The Obligation of Perfect and Perpetual Continence and Married Deacons in the Latin Church: Canonical Implications

Through the reception of diaconate a man becomes a cleric. Canon 277 §1 states: “Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven and therefore are bound to celibacy.” Accordingly, it would seem that clerics have two distinct obligations: perfect and perpetual continence and celibacy with continence presented as the fundamental norm. While canon 288 of the 1983 code exempts permanent deacons (no distinction is made between married and unmarried deacons) from some obligations common to all clerics, canon 277 §1 is not one of them. This raises a fundamental question: “Are married deacons, though dispensed from the obligation of celibacy unless their wife dies, obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence?” The author establishes why diaconal continence is even a question by examining the long canonical history associated with continence for clergy, and demonstrates that depending on how one answers the question there are significant implications for the current interpretation and implementation of the prescripts of canon 277 §1.