“Bishops Must Remain Celibate” — Pope Leo XIV Reasserts Church Discipline

Pope Leo XIV has reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s requirement of priestly celibacy and called for “firm and decisive” measures against clerical sex abuse during a pivotal address to Catholic bishops and cardinals from around the world.

Speaking inside the grand halls of St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, the pontiff delivered a sweeping message to over 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries, as part of the ongoing Holy Year celebrations for clergy. The address followed a separate session where he spoke to seminarians, offering them encouragement in their vocational journey.

In what was his most detailed outline yet of episcopal responsibility since becoming pope, Leo emphasized that bishops must lead lives of simplicity, foster unity within their dioceses, and maintain close pastoral relationships with their communities. “In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power,” the Pope stated, urging bishops to open their homes and hearts generously, acting as “both a father figure and brother” to their priests.

He underscored the continued importance of celibacy, describing it as essential for representing the Church’s identity. “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.

Addressing the ongoing global abuse crisis, Pope Leo was unequivocal in his stance. “Bishops must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors,” he said, calling for full adherence to existing Church legislation.

This marks the second time in a week that Pope Leo has spoken out on the issue. In a written statement on Friday to a Peruvian journalist who exposed severe abuse within a Catholic movement in Peru, Leo condemned all forms of abuse — sexual, spiritual, and authoritarian — and demanded “transparent processes” to promote a culture of prevention across the Church.

Pope Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago and head of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis, was instrumental in shaping episcopal leadership during the Francis era. His rise to the papacy was widely seen as a continuation of Francis’s inclusive vision for the Church, centered on welcome, dialogue, and reform.

While Pope Francis had previously upheld priestly celibacy as Church discipline — not doctrine — and resisted calls to relax the rule even in priest-starved regions like the Amazon, Pope Leo’s remarks suggest a clear commitment to preserving celibacy as an enduring norm for the Latin rite clergy.

The Jubilee of Bishops event, set within the broader Holy Year observances, is expected to continue with sessions focused on renewal, reflection, and episcopal accountability.