Time to Abolish Clerical Celibacy

frontpagemag.com ^ | January 3, 2002 | Jamie Glazov

[dtom]

Time to Abolish Clerical Celibacy

FrontPageMagazine.com | January 3, 2002

FATHER ARTHUR CARRAHER is a Roman Catholic priest in Toronto. He has just recently confessed to being a child molester. He faces seven charges of indecent assault in Dublin, Ireland.

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Tragically, this 79-year-old criminal might avoid justice, because it looks like he will live out his final days in Canada. Already ill, this individual benefits from the fact that bureaucrats have yet to ratify an extradition treaty that would force him back to Ireland.

It is clear that "Father" Carraher settled in Canada to avoid punishment for his crimes. His victims, meanwhile, whose lives he shattered at a young age, cry out for justice.

This outrage is just another reminder of the serious problem that has grown within the Catholic Church as a result of the imposition of clerical celibacy.

I am a Catholic. I believe in the Church. I have also had the privilege of meeting, and befriending, many Catholic priests in my life - and a large proportion of them are obviously pious people who are not child abusers.

Having said that, I must say that, as a Catholic, I can no longer stay silent about the pathology that the enforcement of celibacy has caused within the Church.

Forced clerical celibacy simply has to go. It is directly connected to the widespread existence of pedophilia and homosexuality in the priesthood. Many of my fellow Catholics will be outraged at me for raising this issue. But I am far more concerned about the victims who have had their lives and identities destroyed for a lifetime, than I am about making some people uncomfortable about bringing this taboo subject up for discussion.

Let?s get one thing straight: enforced celibacy has nothing to do with Christian theology. That?s why it was never an enforced rule for priests until the 11^th century, when the Church officially mandated it for completely non-theological reasons. Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) banned priests from being married because he wanted to solve the problem of their families inheriting Church property.

Anyone with half a brain would have known that Pope Gregory?s act was going to invite a tremendous evil into the Church. I mean, think about it: does it really take a rocket scientist to figure out what will happen to males in an institution that forbids them from getting married? Let me give you a little hint: ponder what happens to a male?s mind and body after he goes through puberty. Now consider the consequences of a male repressing, and not having an outlet for, the natural feelings and desires that he will subsequently live with for the rest of his adult life. Perhaps some people don?t need sex. Fair enough. But it needs to be a voluntary decision.

Is it really a surprise that criminals like "Father" Carraher emerge and that they destroy the lives of many innocent human beings? Of course Carraher must accept personal responsibility for what he did. After all, the majority of priests are obviously ethical people who do not hurt young boys - notwithstanding their celibacy. But this does not mean that we should ignore the pathology that is engendered by enforced celibacy.

In recent years, reports of Catholic priests sexually abusing children have come to light in virtually every major U.S. city. Yet the Church continues to refuse to deal with this problem in a serious way. It?s time it did.

The fact is that when women are demonized, pathology always emerges. It is so ingrained in many Catholic priests to believe that it would be dirty and evil for them to have sex with a woman, that some of them end up rationalizing that it is less sinful to molest a little boy -- or to have sex with a man. Yet, for the Catholic Church, the alternative decision to engage in homosexuality is far more sinful, and in the case of the abuse of little boys, far more inhumane, criminal and clearly diabolical.

Abnormal sexual behavior, like pedophilia, is often found among males in situations where the woman -- the ideal sexual object -- is forbidden or unavailable. That?s why a strong case can be made that Islamic terror, for instance, is rooted in the misogyny and sexual repression that is embedded in Muslim cultures.

In light of these realities, it is the obligation, especially of Catholics, to speak out against the Church?s policy of mandatory celibacy for priests. It?s the least that the victims of "Father" Carraher, and of the hundreds of monsters like him, deserve.

Jamie Glazov holds a Ph.D. in History with a specialty in Soviet Studies. He is the author of 15 Tips on How to be a Good Leftist. Born in the U.S.S.R., Jamie is the son of prominent Soviet dissidents, and now resides in Vancouver, Canada. He writes the Dr. Progressive advice column for angst-ridden leftists at EnterStageRight.com. E-mail him at jglazov@home.com.

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[dighton]

Bon appetit.

[ArGee]

Forced clerical celibacy simply has to go. It is directly connected to the widespread existence of pedophilia and homosexuality in the priesthood.

The best way to challenge something is to make a broad statement that is totally unsupported by any facts and then base your argument on that broad statement. By the time people are finished with your argument, they forget that you never supported your underlying thesis.

I am not Roman Catholic and I'm not sure the Bible mandates celibacy for the priesthood. But, considering the large number of priests and the very small number of ordained pedophiles I am sure there is no basis in the above assertion. I have never heard that the ratio of pedophile priests is higher than the ratio of pedophiles in general. But to accept this author's point, you would need to believe it was. I am sure that a pedophile priest is more newsworthy than a pedophile in general so it can seem that becoming a priest makes one a pedophile.

