April 25, 2005
Priestly Celibacy: Why Can't Catholic Priests Get Married?
Priestly celibacy has been a hot topic these days in the media and among certain Catholics. Many attempt to conclude that celibacy is at the root of the sex abuse scandal that manifested itself in the Catholic Church here in America in 2002. Many Protestants and non-Christians often ask that age old question: "Why Can't Catholic Priests Get Married?" Some go so far as to claim that priestly celibacy is unbiblical and therefore must be contrary to God's Will. Yet Sacred Scripture repeatedly attests to the great value of the celibate life:
The disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry." But he said to them, "Not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it." - Matt 19:10-12
Jesus Christ manifested this in His own life. It is on this fact that the Catholic Church bases her mandate of priestly celibacy as the Catechism clearly states:
1579 All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate "for the sake of the kingdom of heaven."70 Called to consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to "the affairs of the Lord,"71 they give themselves entirely to God and to men. Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service of which the Church's minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God.72
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70 Mt 19:12.
71 1 Cor 7:32.
72 Cf. PO 16.
One might ask what this last line means? How can the Catholic Church tie priestly celibacy to the radiant proclamation of the Reign of God?
And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. - Luke 20:34-36Here we find Jesus Christ Himself teaching us of the age to come, the age of the "new covenant." As Catholics we must understand the direct connection that exists between Christ and the priest. George Wiegel, in his book The Courage To Be Catholic eloquently wrote:
Chaste celibate love for the Church is another "icon" of Christ's presence to his people. The Christ whom the priest makes present through his sacramental ministry at the altar and in the confessional is acting, not simply in the name of Christ, but in the person of Christ. According to ancient Catholic usage, he is "another Christ," an alter Christus, whose complete gift of self to the Church is an integral part of his priestly persona. Celibacy is thus not "extrinsic" to the Catholic priesthood, a mere matter of ecclesiastical discipline. There is an intimate, personal, iconic relationship between celibacy and priesthood. - pg. 40It is this understanding that allows us to realize the great value of priestly celibacy. Yet some claim that this is not the case and that a life of celibacy is the reason for the sex abuse scandal of 2002, to this Wiegel replies:
Celibates, it was suggested, were especially prone to sexual predation because they were maladjusted psychologically and required some form of release, however perverse, for their sexual tensions. The data simply do not support these claims. Celibates do not dominate the national registry of sex offenders. Sexual abuse and sexual harrassment are frequently committed by married men. A man given to sexual predation is unlikely to be restrained by marriage. The related suggestions that celibacy is the primary problem in the crisis of sexual abuse, and that a married clergy would be less given to sexual abuse, also demeans marriage. The implication is that marriage is a crime-prevention program, not a covenant of mutual love and self-giving. - p. 38
Yet the attack on priestly celibacy doesn't stop there. In the past certain priests, as well as certain Catholic laity, have voiced their opinion about celibacy, attempting to tie it to the shortage of priestly vocations in this country. In order to respond to this I will quote the words of Archbishop Gregory of Atlanta:
Notwithstanding all of these areas of agreement, I must confess that it is by no means clear that, as their letter states, a change in the discipline of clerical celibacy would necessarily bring about an increase in the numbers of candidates for priesthood. The experience of Protestant churches is instructive in this regard. A number of studies in recent years indicate that denominations such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as well as other mainline churches with married clergy have also faced a shortage of ministers. Several years ago the Orthodox Church in America reported a clergy shortage, as did the Jewish Reform and Conservative traditions. Perhaps this points out a fundamental issue of much greater urgency for us: the place of religion and the Church in our culture. Ultimately we as priests are challenged to demonstrate with greater creativity and persuasiveness the essential role that our Catholic faith and witness plays in human life and culture. Our own recent conference document, "The Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests," highlighted this challenge when it pointed out "the counterpoint of our cultural sexual mores and values and the standards and values of the Church, especially as these are embodied in priests' celibate commitment" (p. 21). For bishops and priests, the task of being a builder of a bridge between the Gospel and our culture can be all-consuming and perhaps needs to be highlighted even more in our vocation recruitment. - Letter on Priestly Celibacy
He wrote this letter when he was the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In conclusion, priestly celibacy allows, as St. Paul clearly stated, for the priest to be "anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord" (1 Cor 7:32). What is needed most, in the priesthood and in the lives of each and every one of us, is radical conversion to Jesus Christ. We must live the Gospel, which requires of us obedience to the teachings of the Catholic Church. In living the Gospel we will become saints. Priestly celibacy is a great "gift and mystery" in the Church. It is something to be cherished not abandoned. Pope Benedict XVI will not allow this ancient, Christocentric tradition to be abandoned and neither should we. Let us encourage our priests and young men in the Church to embrace this call to a celibate life. Below are some additional resources on celibacy.
On The Formation of Priests - Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation by Pope John Paul II
On The Celibacy Of The Priest - Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI
In Christ,
Joe
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Also remember Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:38: "So that he who marries his betrothed does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better." According to this, only Catholic priests do "better."
