Get Rid of the Celibacy Requirement

[semper_catholicus]

That’s cool.

 

[MikeInVA]

It’s a luxury of the middle and upper classes.

No, it’s a sacrifice that many of us make for our children.

 

[MikeInVA]

The deaconate requires about 5 years of graduate level study,.

 

[MikeInVA]

And quantity does not necessarily mean quality.

 

[aspiringthomist]

My point exactly.

 

[Gab123]

Make celibacy optional for the priesthood to prevent another sexual abuse crisis. Not because celibacy produces sexual abusers, but because it shrinks the pool of men the Church can draw priests from.

At the heart of the vocation crisis is the Catholic laity; large families used to be the cradle of many vocations, while today many Catholics contracept, many families break up through divorce and many do not foster an environment for Catholic spirituality that would lead to the seeds of religious and priestly vocations. That being said, the Church has to address the current situation which in many parts of the world is dire. Take for example Latin America where in some regions there is 1 priest for 20,000 people. The people have a fight to have the sacraments if they are expected to live a sacramental life; thus in such cases I think the Church should make exceptions and allow deacons who may already be married to become ordained as priests.

 

[Gab123]

I seriously considered joining the priesthood until I met an amazing Catholic girl and chose marriage instead.

One question is how do you become fruitful and multiply, raise a family and provide for your children which in itself is a full-time vocation and a huge task. I can see allowing married priests who already have grown children.
Also one wants candidates who have a sincere vocation and want to follow God’s calling, not simply following one’s own desires. Some people become priests who have no business being priests, but were joining as a refuge or alterior motives, not a true desire to follow Chris and work for the salvation of souls…

 

[ConstantLearner]

I agree with you 100%. And because I do, I am 100% against a married priesthood. Instead of making the Church their life, priests would have to go our and get secular jobs to support their wives and children.

 

[Gab123]

I’m sure many others are like me and would be willing to become a priest as a married man.

Are you a deacon? If not, why not? The Church allows married deacons. Deacons are a great help to priests who today are buried under a mountain of duties which deacons help alleviate. So if what you say is real, then maybe God is calling you to become a deacon.

 

[ConstantLearner]

And what kind of jobs could they get? Stocking grocery store shelves? There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s hard to support a family on that salary.

The priesthood requires years of study; most decent paying secular jobs do, too.

We need men who sincerely want to be married to the Church.

 

[Steeevyo]

Can somebody comment on the claim of my aunt who is a PHD historian that celibacy is rooted in Catholic tradition mainly to protect Church property from going to relatives of deceased priests.
Basically that the theological argument behind celibacy was a cover up of purely economic concerns?

 

[DCNBILL]

Here in South Florida we are seeing more vocations to the permanent diaconate than to the priesthood.

 

[DCNBILL]

A married mans first responsibility is to his family.
A priests first responsibility is to his parishioners.

Even when allowed as in the case of Anglican priest converts, they are told that they will never be appointed to be a pastor.

 

[Gab123]

Can somebody comment on the claim of my aunt who is a PHD historian that celibacy is rooted in Catholic tradition mainly to protect Church property from going to relatives of deceased priests.
Basically that the theological argument behind celibacy was a cover up of purely economic concerns?

It is Jesus and Paul who advise celibacy; thus the Church teaches this as a discipline which people considering the priesthood have plenty of time (7 years) to reflect upon and consider before making such a vow. There are all sorts of distorted accusations made against Church teaching. Obviously there will always be abuses of Church teaching, but the teaching is rooted in Scripture

 

[PickyPicky]

Even when allowed as in the case of Anglican priest converts, they are told that they will never be appointed to be a pastor.

Is this right? In the Ordinariates, for instance?

 

[Gab123]

Even when allowed as in the case of Anglican priest converts, they are told that they will never be appointed to be a pastor.

I think this is disinformation. I know of a married priest who converted from Anglicanism who IS the pastor. He is older and does’t have any children.

 

[Sarcelle]

I have no opposition to dropping the celibacy requirement. It is discipline not dogma.

I am however skeptical of the notion that the sexual abuse will be solved by this. What is the bigger scandal is the way the abuse was kept under wraps and the systematic cover up that followed. I doubt this will be fixed by allowing married men to be ordained.

 

[misstherese]

Only half of priests are celibate at any given time, according to the late Richard Sipe’s research. He was a former priest. Also, celibacy doesn’t make one “pure”, just as sexual intercourse doesn’t make one impure.

The why is the pure white Lily used as a symbol of celibacy? Why is it called purity? Why were virgins so esteemed back then? Because celibacy is clearly better.

 

[Brendan]

Was He then wrong to choose a married man as the first Pope?

You mean a widower such as St. Peter. There has been no bar to such men in the clergy.

 

[misstherese]

No one is talking about getting rid of celibacy or looking down on it. We are talking about removing the requirement that any who become priests must be celibate. Celibacy would remain the ideal, and the discipline for most religous orders.

Christ and St. Paul obviously argued celibacy was better. They also obviously supported the ordination of married men. The idea that all priests should have a gift St. Peter did not is a later innovation and extrordinary claim.

Of course no one is talking about getting rid of celibacy. But as has happened before, when something is allowed, usually it gets abused. Usually it’s not a “used with discretion” sort of thing. If it were allowed, I’m sure most priests would marry. And celibacy would hardly be anymore.

Celibacy for priests isn’t an “innovation”. It’s a tradition that has been seen as important for 99% of the Church’s history. I don’t know why because people see something as Church discipline, they automatically view it as less important.

Celibacy should be the norm, not the exception in religious life.