No Greater Love: Speakers Say Celibacy Mirrors Jesus' Love For All

Catholic News Service ^ | 3/5/10 | Cindy Wooden

[marshmallow]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Exceptions to celibacy for priests in the Roman Catholic Church can be puzzling, including for young priests enthusiastic about their vocation.

The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, run by Opus Dei in Rome, held a theological conference on priestly celibacy March 4-5 and while no one challenged mandatory celibacy, there were repeated questions about the exceptions made in some of the Eastern Catholic churches and for clergy coming from the Anglican Communion.

"If celibacy is so tied theologically and spiritually to priestly identity, why the exceptions?" the questioners asked.

Speakers at the conference, attended mostly by priests and seminarians, acknowledged the confusion caused by the exceptions and by the frequent statement that celibacy is a discipline, not a dogma, and so conceivably could change.

"In the eyes of many, the church hierarchy and especially the Apostolic See seem to hold contradictory positions on priestly celibacy," said Father Laurent Touze, a professor of spiritual theology and author of a book on the future of priestly celibacy.

"On the one hand, there is a firm insistence on the non-negotiability of celibacy," he said, while at the same time there are granted "exceptions to celibacy," including Pope Benedict XVI's provisions in late 2009 for ordaining as Catholic priests married former Anglican ministers.

Many people think, "If these exceptions are possible, why not abolish a frequently contested discipline and at least make it optional," Father Touze said.

For Father Touze, the answer lies in the spiritual and theological meaning of priesthood.

Priests are called by God to imitate Christ, the bridegroom, by dedicating themselves totally to God and to serving his people, he said. And they are called to stand in Christ's place at the Eucharist, pouring themselves out for the salvation of others, he said.

The conference also looked at another factor that often creates confusion regarding celibacy: the debate over the practice of the early church and the widespread assumption that celibacy for priests was a fourth-century invention of the church.

Father Stefan Heid, a professor at Rome's Pontifical Institute of Sacred Archeology and author of "Celibacy," a historical study, said Pope Siricius was insisting on a practice embraced by the Twelve Apostles and followed in the early church when he decreed in 385 that all clergy must live lives of perfect chastity.

"Popes do not invent anything," Father Heid said. "Siricius would have been made to look ridiculous suddenly imposing on thousands of clergy something that hadn't existed up to then."

Instead, the priest said his research led him to believe the pope's decree was a formal reaffirmation of church practice at a time when it was coming under attack.

Father Heid said that like the apostles, married men who became priests in the early church lived completely chaste lives after ordination. He described those who have tried to suggest Jesus himself was married, perhaps to Mary Magdalene, as romance novelists masquerading as biblical scholars.

Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes and former secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said Jesus' perfect chastity touches "the most intimate and sacred nucleus of his human existence: his love."

The Bible does not speak explicitly about Jesus' celibacy, he said, which could be why so few theologians have reflected on priestly celibacy as an imitation of Christ rather than simply as a way of giving up everything for Christ as religious do.

"In any case, this silence is reflected in catechesis, which says nothing in this regard, so Christians often demonstrate perplexity and misunderstanding about this reality" and their confusion is increased "by not a few pseudo-scientific articles or by bizarre and false film portrayals of Jesus' sexuality," the archbishop said.

Jesus' choice not to marry "was not a casual choice. He chose to be himself," the archbishop said. By renouncing marriage, he was able to love all people with a self-giving and life-giving love.

Conference speakers also acknowledged -- and rejected -- common claims about the damaging psychological effects of celibacy.

Aquilino Polaino Lorente, a professor of psychopathology at the University of St. Paul Medical School in Madrid, said that accepting God's call to a vocation as a celibate priest "does not carry any more psychological risks than marriage does."

Human beings, with their intelligence and freedom, do not have to act on their sexual impulses in order to be happy and healthy, he said, and, in fact, never controlling those impulses is a sure sign of a serious psychological problem.

"Naturally, renouncing sexuality -- an important part of human love -- has a cost. But much less than most people think," he said. "To the degree that a person gives himself fully to the aim of his life and the reason for his existence, chastity costs less. To the degree that the person forgets himself and gives himself to others, renouncing sexuality weighs less because it is lived in the fullness of a freely chosen love."

