Can Priests Go Hunting? The Council of Trent provides an answer...

Canterbury Tales ^ | November 30, 2011 | Taylor Marshall

[NYer]

It's hunting season, and with all the clamor about "guns and Christian men" in the previous post about "manly Christmas gifts," I did a quick search and found an interesting article about "hunting" in the Catholic Encyclopedia over at NewAdvent.org.

There has never been a prohibition against hunting for laymen. However, there is quite a controversial history concerning clerical hunting. The Council of Trent, for example, made the formal distinction between clamorous (clamorosa) hunting and quiet (quieta) hunting. (Session XXIV, 12). "Clamorous hunting" is forbidden to priests. However, "quiet hunting" is allowed.

Clamorous hunting likely refers to the large hunting parties that are sometimes associated with dogs, drinking, and lasciviousness. It is clear that this type of gathering would not be proper for a priest. "Quiet hunting" would be more like laying traps in the woods or going out alone with a deer rifle.

In the "Corpus Juris Canonici" (C. ii, X, De cleric. venat.) we read: "We forbid to all servants of God hunting and expeditions through the woods with hounds; and we also forbid them to keep hawks or falcons." The Fourth Council of the Lateran, held under Pope Innocent III, decrees (can. xv): "We interdict hunting or hawking to all clerics." It seems here that there is a worry that hunting and hawking takes too much time for recreation. We imagine modern canons to read "golfing."

I don't know where canon law stands today, but I thought you might find the history of the questoin to be rather interesting.

Happy Hunting,

[Lee N. Field]

Boor hunting from horseback also has possibilities.

[Hieronymus]

My Bishop, and probably a majority of priests in this diocese, hunt. Last year his excellency bagged a really nice buck on the opening day (he also drives a truck, and one of his ordination presents was a chainsaw). I think that the majority of non-hunting priests here give a special blessing to the hunters at the end of Mass on the first Sunday of deer season.

I live back in the woods, you see....

[rwa265]

Try telling Fr. Joe Classen that priests can’t go hunting. :-)

http://www.huntingforgod.com/page4.html

[rwa265]

Try telling Fr. Joe Classen that priests can’t go hunting. :-)

http://www.huntingforgod.com/page4.html

[Tax-chick]

Absolutely. Pleasant exercise, and a public service, too.

[NYer]

Boor hunting from horseback also has possibilities.

It would help to bring along one of these ....

Long before the Great Dane was called the Great Dane or German Mastiff they were simply known as Boarhounds and existed for the use of hunting wild boar. Given the exponential growth of wild hogs in many parts of the world, some hoggers are now turning to the Great Dane.

Dogo Argentino and Great Dane Hog Hunting Team This is a video of a Dogo Argentino and Great Dane catching feral hog in south Texas. Hog was winded by the Dogo and then caught by both dogs. The Dogo was then pulled off so the Dane could get some one on one time with the hog as this was his first catch in the wild.

[RichInOC]

You think this would count as safety orange?

[Lee N. Field]

This is a video of a Dogo Argentino and Great Dane catching feral hog in south Texas.

Feral hogs are a huge problem in parts of the US. I saw a video recently of hunting them by helicopter. Not for fun, just to reduce their number.

Whatever he was shooting them with, one hit and they dropped.

[NYer]

I saw a video recently of hunting them by helicopter. Not for fun, just to reduce their number. Whatever he was shooting them with, one hit and they dropped.

Yes ... I also saw that video. They were dropping nets from the helicopter.

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, I can sympathize. Sometimes I want to chase bores down with dogs and javelins myself. Anything to get them to stop talking!

As C.S. Lewis said, "Inasmuch as ye have done this unto one of these my bores, so have ye done it unto me."

[AnAmericanMother]

But there’s a difference between the ordained priesthood and the ‘priesthood of believers’.

[AnAmericanMother]

That wouldn't be the redoubtable Bp. Etienne of Cheyenne, would it?

His Excellency with the Carmelites in his diocese -- with Carhartts for habits and a camo .308 in the hands of the bishop. He had something on his blog this week about hunting grizzly bears . . . . pretty tough bishop!

[Hieronymus]

Bishop Mulhall of Pembroke up here in the Great White North.

However his friendship with Bishop Etienne dates back to the NAC.

One of those Carmelites was a student of mine—good community and a good state.

[AnAmericanMother]

That's nice to hear, always glad to find somebody who knows a member of a group personally.

I buy their coffee - it's very good! :-D

[Seraphicaviary]

The prohibition against hunting in the Council of Trent was because most hunting lands used to be property of the king, and the Vatican did not want priests to be beholden to the king for anything.

The prohibitions of Trent make good reading. One of the more interesting is a prohibition on drinking games, i.e. lining up shots, etc. Just like posting a sign today, it would not be needed unless someone was doing it...

Seraphicaviary