The Pontifical Committee For Historical Sciences.
Coping International Ltd. has liaised with the Vatican for some years now. Coping remains grateful to Father Bernard Ardura, President of the Pontifical Committee For Historical Sciences for his words in response to questions posed by Coping concerning the children of Catholic priests. His eloquence and integrity offer a true insight into our collective history as ‘church’, a body of people, guided by a wholesome truth, namely, the risen Christ. What follows, is a scan of the letter received by the Vatican Dicastery in 2021 with a translation into English provided.
- Pontifical Committee For Historical Sciences. (Original, French.) 2021.
- Pontifical Committee For Historical Sciences. (English Translation.) 2021.
In 1894, it was claimed, “exclusion of the priests’ children from the priesthood, […] belong to the end of the eleventh century.” {Pp. 102-103.} In 2023, the Pontifical Committe for Historical Sciences, “this obstacle to priestly ordination applied to all children born of an illegitimate union until 1983. They were called ‘adulterous children.'” This limitation no longer applies presently.
