Because the sinfullness would NOT have changed for him.
This hypothetical 40-year-old would have voluntarily promised before God that he would give up wife and family for the sake of the Church.
He would have made that promise, having known for a decade or more, that he would be called upon to do so, and what that entailed.
He would have further known (for a decade or more) that prior to receiving ordination, he could leave at any time and pursue marriage; however, he would not be free to do so afterward.
And he would still have made that promise. Before God.
If subsequent seminarians were to be allowed not to be celibate, that would have nothing to do with him. He knew what he was getting into.
Eddie has it, in a nutshell. Let’s not confuse the issue by throwing in religious vows. Let’s pretend, for a moment, that there is no such thing as religious life so that we do not confuse priests who are religious with priests who are secular.
Let’s just talk about priests who are secular, be they diocesan, FSSP, SSPX or some other organization of priests.
If we speak about the period of formation, in the USA the normal period of formation for priests is four to six years after graduating from college. The USCCB requires that secular priests attain either a Master’s in Theology or a Master’s in Divinity. The Theology degree is an academic degree and the Divinity degree is a terminal professional degree.
Usually, at the end of third year a man is ordained a transitional deacon. In the rite of ordination the deacon to be is asked if he promises obedience to the bishop and if he promises celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom. If he answers yes to both of those questions, his future is sealed. He is celibate forever.
The night before his priestly ordination he must write a letter of intent. This letter must be written in his own hand. It cannot be typed or done on a computer. In this letter the deacon (remember he was ordained a deacon the previous year) must write that he understands the obligation that he is about to assume, that he does it of his own free will, that he has no reservations, that he has no known impediments and that he truly believes and is completely convinced that the salvation of his soul is only possible if he becomes a priest. These words are written on a card that he is asked to read aloud in the presence of the bishop, his seminary rector and his peers. After he reads them, he must copy them in his own hand and sign it.
In Fr. Cutie’s case, he entered the seminary from high school. Therefore, he was 18 when he entered the minor seminary where he majored in philosophy and another academic subject. From there he went to St. Vincent de Paul in Boynton Beach, FL. This is the major seminary of the Archdiocese of Miami. He spent four years there as a theological student and a year as a transitional deacon and earned his Master of Arts degree in theology.
It is always possible for a man to rethink his decision years later. It’s even possible for a man to believe that he made a serioius mistake. This would not be the first time that this has happened. When this happens there is the possibility of a dispensation from the promise of celibacy, if the Holy Father believes that there was a serious mistake.
Anyone who enters the seminary has all this time and steps to discern their call to a life of celibacy. Even if one beleives that one has made a serious error of judgment, there is the appeal to the Holy Father for a dispensation.
However, one must also be obedient. Obedience means that one must go through the process in an honest way. One must also accept the decision of the Church after submitting one’s request for a dispensation.
The key here is always obedience.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
