Pope Leo XIV has issued a clear mandate to the world’s Catholic hierarchy, affirming the necessity of priestly celibacy.
Leo’s directives, which also included “firm and decisive” action from bishops in addressing sex abuse within the Church, came during a significant address to hundreds of global Catholic leaders.
Speaking from St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo met with approximately 400 bishops and cardinals representing 38 countries.
The gathering was part of this week’s special Holy Year celebrations for clergy, and followed a day after the Pope delivered an encouraging message to young seminarians.
This address, however, offered a more comprehensive outline of the responsibilities bishops must undertake to guide their congregations.
As Cardinal Robert Prevost, Leo served as the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops from 2023 until his election in May.
In that pivotal role, the Chicago-born Prevost was responsible for vetting bishop nominations for Pope Francis, seeking out leaders who would advance Francis’s vision of an inclusive Church where “all are welcome and dialogue is the decisive form of governance”.
Beyond the critical issues of celibacy and abuse, the pontiff reiterated that the primary duty of bishops is to foster unity among clergy within their dioceses and to maintain a close relationship with their flock “in word and deed”.
He further instructed that bishops must embody poverty and simplicity, generously opening their homes to all, and acting as both a “father figure and brother”to their priests.
“In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power,” he said.
Bishops must remain celibate “and present to all the authentic image of the church, holy and chaste in her members as in her head”, he said.
Referring to cases of abuse, Leo said bishops “must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force”.
It was the second time in a week that Leo has commented publicly on the abuse scandal.
On Friday night, in a written statement to a crusading Peruvian journalist who documented gross abuses in a Peruvian Catholic movement, Leo said there should be no tolerance in the Catholic Church for any type of abuse
He identified sexual and spiritual abuses, as well as abuses of authority and power, in calling for “transparent processes” to create a culture of prevention across the church.
Francis, who in many ways placed Leo in position to succeed him, had also reaffirmed celibacy for Latin rite priests while acknowledging it was a discipline of the church, not doctrine, and therefore could change. But he refused appeals from Amazonian bishops to allow married priests to address the priest shortage in the region.
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