Glossary of Church Terms
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priest-theologian over the age of 80 has been named a cardinal to honor his
theological contributions to the church. See
College of Cardinals
.
celibacy.
Refers to a decision to live chastely in the unmarried state. At ordina-
tion, a diocesan priest or unmarried deacon in the Latin rite Catholic Church
makes a promise of celibacy. The promise should not be called a “vow.”
Adj
.
celibate
. See
chastity
.
chancellor.
The chief archivist of a diocese’s official records. Also a notary
and secretary of the diocesan curia, or central administration; he or she may
have a variety of other duties as well. It is the highest diocesan position open
to women.
chastity.
In its general sense chastity does not mean abstinence from sexual
activity as such, but rather moral sexual conduct. Marital chastity means faith-
fulness to one’s spouse and moral conduct in marital relations. The religious
vow of chastity taken by brothers, sisters and priests in religious orders is a
religious promise to God to live the virtue of chastity by not marrying and by
abstaining from sexual activity. When diocesan priests and unmarried deacons
make a promise of celibacy, they are not taking religious vows; their commit-
ment to live chastely in an unmarried state should be described as a promise,
not a vow. See
celibacy
.
church.
Apart from its obvious use to refer to a building where Christians
gather to worship God,
church
has a rich theological and doctrinal meaning
for Catholics that also sets limits on how it is applied. The
local
or
particular
church
means the (arch)diocese, the community of faithful gathered around
the altar under its bishop. Each particular church has all the necessary means
of salvation according to Catholic teaching—that is, fidelity to apostolic teach-
ing, assured by ordained ministry in apostolic succession; the seven sacraments
accepted throughout Christianity before the Reformation; and all the communal
means to holiness that God grants through his graces. The
universal church
—
the meaning of
catholic church
, lowercased
—
is the communion of all those
particular churches spread throughout the world who are in union with the
bishop of Rome and who share in fidelity to apostolic teaching and discipleship
to Christ. Catholics also recognize the mainline Orthodox churches as churches;
and until the recent ordination of women in several Old Catholic churches of
the Union of Utrecht, the Catholic Church had recognized Union of Utrecht