The “Sacrament of Priesthood” or “Holy Orders” – a Merely Terminological Question? (the Problem in Terms of Conciliar Resolutions, Codes of Canon Law and Roman Catechisms)

Abstract

The documents of the Catholic Church use the term „sacrament of Holy Orders” in relation to the sixth sacrament. Meanwhile, in many Polish translations of such documents, in older textbooks and even in the statements of church hierarchs, the term „sacrament of Holy Orders” appears. This study seeks to answer the question whether these two terms can be used interchangeably, or whether their interchangeable use is connected with the serious problem of locating the various degrees of ordination in the proper theological-canonical perspective.