[peyton randolph]

Father Heid said that like the apostles, married men who became priests in the early church lived completely chaste lives after ordination.

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I'd be interested in seeing the factual evidence to support this claim, particularly with regard to St. Peter and his wife. Considered the first pope, did he become celibate when assuming that role? Can't imagine many women putting up with that one. "Honey, I'm the first Bishop of Rome...no more sex for you."

[HonorInPa]

I don’t think this is historically accurate. The church was losing much of its riches because the local priests - who controlled much of the wealth (land, buildings, cash) in villages and towns - were getting married, and/or having children to whom the riches flowed upon death. Often times the church leadership provided the only realy competition to whatever royalty or peerage had local control. The continued dilution of the assets of the church required that something drastic - like priestly celibacy - be instituted to stem the problem.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

There was once a very interesting take on Catholic religious chastity.

It was remarked that sex is very energy intensive and draining, so by refraining from sex, priests and nuns typically have much more vitality than do other people. And while this vitality does not directly translate into things like physical strength, it does provide extra resources in time of great need.

In the much more violent world of the past, where priests and nuns were common targets, it was noted that they were much harder to kill, by villains, than ordinary people. They might kill a few, but they would never wipe them out. This alone means that the Catholic church survives today in places where any other, non-celibate church would have been annihilated.

[A.A. Cunningham]

I'd be interested in seeing the factual evidence to support this claim,

You'd probably be interested in much of what Scripture actually says because apparently you haven't read much of it.

"For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it." Matthew 19:12 (emphasis added for your edification)

"Then Peter answering, said to Him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have? And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of His majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for My name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. And many that are first, shall be last: and the last shall be first." Matthew 19:27-30 (emphasis added for your edification)

"Then Peter said: Behold, we have left all things, and have followed thee. Who said to them: Amen, I say to you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive much more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting." Luke 18:28-30 (emphasis added for your edification)

particularly with regard to St. Peter and his wife.

Scripture only mentions the mother in law of St. Peter, never his wife, so you can only definitively state that Simon Bar-Jona was married at one time. However, from the above passages it is clear that the Apostles, including Peter, gave up everything to follow Christ.

You also obviously aren't familiar with Moses abstaining from conjugal relations with his wife, either.

If you're sincerely looking for more evidence I suggest you read Clement of Alexandria's The Stromata. In particular, Book VII, Chapter XI:

'They say, accordingly, that the blessed Peter, on seeing his wife led to death, rejoiced on account of her call and conveyance home, and called very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, "Remember thou the Lord." Such was the marriage of the blessed and their perfect disposition towards those dearest to them.

Thus also the apostle says, "that he who marries should be as though he married not," and deem his marriage free of inordinate affection, and inseparable from love to the Lord; to which the true husband exhorted his wife to cling on her departure out of this life to the Lord.'

along with:

You should get started as soon as possible on your studies.

[A.A. Cunningham]

I think you're engaging in revisionist history and are simply parroting urban legends put forth by people who could never comprehend not allowing their libido to dictate how they lived their lives.

[Campion]

The church was losing much of its riches because the local priests - who controlled much of the wealth (land, buildings, cash) in villages and towns - were getting married, and/or having children to whom the riches flowed upon death.

Do you have any real, scholarly, historical sources for this?

I've read this multiple times on FR, and it doesn't make sense. Church property didn't belong to the priest and couldn't be bequeathed to his heirs.

What definitely did happen is nepotism -- children of clerics given preference for a church career. In a day when anyone not born into nobility could look forward to a short life of back-breaking labor -- unless they became a cleric -- this was a big deal.

[Campion]

I'd be interested in seeing the factual evidence to support this claim, particularly with regard to St. Peter and his wife.

I think the evidence for Peter even being married when he met Jesus is slim. We know he was married at some point, b/c his mother-in-law is mentioned. Clement of Alexandria mentions that Peter's wife was martyred for the faith (before Peter), and that they had a daughter. That's it.

[Salvation]

Great reference. Thanks.

[circlecity]

Eusebius quotes Clement in telling us Peter was married up until the time he and his wife were martyred.

[RnMomof7]

Me too.... actually early priests were allowed to have wives..celibacy was born into virtue when the priests in Spain left church property to their children

[RnMomof7]

So sex between husbands and wives is so sinful a priest must abstain ?