Celibacy - root of evil among RC priests

It seems that nine out of ten times a Catholic priest is involved whenever a man of high religious standing is caught or alleged to have been caught in a licentious act with a member/s of the congregation, choir or clergy.

One consideration is that no other major religion advocates celibacy as a prerequisite in becoming a priest. And taking mankind’s innate needs into account, it is easy to speculate why so many Catholic priests become the predators they are. Did Jesus Christ fervently promote celibacy? This priestly requirement may be the most gratuitous, parochial and “dotish” doctrine there ever was.

Coming through the ages a commonality suggests that celibacy or continence is critical for meaningful meditation and pray to God and avoids distraction by sexual intercourse, a wife or concubines. Sex was considered a worldly aspect and the one who engages in it was impure for prayer and purity was sought to find favour with God. If we believe that God is our Creator we also know that He blessed us with the act of intercourse, which serves for both procreation and pleasure.

Undeniably, there are times, like the recent Lenten season that demand reflection, sacrifice and special worship and may involve abstinence from sexual intercourse for some. But in emulating Christ, Catholicism requires its priests to “forever” abstain from sexual intercourse, masturbation and even thoughts thereof.

This is an extremely tall order for any man and I dare say, unachievable. Show me a priest, deacon, archbishop, cardinal or pope that never had a sexually explicit thought or never masturbated and you will have shown me Christ himself. The point being that we can only emulate the Lord to a point since we are not Him and are sinful human beings.

What then is the current purpose of the celibacy vow? It is reasonable to assume that social/sexual misfits who are ill-equipped to take a wife or lover may turn to the priesthood for refuge, since celibacy is a requirement for priests.

Thus, the foregoing deficiency is accepted and beyond questioning. However, under the cover and respect of the “gown,” these rogues take full advantage in playing out pent-up perversions, often preying on young children and adults. So to some extent the nature of permanent celibacy in the context of Catholicism has the potential to attract wolves in sheep’s clothing.

But they must know that prolonged celibacy was never God’s will, albeit sexual acts involving children are condemned. Still, I applaud the priests who endure this torture while keeping their sanity and souls in tact.

In the end, who does celibacy for priests really benefit? It appears evident that a decree to make the contentious vow optional and allowing Catholic priests to marry will significantly reduce the incidence of associated immoral acts. But why hasn’t any pope in modern times found the fortitude to break tradition and champion this benevolent amendment is another story.

Dexter Rigsby

Mt Lambert