By the way, the Catholic position isn't doctrine, some Catholic priests (typically converts from Anglicanism) are married, but as St. Paul says in 1 Cor 7, this means they can't be completely devoted to God - they also have to watch out for their families, naturally.
God bless,
Jay
It is interesting to note the historical context of priestly celibacy. Early in Church history (back when the only Church was the Catholic Church) priests were married (including by the way the one to whom Catholics trace the papacy - Peter the Apostle) but as the church grew in influence and power, the priesthood grew in corruption, part of that corruption was sexual immorality - mistresses, sexual abuse of minors, multiple partners, so the Pope in that day (forgive me I forgot his name) used the passages you have shared and others to call for a renewal in the priesthood. I find it striking how similar circumstances today (sexual immorality) are calling forth just the opposite response. Just something to ponder. Thanks!
Posted by: Scott at April 27, 2005 9:23 AMRegarding Scott's point, it should be noted that even very early in the history of the Church did those clergimen who were married actually remain continent, that is, after ordination refrained from sexual relations with their wives. This is made clear to us from the extant text of the Council of Carthage, in the year 390. The council was convened to primarily discuss matters of discipline, and though it was not an Ecumenical Council of the Church, it was a governing council for at least the region of North Africa.
The law promulgated concerning clerical continence at that 390 Council of Carthage was officially inserted into the Codex canonum Ecclesiae africanae in the year 419. The canon itself reads:
"Bishop Genethlius says: As was previously said, it is fitting that the holy bishops and priests of God as well as the Levites, i.e., those who are in service of the divine sacraments, observe perfect continence, so that they may obtain in all simplicity what they are asking from God; what the apostles taught and what antiquity itself observed, let us endeavor to keep.
"The bishops declared unanimously: It pleases us all that bishop, priest, and deacon, guardians of purity, abstain from [conjugal intercourse] with their wives, so that those who serve at the altar may keep a perfect chastity."
This text constitutes the mere beginning of an archive of evidence supporting a tradition of clerical perfect chastity, and eventually celibacy. For more, you can read The Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy, by Christian Cochini, SJ (don't let the letters scare you off). What I have provided above came from only the first section of the first chapter of the book.
Posted by: Strange Sojourner at April 27, 2005 10:07 PMScott,
I agree the historical context of priestly celibacy is important. Yet, the "historical" reasons that you give are not the "historical" not "theological" reasons for priestly celibacy, nor the driving force behind the Church's decision to mandate celibacy for priests. The Church's teaching on priestly celibacy is deeply rooted with the priest's identity to Christ. We find reference to the strengthening of the practice of priestly celibacy as early as the Council of Nicea in 380 A.D. The main driving forces behind the Church's reasoning was that of greater union with Christ, greater availability to serve the Church, and, again, a more perfect imitation of Christ.
Secondly, I would just like to clarify that the call for a "married" clergy in our modern time preceded the sexual abuse scandal in the Church here in America. If by your comment above you were referring to the sexual immorality of society as a whole than I am more likely to agree with you on this point. Yet it also intrinsically has to do with the crisis of faith that we are witnessing in our world today. Some people point to celibacy as the root of the problem of the vocation crisis but I would immediately direct their attention to the ranks of the various "structured" Protestant and Eastern churches, who allow priests to marry, have likewise reported shortages in priestly vocations.
We might also do well to reflect on the effects of contraception. If families are having only 1.5 children per family why are we so surprised that we have a vocation crisis. Parents who use contraception reflect in their very persons a certain, yet unquestionable, level of selfishness. Most children from such families haven't been taught the immense value in the complete gift of self to God. If we were to just look at those families who have "faithfully" lived the Church's teaching on contraception I wonder what we would find. I can only speak for my own family and in doing so I can say that one of my parents' six children is on the verge of becoming a priest (he will be ordained May 2006). I have two other brothers who are likewise discern a possible vocation to the priesthood and/or religious life. 3 out of 6 doesn't sound like a crisis, in fact, 1 out of 6 doesn't sound like a crisis. Just imagine if this were true in each "faithful" family. What we need most are Catholics who truly believe in the Gospel and manifest that belief in their very lives.
In Christ,
Joe
i think thatr priest shouldnt get married because when they become a priest they commit themselves to God so it like they're married to God! thats what i think on this topic and if they wanted to get married then they shouldnt have became a priest!
Posted by: Samantha at May 13, 2005 3:36 PM Over 2000 years ago, the diciples did marry if they desired, and the married had wives who followed closely behind.
Elizabeth's husband Zachariah was a priest. Attended the Altar each day. Parents of John The Baptist cousin to Jesus. At that time, and after, the Bishops ( according to the bible or diciples of New Testament) could or not be married, up to them.) The Orthodox to this day allow Priests to marry IF married before being ordained. They do not live in a monastery though and support self with wife working perhaps. Whatever needed to get by modestly.
