CELIBACY AND THE PRIESTHOOD - 30 Questions and Answers

zna ^ | January 25, 2013 | John Flynn, LC

[NYer]

ROME, January 25, 2013 (Zenit.org).

Why can’t priests marry? It’s a question people often ask and the requirement of celibacy has also been blamed as one of the causes of sexual abuse by priests.

A recently published translation of an Italian book addresses the topic in a question and answer format, “Married Priests? Thirty Crucial Questions about Celibacy” (Ignatius Press). It is edited by Arturo Cattaneo, with contributions from a wide variety of scholars.

We are faced with a great educational challenge in explaining the Church’s teaching on priestly celibacy, admitted Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.

He likened celibacy to marriage. "The underlying logic of priestly celibacy is the same one we encounter in Christian matrimony: the total gift of everything forever in love."

From the historical aspect the book noted that Christ chose celibacy for himself even though among the Jews this state of life was seen as a humiliation. He did not generate children physically but loved his disciples as brethren and shared a common life with them.

Jesus' way of communicating life was not through physical generation but spiritual. Therefore the celibacy of those who follow Jesus in the priesthood must be understood in the perspective of this spiritual transmission of eternal life.

One of the questions deals with the affirmation that celibacy did not become obligatory until the Middle Ages. For a start, the explanation noted, there is considerable Biblical evidence, both in the Gospels and the letters of St Paul, of support for celibacy as a sign of witness.

While it is true that during the early centuries married men were ordained, after their ordination they were expected to practice continence and those who were single at ordination or those widowed after ordination were not permitted to marry once they were priests.

All deacons, priests and bishops, the explanation continued, had to refrain from sexual activity from the day of ordination. "Nowhere in the Church can it be proved that a married cleric legitimately begat children after his ordination."

Over time the Church realized that continence for married clerics was problematic regarding the sacramentality of marriage and so during the Middle Ages this led to the decision of requiring priests to be single.

Vocations

Why not allow married priests in order to attract more vocations? This, the book observed, is one of the most frequent arguments regarding celibacy. There is no evidence, however, "that requiring less of candidates to the priesthood leads to increased numbers of them," the answer replied.

"Experience proves the contrary instead: vocations to the priesthood flourish and multiply when the radical gospel message is welcomed consistently and unapologetically."

The requirement of celibacy is not a dogma, another section of the book admitted, but this does not mean it is a merely disciplinary measure. Celibacy means that the priest should be similar to Christ and live as he did.

Jesus regarded himself as the “Bridegroom” of the whole community of believers. The explanation referred to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (5:21-33) that uses the image of marriage for the union between Christ and the Church.

Is not celibacy unnatural and the cause of crises among priests? In the answer to this question the author, in this case Manfred Lütz, a doctor of medicine in psychiatry, explained that the question is based on an erroneous premise. What about all the people who are unmarried – are they all unnatural?

The celibate life only becomes unnatural when being single turns into isolated selfishness or narcissism, Lütz continued.

Spiritual life

From his experience as a therapist Lütz said that crises among clergy do not come from celibacy, but rather from the drying up of the spiritual life.

A subsequent question also dealt with this theme of psychological equilibrium. It was answered by André-Marie Jerumanis, a priest and physician.

Celibacy, he explained, is not harmful to equilibrium or maturity if we take into account that it is a free choice of a psychologically mature person.

A human being is not just a mere bundle of instincts. Instead, as a person we have an intellect, a will and free choice, which makes possible self-control.

"The more humanly and spiritually mature a person is, the more perfectly he will practice continence at the psychological level, not as frustration but as perfect freedom exercised in self-control and in complete availability to his personal mission," Jerumanis explained.

In another question Jerumanis dealt with the accusation that celibacy is a causal factor in sexual abuse. It would be rash to come to this conclusion, he affirmed, just as it would be rash to conclude that marital crises are due to the requirement that marriage be indissoluble.

Another contributor noted that no one would blame the institution of marriage as being responsible for a parent sexually abusing their child. He also observed that sexual abuse is just as prevalent in churches that have married clergy and that by far the largest number of cases of sexual abuse occurs in the immediate family.

These explanations and the other questions and answers make this book a valuable resource at a time of continued debate over celibacy.

