[HighlyOpinionated]

Thank you for posting this. As a former Lutheran Pastor's Former Wife, one of the most endearing things about the Catholic Church is a Celibate Clergy.

I strongly support a Chaste Celibate Catholic Clergy and Religious.

[NYer]

As a former Lutheran Pastor's Former Wife, one of the most endearing things about the Catholic Church is a Celibate Clergy.

I strongly support a Chaste Celibate Catholic Clergy and Religious.

Thank you for your honest input to this discussion! And, there you have it! From the mouth of one who has experienced this first hand!

Though not qualified to speak on a long term basis, I can certainly attest that from my one year experience in an Eastern Catholic Rite US Church, there are solid and valid reasons why the prelates who come here are chosen exclusively from the celibate clergy. Even with our scaled down mass schedule - 2 liturgies per week (only one on the first weekend of the month), no priest can attend to the parish family and his own family, without sacrificing the needs of the parish. Life in the US is far more complex than in the Middle East and demands the constant nurturing and attention of a celibate prelate.

[sinkspur]

I strongly support a Chaste Celibate Catholic Clergy and Religious.

Well, there are married clergy in ever Rite of the Catholic Church. Married priests in Eastern and Latin Rites, and married deacons (the only vocation in the Western Rite experiencing an increase).

All the arguments against optional celibacy are purely logistical and most are made by non-clergy.