The point was, marry or not, knowing that it could take your attention and place it on your family IF you do not have a wife who is able to take over the family life, or work whatever is needed, and you as a priest can be organized to handle both. This must be discussed with the wife beforehand, and many times they do not have children. Believe we should always go to the ORIGINAL belief system, and not all Bishops were celebant it says that a Bishop needs to have one wife and rule family well, that is what the Bible calls them to be able to do, and that is a feat in this day and age as we have gone far from the limb. They had Bishops, Priests and deacons in the FIRST and ONLY Church which was catholic and apostolic. Some were married some not, a mix. Read the passage as stated above.This is not an order from God either way, just suggession of one disciple and the perception of a few. We are ALL called to be minsters of God, married or not, and to live our life as the disciples did. We should be able to find someone from clergy who has time for our questions. God would be interested in HOW we served HIM and others, not on whether we are married or not.
Staying celibate for the catholic priests would be the only distinct gift and light for the church.Let us not abdicate ourselves of the greatest freedom in choosing to be celibate.Celibacy was a gift and a grace and it's more than an ecclesiastical discipline, we can be effective minister of God staying to be celibate. In ordination we were ask not have our choice between good and another good; tha is to be a priest or to be a lay person. Neither the choice nor the life is superior and or above others.
Posted by: Baracina, Vicente S. at August 30, 2005 2:54 AMwake up everyone. it's just made up by those who have altered the bible with their fancy bible talk a carefully worded excuse so that priests would not have sons. God does not say any man is banned from procreation.
Posted by: nicca at November 14, 2005 1:11 AMAmen Nicca. It has always astounded me that the Catholic faith holds the priest to be a high (perhaps the highest human) authority on the fine complexities of human life, yet these men are barred from experiencing such a basic human institution as love, marriage, and family.
I was married in a catholic church, in deference to my mother-in-law's wishes. My wife and I walked out of pre-cana class after an hour because the instructing priest couldn't satisfactorily explain how he was qualified to offer anyone advice on marriage or family life. (Not)Surprisingly, the church married us anyway... because my mother-in-law has a large checkbook. So... for whatever that's worth.
Lastly, in response to the poster Joe's comments about contraception... WHOA! I mean... WHOA! Dude, has it perhaps escaped your attention that this planet is facing a massive global overpopulation crisis? No matter who you believe is responsible for this world, the fact remains that it is a contained system - there's only so much of the vital resources here, and when they're gone they're gone. Yes, most of them are renewable, but since we have proven ourselves GROSSLY incapable of responsible use, and since the CURRENT population of this planet is more than sufficient to deplete the basic necessities of life in the near future, how can you even THINK of speaking against contraception? If you love this planet and humankind as much as a good christian would profess to, you need to EMBRACE contraception! Barrring a virulent global pandemic of responsibility (not likely), limiting our population is the only thing that's going to protect our species!
Joe S.
Posted by: Joe at November 15, 2005 1:33 AMJoe and Nicca,
If what you guys are saying is correct then we shouldn't listen to Christ or St. Paul when they speak about marriage or husbands and wives either since neither of them were ever married...
Nicca, in reference to your comment about "men" making it up...so explain Matthew 19:10-12. Also, the Church doesn't "ban" anyone, men become priests because they believe God is calling them to that vocation...they understand that celibacy is a part of that calling and they embrace it. As a former seminarian I speak from experience here, so don't attempt to tell me I'm wrong. It is made perfectly clear why celibacy is embraced by the Catholic Church to every man considering a vocation to the priesthood. Again, how do you guys condemn something that Jesus Christ Himself not only recommended, but also lived.
Joe, in reference to your comment about contraception, I suggest you read this article: Contraception: An Argument for Christians. Here is part of it addressing overpopulation:
2) We are being socially responsible by using contraception. Ever heard of over-population? Again, this argument is a display of one's lack of trust in God. He made this world, He made us, He knows how many people this world is capable of maintaining. Overpopulation is a myth. Here's a simple math calculation for those who seriously believe in overpopulation. Take the world's population and divide it into the total "liveable arces" in the world. We could fit the world's population in the U.S. alone on one acre lots, four people to a home. Last time I checked this would cover all of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
I also would recommend getting your hands on the book, The War Against Population: The Economics and Ideology of Population Control. It's a real "eye-opener."
I feel sorry for you if you go through life insisting that someone be "qualified" to speak to you about a given topic. So since none of us have been to heaven or hell, I guess you don't listen to anyone about those realities either...
I would recommend another book for you as well, Love and Responsibility, by Pope John Paul II. Read that and then tell me that a priest has no business advising married people. I am a married man and some of the most insightful and useful books to me as a husband and as a father were written by priests. Again, I speak from experience here. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
In Christ,
Joe
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN ALL THIS THEN??
1 Timothy 3
Qualifications of Overseers
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop,[a] he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife , temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Andres,
If Paul's letter to Timothy demonstrates that marriage and children is mandatory for Church leaders, why does he recommend celibacy as better for everyone in 1 Corinthians 7:9?
Does Paul contradicting his own advice? Or does Paul perhaps intend to prohibit polygamists and negligent fathers from becoming bishops?
Furthermore, why have most Protestants eliminated the role of bishop from their Church structure?
Posted by: Burnt Marshwiggle at April 12, 2008 10:37 AM
