Holy Orders: fifteen questions

It is the sacrament of apostolic ministry, through which the mission Christ entrusted to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time. It has three degrees: bishop, priest (presbyter) and deacon. Those ordained share in proclaiming the Gospel, shepherding and sanctifying the People of God.

In ancient Rome an ordo was an established body, especially a governing one. From ancient times the Church has spoken of the order of bishops, of priests and of deacons. Ordination is the sacramental act that joins a man to one of these orders; it is more than an election or appointment, for it gives a gift of the Holy Spirit.

God made all Israel a priestly people, and within it set apart the tribe of Levi for the service of worship. Aaron and his sons were consecrated by a special rite. The Church sees in this priesthood, and in the seventy elders who shared Moses' task, a foreshadowing of the ordained ministry of the New Covenant.

Yes. Christ is the one mediator and the one high priest, and his sacrifice on the Cross was offered once for all. His one sacrifice is made present in the Eucharist, and his one priesthood is made present through the ministerial priesthood, without taking anything from its uniqueness. As St Thomas Aquinas put it, only Christ is the true priest; the others are his ministers.

Yes, all the baptized share in the common priesthood of Christ, each according to his own calling (1 Pet 2:9). The ministerial priesthood of bishops and priests also shares in Christ's one priesthood, but the two differ in essence. The ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood, so that the grace of Baptism may unfold in all Christians.

In the ordained minister it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd, High Priest and Teacher. So the Church says that the priest, by Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi Capitis, in the person of Christ the Head. Through the bishops and priests, Christ's presence as Head of the Church is made visible among believers.

Ordination does not keep a minister from human weakness, error or even sin. But Christ guarantees the sacraments he celebrates, so that even the sin of the minister cannot prevent the fruit of grace. His other acts carry human marks that are not always faithful to the Gospel and can harm the Church. The unworthiness of a minister does not stop Christ from acting.

From ancient times the ministry has been exercised by bishops, priests and deacons. Bishops and priests share in Christ's priesthood as ministers; deacons are ordained for service. All three are conferred by the sacramental act called ordination.

Bishops hold the chief place among the ministries, through an unbroken succession going back to the apostles. Episcopal consecration gives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders, the high priesthood. With the office of sanctifying it gives the offices of teaching and governing, so that bishops act in an eminent way in the person of Christ, teacher, shepherd and priest.

Priests are co-workers of the bishops. They do not have the fullness of the priesthood and depend on the bishop, yet they share his priestly dignity and are consecrated to preach the Gospel, shepherd the faithful and celebrate divine worship. Above all they exercise their sacred office in the Eucharist, acting in the person of Christ. With their bishop they form one presbyterium, and in each local community they make the bishop present.

Deacons receive the laying on of hands "not unto the priesthood, but unto the ministry". Only the bishop lays hands on them, a sign of their special bond with him. They assist at the liturgy, especially the Eucharist, give Communion, assist at and bless marriages in the Latin Church, proclaim and preach the Gospel, lead funerals and serve in works of charity. The Eastern Churches always kept the permanent diaconate; the Latin Church restored it after the Second Vatican Council.

For all three degrees the essential rite is the bishop's laying on of hands on the head of the ordinand, with the bishop's consecratory prayer asking God to pour out the Holy Spirit and the gifts proper to that ministry (2 Tim 1:6; Acts 6:6). Only a bishop validly ordains, as the Eastern Code also teaches. Each rite surrounds this with its own prayers and signs.

Only a baptized man validly receives ordination. Jesus chose men to form the Twelve, and the apostles did the same; the Church holds herself bound by this choice of the Lord, so the ordination of women is not possible. No one has a right to be ordained: the call comes from God, and the Church has the responsibility to discern and call.

In the Latin Church, ordained ministers, except permanent deacons, are normally chosen from men who live and intend to remain celibate for the kingdom of heaven. In the Eastern Churches, for many centuries, bishops are chosen only from celibates, while married men can be ordained deacons and priests, a practice long held legitimate. The Eastern Code honours both celibacy and the tradition of married clergy, and leaves the admission of married men to each Church's own law.

Holy Orders, like Baptism and Confirmation, gives an indelible spiritual character and cannot be repeated or conferred for a time only. A man validly ordained may, for a just reason, be relieved of the duties of ordination or forbidden to exercise them. But he cannot become a layman again in the strict sense, because the character is for ever.