Get Rid of the Celibacy Requirement

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Not in recent times. In any case, bishops will be drawn from the unmarried priests, possibly from monastic orders.
 
JimG said:
Not in recent times. In any case, bishops will be drawn from the unmarried priests, possibly from monastic orders.
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At the 1992 meeting of the clergy-laity conference of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America (Archbishop Iacovos), held in New Orleans, a formal resolution was sent to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople ‘to consider returning to the practice of ordaining married priests as bishops as was done in the early church.’
And:
Greek Orthodox Group Backs Married Bishops

 
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glencor63 said:
It limits the pool from which the Catholic Church can obtain priests. It attracts too many men that use celibacy as a cloak to hide homosexuality or pedophilia. At any given time half do not practice celibacy. A married priesthood would diversify the ranks and perhaps make it a less attractive prospect for those without a vocation. Open the priesthood to married men and also allow those with the charism of celibacy.
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How can you prove that, though? Saying it isn’t the same as proving it.

And if your suggestion is not to eliminate celibacy but merely open the priesthood up, then you don’t solve the problem that you claim exists.

Celibacy isn’t evil.
 
An interesting article. So what was the outcome? Has a consensus been reached?
 
I am not opposed to having both married and single priests.

One of the deacons in my parish, a married man and a grandfather was recently ordained as a priest. He is quite popular among the parishioners.

What I am opposed to is the idea out there that celibacy causes pedophilia.
 
My concern is that single people are considered second class citizens while married people are considered to be more virtuous.

I’ve had enough of this attitude from Protestants and now celibacy is considered by many to be the cause of pedophilia. I thought Catholics should know better and consider the possibility that one can lead a virtuous life single or married.

I assure you I am not a pedophile even though I am single. Shocking eh?
 
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No, but I appreciate your point. A good friend of mine is 65 and never married. People wonder about him. I think mostly wonder why he is not a priest since he is very pious, outgoing and would probabaly make a good one.
 
No one said celibacy is evil. What I said, what many people are saying is that it limits the pool from which to choose priests and provides a cover for too many men with psychosexual disorders. No one in the past suspected priests of being anything other than holy, chaste, celibate men. It was the perfect ruse for active homosexuals and pedophiles. The vast number of homosexuals in the priesthood discourages many heterosexual men with a vocation from even applying. The rampant open homosexuality in the seminaries causes others to leave. Celibacy is the problem, not because it’s impossible to be celibate, but because most heterosexual men are called to marry and have a family. It’s a vicious cycle. The attachment to the celibacy discipline reminds me of the pharisees.
 
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Yes, pedophiles can marry and abuse. Most sexual abuse is in families, but upwards of 9% (revised from 6%) of priests are pedophiles, according to the 25 year study of Richard Sipe. Celibacy is the perfect cover for men and women with psychosexual disorders. People never suspected you because you were “celibate”. Richard Sipe said that at any given time half of all priests were not celibate anyway.
 
glencor63 said:
No one said celibacy is evil. What I said, what many people are saying is that it limits the pool from which to choose priests and provides a cover for too many men with psychosexual disorders. No one in the past suspected priests of being anything other than holy, chaste, celibate men. It was the perfect ruse for active homosexuals and pedophiles. The vast number of homosexuals in the priesthood discourages many heterosexual men with a vocation from even applying. The rampant open homosexuality in the seminaries causes others to leave. Celibacy is the problem, not because it’s impossible to be celibate, but because most heterosexual men are called to marry and have a family. It’s a vicious cycle. The attachment to the celibacy discipline reminds me of the pharisees.
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If heterosexual men are called to marry and have a family, then that is their vocation, not the priesthood. Mrn with a vocation to the priesthood are called to be married to the Church and only the Church. The Church does not deserve less. Its priests must not have divided loyalties even if would love both.
 
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CampionTheChampion said:
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.
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So, if there are 60 men who abuse, it’s better if they’re 60 out of 600 than if they’re 60 out of 200? Hmm… 🤔

No thanks… 😉
 
JimG said:
Celibate means unmarried.
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Not according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary. According to MW
Celibate means
a. not engaging in or characterized by sexual intercourse.
b. abstaining from marriage and sex especially because of a religious vow
So if you have sex after taking a religious vow , you are not celibate. And that is even if you are unmarried.
 
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In Church language it means something specific:
Celibate means unmarried and usually denotes a calling to the priesthood or religious life. Continent means no sexual activity (even married couples may be continent for a time), and chaste means to use one’s sexual faculties according to one’s state in life. All are called to chasity.

These are being used interchangeably in recent threads especially (except for continent which is used correctly by the few who use the word in this context). If one is discussing Church matters it is helpful to use the words as defined by the Church. The definitions of words on a secular dictionary are fluid but Church words of art are consistent.
 
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AlNg said:
In my personal opinion, Sacramental graces bring a person to a higher level.
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The difference is that this is personal opinion. God chose Paul though to write part of the New Testament over you, so I would think everyone here would accept the biblical opinion of which is the better state.
AlNg said:
who obey the commandment of God to increase and multiply and to share their love with their children and extended family.
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As to what Jesus said about this topic,
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
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That is 100 fold.
 
AlNg said:
Not according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary.
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Maybe. But, if you’re discussing ‘celibacy’ in the context of the Catholic Church, then you’re talking about the state of life that is described as ‘not married’.
 
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