Posted on 12/11/2008 6:31:54 AM PST by NYer
You wrote:
“Ok - but to continue ad nausiam- there are busy bodies in every church who try to tell the priest or minister how to live their personal lives...”
Okay, I can see that.
“Most priests do not take a vow of celibacy..”
No, almost ALL western Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy. If most did not take a vow, then most would of course be married. How many married Catholic priests do you know?
” - only religious, for the others it is the discipline of celibacy which is freely accepted as long as it is a help to ministry”
It’s a VOW. Whether or not they take it to help their ministry doesn’t change the fact that it is a VOW and almost all western Catholic priests take it.
” - but when it becomes a farce what with gay activity in the rectories and the number of straight priests with girl friends then it becomes only a control mechanism for the bishops.”
No. Bishops might actually have more control over priests without the vow then with it because the priests would have a family to support and the bishop could yank that support! As it is, celibate priests are tremendously unburdened by families, family related medical and financial issues and therefore are harder to control if control is an issue. This unburdened condition, however, is exactly what bishops want so that those priests can do more for the Church!
“That is not to say that there are not many many good celibate priests for whom celibacy is a real asset. But their number is much fewer than you might think.”
No, actually their number is probably about what I think it is, and probably greater than you think.
***The Catholic priesthood is very different from the protestant ministerial position. ***
Other than one able to have sex and the other prohibited, what’s the difference? They both have the same boss. They both do the same job, shepherding the flock.
You wrote:
“Why not take these last few comments to Mass tonight or tomorrow and ask your parish priest what he thinks.”
Why? If he’s for a celibate priesthood, then so what? If he thinks seminarians should be able to get married before ordination, then so what?
He knew he was going to take a vow of celibacy, and did so. He knew he was joining an order, and would have to go wherever the order sent him (in his case, to America).
I have a friend who may be ordained in the not-too-distant future. His wife is all for it, if he feels he is called to the priesthood. I won’t lose any sleep over the fact that he’ll be a married priest while my pastor is a celibate one. They made their choices.
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