Posted on 03/08/2010 9:49:58 AM PST by NYer
.Deacon John Burns, a seminarian from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, center, attends a theological conference on priestly celibacy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome March 4. Burns and several other seminarians from the Pontifical North American College attended the two-day conference. (CNS photo/Paul Haring
VATICAN CITY -- Exceptions to celibacy for priests in the Roman Catholic Church can be puzzling, including for young priests enthusiastic about their vocation.
The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, run by Opus Dei in Rome, held a theological conference on priestly celibacy March 4-5 and while no one challenged mandatory celibacy, there were repeated questions about the exceptions made in some of the Eastern Catholic churches and for clergy coming from the Anglican Communion.
"If celibacy is so tied theologically and spiritually to priestly identity, why the exceptions?" the questioners asked.
Speakers at the conference, attended mostly by priests and seminarians, acknowledged the confusion caused by the exceptions and by the frequent statement that celibacy is a discipline, not a dogma, and so conceivably could change.
"In the eyes of many, the church hierarchy and especially the Apostolic See seem to hold contradictory positions on priestly celibacy," said Father Laurent Touze, a professor of spiritual theology and author of a book on the future of priestly celibacy.
"On the one hand, there is a firm insistence on the non-negotiability of celibacy," he said, while at the same time there are granted "exceptions to celibacy," including Pope Benedict XVI's provisions in late 2009 for ordaining as Catholic priests married former Anglican ministers.
Many people think, "If these exceptions are possible, why not abolish a frequently contested discipline and at least make it optional," Father Touze said.
For Father Touze, the answer lies in the spiritual and theological meaning of priesthood.
Priests are called by God to imitate Christ, the bridegroom, by dedicating themselves totally to God and to serving his people, he said. And they are called to stand in Christ's place at the Eucharist, pouring themselves out for the salvation of others, he said.
The conference also looked at another factor that often creates confusion regarding celibacy: the debate over the practice of the early church and the widespread assumption that celibacy for priests was a fourth-century invention of the church.
Father Stefan Heid, a professor at Rome's Pontifical Institute of Sacred Archeology and author of "Celibacy," a historical study, said Pope Siricius was insisting on a practice embraced by the Twelve Apostles and followed in the early church when he decreed in 385 that all clergy must live lives of perfect chastity.
"Popes do not invent anything," Father Heid said. "Siricius would have been made to look ridiculous suddenly imposing on thousands of clergy something that hadn't existed up to then."
Instead, the priest said his research led him to believe the pope's decree was a formal reaffirmation of church practice at a time when it was coming under attack.
Father Heid said that like the apostles, married men who became priests in the early church lived completely chaste lives after ordination. He described those who have tried to suggest Jesus himself was married, perhaps to Mary Magdalene, as romance novelists masquerading as biblical scholars.
Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes and former secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said Jesus' perfect chastity touches "the most intimate and sacred nucleus of his human existence: his love."
The Bible does not speak explicitly about Jesus' celibacy, he said, which could be why so few theologians have reflected on priestly celibacy as an imitation of Christ rather than simply as a way of giving up everything for Christ as religious do.
"In any case, this silence is reflected in catechesis, which says nothing in this regard, so Christians often demonstrate perplexity and misunderstanding about this reality" and their confusion is increased "by not a few pseudo-scientific articles or by bizarre and false film portrayals of Jesus' sexuality," the archbishop said.
Jesus' choice not to marry "was not a casual choice. He chose to be himself," the archbishop said. By renouncing marriage, he was able to love all people with a self-giving and life-giving love.
Conference speakers also acknowledged -- and rejected -- common claims about the damaging psychological effects of celibacy.
Aquilino Polaino Lorente, a professor of psychopathology at the University of St. Paul Medical School in Madrid, said that accepting God's call to a vocation as a celibate priest "does not carry any more psychological risks than marriage does."
Human beings, with their intelligence and freedom, do not have to act on their sexual impulses in order to be happy and healthy, he said, and, in fact, never controlling those impulses is a sure sign of a serious psychological problem.
"Naturally, renouncing sexuality -- an important part of human love -- has a cost. But much less than most people think," he said. "To the degree that a person gives himself fully to the aim of his life and the reason for his existence, chastity costs less. To the degree that the person forgets himself and gives himself to others, renouncing sexuality weighs less because it is lived in the fullness of a freely chosen love."
Ping!
There should be no puzzlement here. Being a priest is a full time 24/7/365 job. Dividing time between a parish and a family guarantees that each will suffer.
It cracks me up that I had to sit down with a priest several times for marriage “counseling” prior to being married in a church.
What do you know about marriage? Nothing, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express!
Yah'shua ended his priesthood requirements in 70CE.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
When a Seminarian is Ordained to the Transitional Diaconate, he already knows of the celibacy requirement, and is making his vows with that full knowledge. A married men may be ordained to the Permanent Diaconate, but if his wife dies, he is bound by the celibacy requirement until HIS death.
No one is forced into a life of celibacy; it is chosen, and with full knowledge beforehand.
