You wrote:
“celebacy in the priesthood does not go back to the beginnings of the church by any stretch.”
Yes, it does.
Jesus, first and ONLY High Priest of Christianity was celibate.
and if everyone was like Jesus....the world would be a better place...but we are HUMAN....with all the wonders of being human as endowed by our creator....better to use that equipment in marriage for love and procreation than in the abomination that a few priests have taken it to.