Of course, we're also not evaluating how many priests engage in illicit adult heterosexual activity. That's because the author has an axe to grind.

If the Catholic church needs to take action, it needs to do a better job of protecting its boys from the few priests who do fall in this manner. It also needs to provide better help to the priests who believe they are falling - to let them know they can request help without fear of reprisal and receive the full forgiveness of Jesus so they can get on with their lives.

Of course, the Church needs to make sure she believes the requirement for celibate priests comes from G-d. But if she is sure, then she needs to stand by what G-d has said no matter what idiots like this author believe.

Shalom.

[SoothingDave]

In my opinion, not only should the priesthood be opened to men who are married, but married permanent deacons should be considered for ordination as priests if they want it. Also, those men who left the priesthood over marriage should be invited to return and their marriages regularized (as long as they're not married to a divorced person w/o an annulment.) This would provide a large jump in the number of active priests in the West.

You are operating under the assumption that the liberal bishops actually want to have "a large jump in the number of active priests in the West." This is a naive view.

The "shortage" of priests we have is largely by design. Seminaries have been turned over to feminist agitator nuns who have an agenda of "priestesses" to support. Conservative, orthodox young men are routinely screened out before admittance as "too rigid" to be good pastors. Those who lie their way in, often find themselves persecuted for such sins as Eucharitic Adoration or, again, "rigidity" in adhering to Church Dogma.

The solution is not to open up the priesthood to those who left it because of sexual desire, but to pray for a Pope who will clean out the decaying corpus of the "Spirit of Vatican II"

SD

[Orual]

Bon appetit.

Nah, this one's a no-brainer. Besides, I might say something vaguely controversial. And I wouldn't want to start a ...

[ArGee]

As a Catholic, Mr. Glazov should know better than this.

Is there such thing as a CINO? If so, Mr. Glazov is surely one.

Shalom.

[discostu]

What a terrible arguement for a good position. Clerical celibacy should go but not for any reason that has anything to do with child molestation. I was born in a family that was leaving the Catholic church, and clerical celibacy was one of the reasons, as my mom regularly put it: how can someone who avoids the bond of romantic love, someone that has never and will never enter into the relationship of marriage, someone that will never rear children, how can this person give any useful advice to his parishioners on the problems that are most common in their life (ie problems with the marriage and kids)?

And, of course, the answer to her question is that they can't. Sure they can quote the Bible. They can tell you how the Church interprets the passage, how they themselves interpret the passage. But good advice is a sharing of experience and as long as clerical celibacy is the rule Catholic clerics will not be able to give good advice on most of the problems people face.

[discostu]

What a terrible arguement for a good position. Clerical celibacy should go but not for any reason that has anything to do with child molestation. I was born in a family that was leaving the Catholic church, and clerical celibacy was one of the reasons, as my mom regularly put it: how can someone who avoids the bond of romantic love, someone that has never and will never enter into the relationship of marriage, someone that will never rear children, how can this person give any useful advice to his parishioners on the problems that are most common in their life (ie problems with the marriage and kids)?

And, of course, the answer to her question is that they can't. Sure they can quote the Bible. They can tell you how the Church interprets the passage, how they themselves interpret the passage. But good advice is a sharing of experience and as long as clerical celibacy is the rule Catholic clerics will not be able to give good advice on most of the problems people face.

[ArGee]

If you don't believe it, then try not having sex for a couple of years and see what kind of thoughts start to go running through your head.

Aha! A valid scientific proof for an unsupported proposition.

Please don't take up research, sid. Anecdotal evidence is not rigorous at all.

And, for just one anecdote, been there...done that...no strange thoughts and no illegal behavior. See, I rule over my sex drive, not the other way around. That's what makes me human.

But anecdotal evidence doesn't prove anything, does it?

Shalom.

[pbear8]

there is a little known dispensatin that allows married Episcopal priests, who become Catholic, to stay married

My understanding is that this depensation is available to this generation only. The Church does not want to have men skirting the discipline of the Church by becoming Epsc. and then changing to RC.

[pbear8]

I have no problem with letting priests get married. It hasn't been a problem in Protestant churches for centuries.

Great point, there have never been any divorces or affairs or nepotism among the Protestant clergy to give scandal to the Protestant churches ever.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

Thanks for the bump, ArGee. As usual, your apologetics are superb. You have already stated what I would have posted. (You sure you're not a closet Catholic??? You do a better job than me and several others here on many issues dear to us... ;-)

Catholics do not deny harsh realities. Here's two things I have been studying lately:

The Price Of Priestly Pederasty

Who Burned The Witches?

[sinkspur]

My understanding is that this depensation is available to this generation only. The Church does not want to have men skirting the discipline of the Church by becoming Epsc. and then changing to RC.

Do you have some evidence for that? When I read the dispensation, I don't recall a time limit.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

try not having sex for a couple of years and see what kind of thoughts start to go running through your head

I guess we must abandon the prohibitions against sex before marriage too, in your warped world view? Seems most folks don't marry for 2 to 3 decades after birth. They must all be insane by then, by your logic.

