5 Arguments Against Priestly Celibacy and How to Refute Them

From a priest:

Celibacy Question from Leonora on 09-09-2003:
I am sorry, Fr Levis, I just do not understand your strong opposition to optional celibacy for the priesthood. How can it be so bad? marriage is a wonderful thing, indeed, a sacrament

Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis on 09-10-2003:
Dear Leonora, Celibacy will remain a characteristic of the Western Priesthood for the following reasons: 1. The priest is considered a groom, like Christ the Groom, married to the whole Church. This is an ancient patriarchal notion and a good one. This Christian union is monogamous, one husband with one wife. The priest's wife is his people whome he serves without counting the effort. 2. The vocation of the priest is to stand in the person of Christ who was celibacy thruout his whole life. 3. The primary purpose of marriage is the rearing and training of children, an enormous task. An essential duty of the priest is to administer the Sacraments most especially the HOly Eucharist, a most solemn duty which requires a detached life, much solitary prayer, and training for homiletic work. 4. The priest is considered the "sexless one", the man to whom all, men and women, may come in complete freedom and openness with their counselling problems. Any woman can see the priest who is not some woman's husband, which is a freedom for her and an advantage for the independent priest. 5. Imagine the costs of providing for a priest and his non-conceptive family, a real practical consideration in these times. God bless.
Fr. Bob Levis

Interesting and I am sure many are married.

Clergy Sexual Abuse
written by Frances Park
Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. Newsletter, July, 1996. Copyright © 1996

It is commonly believed that clergy sexual abuse is an exclusively Catholic problem that does not happen in other churches. In a 1983 doctoral thesis by Richard Blackmon, 12% of the 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual intercourse with a parishioner and 38% admitted to other sexualized contact with a parishioner.1 In separate denominational surveys, 48% of United Church of Christ female ministers and 77% of United Methodist female ministers reported having been sexually harassed in church.2 Although the actual extent of the problem is unknown, the significance of clergy sexual abuse is acknowledged by the denominational leaders of all Christian churches.3
http://www.familyresearchinst.org/FRR_03_04.html

I just do not understand your strong opposition to optional celibacy for the priesthood.

Why is choosing a celibate life so difficult for people to understand? Too many truly believe that their lives are not complete without another person. For some, it's a steady stream of lovers, often ending in disappointment, followed by anxiety.

An essential duty of the priest is to administer the Sacraments most especially the Hoy Eucharist, a most solemn duty which requires a detached life, much solitary prayer, and training for homiletic work.

Yes! Absolutely! The catholic priest's day is packed from morning until night. Fr. Corapi commented last weekend that he goes to his hermitage to meditate and spend time before the Holy Eucharist. He draws strength from this to get through the lectures and proclaim God's word. It is food for his soul! He would not be able to have that solitary time if he were married with children.

Great post!

Interesting Protestant perspective:

http://www.cfadvocate.com/postnuke/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1110&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Alcholism is quite prevalent with the wives of clergy and my experience shows that many or most of the women clergy are pro abortion.

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