“There should be no puzzlement here. Being a priest is a full time 24/7/365 job. “
What, so priests don’t sleep? Or watch the news or go out to eat? That’s ridiculous. Plenty seem to find time to satisfy their pedophilistic needs, and if the church retains this primitive rule, it will continue to attract that type of man in disproportionate number. And YES, I know there are plenty of exceptional, righteous people in the priesthood. Doesn’t change the fact that the Catholic church has been historically one of the most institutionally corrupt and immoral organizations on the face of the planet.
Bishop Fulton Sheen and Pope John Paul II both had some very profound ideas and insights on the married state of life, despite both being celibate men.
And I know that because I've read their writings, and I've been married for 21 years.
LOL! That priest with whom you sat down might not have first-hand knowledge of marriage, but he’s seen and heard about most of the problems married couples have today, so is in a position to be an objective third party in the matter.
There are a LOT of jobs that are 24/7/365 ... solider, President, policeman, pastor, etc. These are callings, not jobs. However, to my mind, that alone does not justify requiring celibacy.
SnakeDoc
Only, if by "plenty", you mean about 2% of priests. As for celibacy being some sort of cause for sexual abuse, how would you explain the thousands of married men who commit sexual abuse each year? I daresay, of the population in the US, there is a larger percentage of MARRIED men committing sexual abuse, than celibate men.
You wrote:
“It cracks me up that I had to sit down with a priest several times for marriage “counseling” prior to being married in a church. What do you know about marriage?”
More than many married men - since priests aid THOUSANDS of couples and here the confessions of THOUSANDS of married men and women who struggle with marriage.
You wrote:
“and if the church retains this primitive rule, it will continue to attract that type of man in disproportionate number.”
You’re completely wrong. Being celibate has NOTHING to do with raping children!
The exceptions just seem to be practical from what I can tell.
I have always been a little puzzled by the celibacy requirement (and this comes from a non-catholic). At least some of the apostles were married. I can’t imagine any current priest doing more important work than any of the apostles. It would seem to me that if celibacy was really that important that Jesus would have chosen 12 unmarried apostles to the set the example. Instead, the example we have is a mixed bag: some unmarried apostles and some married apostles.
The lesson I would take from that example is that either is acceptable.
>> More than many married men - since priests aid THOUSANDS of couples and here the confessions of THOUSANDS of married men and women who struggle with marriage.
I don’t really buy that. First of all — what about the first couple to whom the priest had to give counseling or advice? If the thousands of confessionals/ counseling sessions are what qualifies him ... what qualifies him for the first group of counseling sessions he gives?
Secondly, as in any other field, there is a definite difference in book-learning and actual experience. I wouldn’t go to court with the advice of an attorney that, though he went to law school, had never seen the inside of a courtroom ... and I would question taking marital advice from someone who has no experience whatsoever in actual practicing what he preaches.
SnakeDoc
Agreed. Even the Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church concurs.
Maronite Rite Cardinal defends, praises celibate priesthood, but admits can create other serious problems
Oct 15, 2005
Speaking to the 11th General Synod Fathers, gathered for their eighth meeting this morning at the Vatican, Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, who is Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon--a Catholic rite which allows for married priests--addressed the issue, which has been brought up by many, particularly in light of the U.S. sex abuse scandal, of commonly permitting married priests in the Roman rite.
Vatican City, Oct. 07, 2005 (CNA) - The Cardinal defended the practice of the celibate priesthood and discussed the beauty of the tradition, calling it the "most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church."
While pointing out that "the Maronite Church admits married priests" and that "half of our diocesan priests are married", the Cardinal Patriarch said that "it must be recognized that if admitting married men resolves one problem, it creates others just as serious."
"A married priest", he said, "has the duty to look after his wife and family, ensuring his children receive a good education and overseeing their entry into society. ... Another difficulty facing a married priest arises if he does not enjoy a good relationship with his parishioners; his bishop cannot transfer him because of the difficulty of transferring his whole family.
He noted that "married priests have perpetuated the faith among people whose difficult lives they shared, and without them this faith would no longer exist."
"On the other hand," he said, "celibacy is the most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church,"
Lamenting a culture which is all but outright opposed to purity, the Cardinal asked: "How can [celibacy] be conserved in an atmosphere laden with eroticism? Newspapers, Internet, billboards, shows, everything appears shameless and constantly offends the virtue of chastity."
Suggesting that their are no easy solutions to the problem of priest shortages in the Church--an oft brought up point during the Synod--he noted that, "Of course a priest, once ordained, can no longer get married. Sending priests to countries where they are lacking, taking them from a country that has many, is not the ideal solution if one bears in mind the question of tradition, customs and mentality. The problem remains."
Doesn’t change the fact that the Catholic church has been historically one of the most institutionally corrupt and immoral organizations on the face of the planet.
So...St. Peter abandoned his wife?
Agreed! My Maronite Catholic pastor chose celibacy; his grandfather, on the other hand, was a married priest.
My questions are both practical and theological.
To me, woman was created to complete man, because it is not good for man to be alone, and thus a man should leave his parents and cleave to his wife. Marriage is a gift from the Almighty. Why would God want His most faithful followers to intentionally skip-out on the blessings He bestowed on all of mankind?
Peter, the rock on which the papacy is based, was married.
SnakeDoc
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