priest having sex is not against his vow of celibacy. is this true?

[Aramis]

My dad’s class took their promises publicly for celibacy and for obedience. The whole class was permanent deacons and all were married.

 

[johnnykins]

hello, i heard from an ex-seminarian now anti-cathoilc that a priest is permitted to have sex, saying that its not a sin and that he has not broken his vow, so far he deosn’t get married. is this true?
pls i really need help on this.

I have not read the entire thread, but at the risk of restating things, the position as posited above is wrong - though hints at something technical.

“Celibacy” is the state of being unmarried. Thus a vow of celibacy is simply a promise not to marry. Accordingly, a priest who took a vow of celibacy could have sex and yet not break his vow. Of course, he would be sinning - fornication, adultery, etc., - but not technically breaking his vow. Diocesan priests promise to remain celibate - they do not take a vow of chastity, per se.

A vow of “Chastity” is a vow not to engage in any illicit sexual activity. Monks take a vow of chastity and since they promise not to marry as well, if they were to have sex it would be both a sin, as above, and also a breaking of his vow.

So the anti-catholic ex-seminarian is on to a technical distinction, but misses the mark concerning sinning.

 

[ginny]

This is actually about a seminarian who thinks that sexual activity is okay as long as there is no intercourse. He says
that it is just touching. I doubt that he is learning that in seminary but he somehow thinks he did. Sometimes the
way we use words confuses us especially if one of the people
is from another country.

I would like to be able to correct him if I had the right words.

 

[ginny]

I don’t recall the name of the poster but that person spoke of a priest breaking vows and that he was sent back to his own
country immediately. Is it possible that men in other countries have different ideas of what the truths of the church are?

 

[SMHW]

So the anti-catholic ex-seminarian is on to a technical distinction, but misses the mark concerning sinning.

Well said.

 

[jmcrae]

This is actually about a seminarian who thinks that sexual activity is okay as long as there is no intercourse. He says
that it is just touching. I doubt that he is learning that in seminary but he somehow thinks he did. Sometimes the
way we use words confuses us especially if one of the people
is from another country.

I would like to be able to correct him if I had the right words.

Someone (a man who is older than he is, ideally) needs to sit down with him one on one and talk to him about what it means, to be chaste - and that chastity is required of all God’s people; he doesn’t need a special vow or promise for that.

But he certainly needs to learn that it is important to take custody of his eyes, first of all, and definitely of his hands.

 

[it_is_me]

hello, i heard from an ex-seminarian now anti-cathoilc that a priest is permitted to have sex, saying that its not a sin and that he has not broken his vow, so far he deosn’t get married. is this true?
pls i really need help on this.

Whoever has said that a priest after taking the vow of celibacy and having sex, the person is talking absolute rubbish, if he has taken the vow of celibacy and is having sex, he is abusing that vow, he is braking his vow, if he is having sex he is not celibate, but he is a hypocrite.

Taking the vow of celibacy, they are supposed to abstain from sex that is why they take the vow, it is like a person saying that they are a virgin but having sex, you cannot be a virgin if you have had sex, you lose your virginity having sex, so if you are celibate that means you are abstaining from sex meaning (no sex) but if you are having sex and saying you can still be celibate, you can’t do both, it is impossible, whoever said that is a cheat and a liar.