize the Church and allow for a more pluralistic clergy.
There is also a related phenomenon of exodus from the priesthood, which began under Paul VI and continued during the papacy of John Paul II. In 2007, "La Civilta Cattolica" reported that 69,063 priests left the ministry between 1964 and 2004 but said 11,213 of them later returned.
External links
- http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651207_presbyterorum-ordinis_en.html The full text in English is available at the Vatican website.