There have been MANY discussions about priestly celibacy over the decades. Men don't even finish their priestly studies until they are AT LEAST thirty-eight years old so they have PLENTY of time to think about it.
One very interesting program featured Anglican WIVES of Anglican vicars...in England. They were all very sincere, well-spoken wives who had obviously given the issue much thought.
To the one each woman said the same basic thing. There are NOT enough hours in a day for their vicar to be
**a good shepherd to his flock,
**a good husband, and
**a good father.
An impossible task.
The Catholic Church has discussed celibacy over the last millennium as well and came to the same conclusion. Their basic model was Jesus, the celibate son of God.
As for the Jesuits, they were founded in 1543 so I doubt if they will disband anytime soon. They are considered the priestly elite, being, for the most part, exceptionally bright men.
I never knew why it MATTERED to anyone why priests should or should not be celibate. It's THEIR life and most do the best they can. So why the big to-do about it?
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The Russians do it slightly differently. If a man is married and wants to become a priest, then he can do so.
However, if he becomes a priest first and THEN wants to marry he CANNOT do so. Once a single man becomes a priest marriage is out of the equation.
That's the way it was explained by Russian Orthodox friends of mine.
So you believe that chronic suppression of a normal, essential human characteristic is in the final analysis a good thing and that a priestly order that has devolved into a predominantly homosexual cabal is an inspiration to the Catholic faithful and advances and enhances the Catholic faith. Not to say that the Jesuits were not once great, but to quote the colloquial expression “Just look at them now”. Nothing more deluded than a Catholic parent that sends their kid to a Jesuit college “for a good Catholic education”. Sadly do not know even one practicing Catholic parent that would trust his or her child alone with a priest.This situation cannot continue.
The Jesuits are the CIA of the Vatican. Any clandestine work goes to them. They’re extremely liberal and push liberation theology. Bergolo is the first and only Jesuit pope. He will and is destroying the Church.
That's completely false.
How do come off making such nonsense up?
You're right about not soon, at least under the pontificate of a Jesuit pope. But that same Jesuit pope wasted no time in disbanding the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, merely for gravitating towards tradition and the the traditional latin Mass.
Pope restricts use of Latin Mass by Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate
If You’ve Been Following the Saga of the Franciscans of the Immaculate…
Thirty eight years? Try 26. Right out of highschool, education and formation for 8 years 26.
While that isn’t always the average, age of newly ordained clergy isn’t exactly a ripe age around 38.
But your other portions do obtain.
Why??? Because it presumes to know better than God and the NT church in subjection to Him, in which being married was the norm for the presbuteros*/episkopos, and ruling his own house, having faithful children in subjection was even a attestation to his character.
This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) (1 Timothy 3:1-5)
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders [episkopos] in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop [episkopos] must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:5-9)
And the minority who were celibate were not under vows that prevented them from marrying:
Mine answer to them that do examine me is this, Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? (1 Corinthians 9:3-5)
And as for history, Catholic writer Greg Dues in "Catholic Customs & Traditions, a popular guide," states,
since priests served at the altar all their life, shouldn't their abstinence be permanent? [it was not] Early heretics, such as Manichaeans and Montanists, added a negative influence by proclaiming that sexual expression - including that of the laity - was impure. Catholic leaders, such as St. Augustine, taught that Original Sin was transmitted through intercourse. Therefore, abstinence and virginity was the ideal life and only the weak should marry. However, most bishops and presbyters continued to marry. In fact, the only marriages that had to have any kind of blessing were those of deacons and priests. (p. 168)
The tradition of celibacy continued to evolve. In some places it was expected that priests be not sexually active after ordination. When monastic spirituality became popular in the fourth and fifth centuries, it promoted the ideal of celibacy as a model for all priests.
One way church authority enforced celibacy was by ordaining monks, who took the vow of chastity, to evangelize large areas of Europe. Church authority continued to mandate celibacy. The First Lateran Council (1123-1153) forbade those in orders to marry and ordered all those already married to renounce their wives and do penance. Later legislation declared the marriages of clerics not only illegal but also invalid. Widespread disregard of these laws continued until a reorganization of preparation for priesthood following the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent in the 1500's. (Greg Dues, "Catholic Customs & Traditions: A Popular Guide," [1992]; p. 169 )
The Regional Council of Carthage stated in the interpretation section,
The continence which the present Canon requires bishops, priests, and deacons to maintain is that they shall make a promise when they are being ordained that they will never have any carnal intercourse with their wives, by agreement with the latter, but, on the contrary, will remain continent. (http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/councils_local_rudder.htm)
This is in contrast with Scripture, in which while not seeking to change one's status is exhorted, and celibacy is advocated for those "unmarried and widows" who have the gift (especially due to "the present distress" for "the time is short,": 1Co. 7:7,8,17-35) so as focus spiritually on the Lord, without being distracted by the cares of this life, yet marriage is distinctly said to not be sin, (v. 28) and marriage is enjoined with normal marital relations as the solution to fornication, (v. 5) and leaving a spouse forbidden. (v. 39) Moreover, pastors and apostles were normatively married with children, which itself would testify to their shepherding skills. (1Tim. 3:1-7)
But requiring the contrary, that pastors be single (except in the case of certain married pastoral converts) is consistent with the extreme bias of such men as Jerome, who saw marriage as so inferior (at the least) to virginity, celibacy and continence, that he engaged in specious reasoning and abused Scripture to support his extreme imbalanced views, teaching: (More, by the grace of God.).
* Catholicism translates into English the distinctive Greek word for a separate sacerdotal class, "hiereus," as “priest” - an etymological corruption of the Greek "presbyterous" (senior/elder) - but which word (hiereus) the Holy Spirit never used for NT clergy (presbyterous or episkopos (overseer), both denoting the same person) as all believers are called to sacrifice (Rm. 12:1; 15:16; Phil. 2:17; 4:18; Heb. 13:15,16; cf. 9:9) and all constitute the only priesthood —hieráteuma— in the NT church. )