A Defense of Priestly Celibacy
The Catholic response is in blue
(Protestant # 1) Mandatory Vs Optional Celibacy for the Catholic Priesthood, is a BIG and a divisive issue in the Church.
A "BIG and divisive issue" according to whom - Protestants?
The idea of MANDATORY celibacy did not originate in Christianity
Since there was a celibate Catholic priesthood long before any of the Protestant reformation churches and the over 26,000 resulting denominations and since I've provided at least 4 examples from the Christian Bible that support it, I'm not sure I understand the above statement.
"Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it." - Matthew 19:12
"Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I am, but each has a particular gift from God, one of one kind and one of another" - 1 Cor 7:7
"I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided". - 1 Cor7:32-33
"Bear your share of hardship along with me like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. To satisfy the one who recruited him, a soldier does not become entangled in the business affairs of life" - 2 Tim 2:3-4
Documents of Vatican II declare that celibacy is not theologically mandated or essential to the priesthood but that it is a discipline."
Of course.
The fact remains, celibacy is mandatory for the Catholic Priesthood,with very few exceptions.
I believe I pointed out that the Eastern Rite has married priests and there were married Bishops centuries ago. The Church feels that a celibate clergy will not have "divided interests", as Paul mentioned in 1 Cor 7.
The hierarchical church seems to fear that an OPTIONAL married clergy would undermine its legitimate authority
"Seeming to fear" is mere editorialization, with all due respect, but what would the Catholic Church have to fear from married priests, especially since I've pointed out that there are some of them anyway?
For those who dream of a different kind of church, one less rigid, less authoritarian, less pyramidal in structure, a celibate clergy is part of the obstacle.
Authority is usually the main issue, but on what basis does the author of this article decide that an unmarried clergy is an "obstacle", particularly in the context of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 7?
For those who sit in their offices in Rome and make laws for the rest of us, a celibate priesthood is essential to the only structure in which they can operate and probably the only structure which they can even imagine.
More editorializing
pretending that things are other than they are, will never make a difference. But for what it's worth, I suspect the Catholic Church will change ;-) Anyone like to bet on that??
I pretend nothing at all. The way "things are" is that the Catholic clergy has a discipline of celibacy, whether you or the article's author like it. The Catholic Church has no reason to "change" it.
A wall of words. I KNOW what it feels like to bang my head against that particular brick wall.
I know exactly what you mean :-)
(Protestant # 2) Yes, the Catholic Church makes this CLAIM (as do the other groups) but there is no way the Catholic Church can PROVE their claim any more than the other groups can... though, they certainly are able to trace their "roots" further back and CLOSER to the NT church.
If you read closely, the issue at hand here was the assertion that "mandatory celibacy" did not originate in Christianity. I think most here would agree that the Catholic Church initiated the ecclesiastical discipline of celibacy, in concordance with Scripture and Tradition. In other words, the question was not how far back a particular church can trace its roots (although I'm willing to discuss that, as well)
The Catholic Church also claims that Peter was the first Pope (and the2x2's claim that he was one of the first workers.) Yet, the Bible tells us that Peter had a wife... so how does THIS fit in with the Catholic Church's "discipline" of a celibate clergy?
Good question. The Bible tells us that Peter was already married - doesn't quite make sense for an already-married man to then take a vow of celibacy, does it? I've pointed out that there were married bishops, as well as married converts to Catholicism.
The fact that there is so much immorality among the Catholic priesthood shows that not all these ministers have the gift.
There's a lot of immorality in married Protestant ministerial clergy as well, so the point is moot. I refer you to the research of Philip Jenkins at Penn State University, where he has shown that non-celibate Protestant clergy have the same, if not bigger, problem. If you're going to make sweeping generalizations, please make them truly all-inclusive.
Favoring" is much different than "requiring." As I have pointed out, no matter what wording one chooses to use, the end result is that for MOST men in the Catholic church (and women, too I believe, if we want to consider the nuns...) the pledge of celibacy is now MANDATORY for one who feels the Lord is calling them into those forms of ministry in those church groups. I absolutely believe that God gives SOME men and women the gift of celibacy. But, I also believe that scripture CLEARLY shows that God never intended church leaders to be LIMITED to ONLY those with this gift.
I chose the word "favor" because that is what I think is right. I'm in no position to "require" celibacy of anyone. Maybe there will someday be an optional celibacy, I don't know (although I doubt it). By the way, there are other "church leaders" besides priests, who are married and very active in leadership roles. Furthermore, scripture "clearly" shows, both in the Old and New Testament, that a celibate priesthood was at least a good idea - from Jeremiah, to Paul's writings to the Corinthians and Timothy, to Jesus's own words in Matthew's gospel.
The argument boils down to this. 1) The Catholic Church believes a celibate priesthood is the best way for a man to wholly devote his life to God on earth (as a priest). The Church teaches this based on scriptural evidence and Sacred Tradition. 2) Protestants think there should be married clergy, for various reasons - one of which is the unfounded presupposition that celibacy is "impossible", probably as the result of today's sexually saturated society.
The only answer is that until further notice, celibacy is a promise a man must make upon being ordained as a priest.
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