[SoothingDave]

I was born in a family that was leaving the Catholic church, and clerical celibacy was one of the reasons, as my mom regularly put it: how can someone who avoids the bond of romantic love, someone that has never and will never enter into the relationship of marriage, someone that will never rear children, how can this person give any useful advice to his parishioners on the problems that are most common in their life (ie problems with the marriage and kids)?

Why did your family really leave the Church?

The idea that only a married man with kids can give Christian advice is the exact type of thinking that leads women to believe that only a woman can act as a therepist to women, blacks to believe that only a black can represent blacks in Congress, etc.

It is repugnant to the idea that we are all formed in the image of God.

SD

[sinkspur]

In my opinion, not only should the priesthood be opened to men who are married, but married permanent deacons should be considered for ordination as priests if they want it. Also, those men who left the priesthood over marriage should be invited to return and their marriages regularized (as long as they're not married to a divorced person w/o an annulment.) This would provide a large jump in the number of active priests in the West.

It's interesting to note how the Church is skating around the edges of the celibacy rule.

As has been mentioned, Anglican and Episcopalian men who convert to Catholicism are dispensed from celibacy. We've got five of them in our diocese here in Texas, and they are among the best preachers I've ever heard.

A little known practice that has occurred at least three times that I know of in the Diocese of Dallas and is about to occur in Fort Worth is the return of priests who left to marry but who are now divorced from their wives. None of these men (and I know two personally) sought laicization, so their marriages were never recognized by the Church.

Once they dumped their wives, or their wives dumped them, they petitioned the bishops to return, and they have returned to their former dioceses. This is all done with the full blessing of Rome.

OTOH, men who did the proper thing (as I did) and sought laicization (I was ordained a transitional deacon) will not even be considered for even the permanent diaconate.

Celibacy of course has nothing to do with pedophilia, or pederasty, or sexual deviancy. The Church has the right to demand celibacy if it wants to.

But the Church is also limiting the selection of candidates for the priesthood to men who feel called to celibacy, an admittedly small number.

The real tragedy of celibacy is that celibacy excludes a large number of men who might make exemplary Roman Catholic priests but will not consider it.

Unless, of course, they are Episcopalian, or are former priests who've failed as husbands and know they'll be welcomed back to the priesthood.

[sinkspur]

The solution is not to open up the priesthood to those who left it because of sexual desire, but to pray for a Pope who will clean out the decaying corpus of the "Spirit of Vatican II"

Should the Church exclude those men who indulge their sexual desire but are welcomed into the priesthood after conversion from Anglicanism?

Should there be any bending of celibacy whatsoever?

[pbear8]

It would have been in an orthodox Catholic journal. I'll try to find it but not today. We have a priest friend spending the night and I have to get the guest room ready.

[SoothingDave]

Should the Church exclude those men who indulge their sexual desire but are welcomed into the priesthood after conversion from Anglicanism?

Perhaps my saying "indulge their sexual desire" was rash. I wasn't speaking of one such as you, or another I saw here, who left before being ordained a priest, recognizing that celibacy was not for them. I was speaking more of actual priests who leave the Church to marry.

Having once made a vow to God and then surrendering it, is not the type of person that should be making vows anew. If this is not the situation originally referenced, then I apologize for the confusion.

My beef, then is not with men who enjoy marital sex, but those who choose this after already vowing not to.

Should there be any bending of celibacy whatsoever?

I would not want the Church to be seen as bending to pressure, especially that from the priestess agitator types. Bending or eliminating the celibacy rule for the purpose of "eliminating pedophilia" or homosexuality is a pipe dream of this author. I would not have a problem if the rule were changed for good pastoral reasons, but I have not heard those yet. I would rather see the shrews in charge of the seminaries and the limp bishops they supposedly answer to be disciplined.

Let's try orthodoxy first. It just might work.

SD

[hattend]

Jamie Glazov holds a Ph.D. in History with a specialty in Soviet Studies. He is the author of 15 Tips on How to be a Good Leftist. Born in the U.S.S.R., Jamie is the son of prominent Soviet dissidents, and now resides in Vancouver, Canada. He writes the Dr. Progressive advice column for angst-ridden leftists at EnterStageRight.com. E-mail him at jglazov@home.com.

Oh yeah, let's follow what this guy has to say. Commie bastard.

[sinkspur]

Thanks for the link to those two articles.

I've met Dan Michalski, the author of the first, at some confab a couple of years ago. He was talking about Pederasty then, too. He was one of those incensed that Rehkemper was trying to build an expensive school against the wishes of the parishoners at All Saints>

Rehkemper's the one who had to resign as pastor of All Saints AND as Vicar General of Dallas when, after he was asked by a reporter about the Rudy Kos case, said "Those boys were as much to blame as Fr. Kos was."

The poster boy of insensitivity.