[metmom]

That would never happen in the Catholic Church. Refusal to have children is against the laws of God.

Oh?

Mary and Joseph immediately come to mind. Going against the laws of God is sin.

Catholicism made saints of them and claims Mary never sinned.

[NYer]

Mary and Joseph immediately come to mind.

Mary and Joseph were Jews, not Catholics.

[metmom]

Sin is sin. If something is against the laws of God, it’s against the laws of God everywhere and everywhen for everyone.

It’s irrelevant whether they were Catholic or not.

[Elsie]

1 Corinthians 7:2

But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.

---

[Elsie]

Mary and Joseph were Jews, not Catholics.

Sorry; but our Catholics on FR would disagree.

Since they obviously TRUSTED in Jesus for their salvation; that makes them 'christian'.

And, ALL 'christians' were CATHOLICs, according to ROME.

[CynicalBear]

Did you misread that statement? It didn’t say anything about having children. Read it again.

“How many churches in our time (or anytime), call themselves "Christian" and have any doctrine of forbidding to marry? Who else could Paul be seeing in his vision?”

That was talking about a church that “forbids to marry”. Now what did that have to do with people who are married having children?

And there is only one church that calls itself Christian who have a doctrine forbidding marriage and that is the Catholic church.

[CynicalBear]

Unless they aren’t for doctrinal support.

[CynicalBear]

1 Corinthians 7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Not sure what version of scripture you are using for that verse but it says to “avoid fornication” a man should have his own wife and a woman should have her own husband. I suppose you could infer that husbands and wives should have sexual relations but the verse you posted doesn’t exist as written in any Bible I can find.

[NYer]

Did you misread that statement? It didn’t say anything about having children. Read it again.

Perhaps you need to reread my response: "I can't think of any."

[NYer]

Sorry; but our Catholics on FR would disagree.

"our" Catholics? Name one.

We know from the Gospel of Matthew 1:14 that Joseph the husband of Mary was a righteous man, a devout law-abiding Jew.

Since they obviously TRUSTED in Jesus for their salvation; that makes them 'christian'.

No ... they did not trust in Jesus for their Salvation. They were not christian. Joseph predeceased Jesus. Mary followed Jewish law and had her son circumcised. Jesus was a rabbi. They were all Jews, including the apostles.

Perhaps you need to reread scripture.

[CynicalBear]

>> Perhaps you need to reread my response: "I can't think of any."<<

Does or does not the RCC require that priests not be married?

[Elsie]

No ... they did not trust in Jesus for their Salvation.

^{Matthew 1:19-21}

 

^{19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.}

 

^{20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”}

 

 

 

 

 

^{Luke 2:25-30}

 

^{25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:}

 

^{29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,}

---

Perhaps you need to reread scripture.

[Elsie]

...the verse you posted doesn’t exist as written in any Bible I can find.

HMMMmmm...

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+7%3A2&version=NIV

[Elsie]

"our" Catholics? Name one.

terycarl

[CynicalBear]

Hmmm! I’ve never seen that one. In the Greek it’s not written that way. It simply says to avoid fornication a man should have a wife and a woman should have a husband. I suppose it’s implied but ……… YOu got me on that one.

[Elsie]

 

^{Brown-headed Cowbird females can lay 36 eggs in a season.}

^{The acceptance of a cowbird egg and rearing of a cowbird can be costly to a host species.}

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-headed_Cowbird}

 

 

http://www.birdchick.com/wp/2010/05/should-you-remove-a-cowbird-egg/      Dani

[CynicalBear]

Ok, that one went right over my head. You’re going to have to explain how that fit into this conversation. LOL

[Bellflower]

OK, that one went right over my head. You’re going to have to explain how that fit into this conversation. LOL

LOL is right! This gave me quite a chuckle also.

Elsie did you post that comment on this thread by mistake, or is there a method to your madness. Thanks for the chuckle!

[Elsie]

I was trying to hijack the thread into the FORNICATION that we ALL are subsidizing today with Welfare, WIC and womanizing.

The comments I had typed up didn't make it when I posted my reply.

The cowbirds are the baby mommas who dump their eggs into our "It's for the chilrun" welfare nest.

[Elsie]

Elsie did you post that comment on this thread by mistake, or is there a method to your madness.

Several witnesses said that he'd been showing signs of instability...