Catholicism and celibacy

Holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church, so observed Swami Vivekananda. But most churches lack certain code of ethics among its clergy that ought to be the hallmark of its foundation. Both matrimony and celibacy are great, but celibacy is more of greater perfection when it comes to the sphere of clergy. What is celibacy, one may ask? The state of being unmarried, with abstinence from sexual activity.

Most people see celibacy under Roman Catholic Church as one of the forces that drive the church. Catholicism has endured from the biblical Peter to the present and has suffered virulent and sinister attack from different organizations and all sorts of individuals overtly and covertly within and outside its domain and still it remains as strong as the rock of Gibraltar.

The recent news story that some catholic priests have opted for wife will not destroy its (catholic) foundation either. My advice to the recanting priest is to step aside as priest for other priests that can withstand the temptation of materialism and canal desire to continue doing God’s work. They can also join the protestant evangelical Christians as pastors or better still form their own churches (which is not crime) rather than to be within the catholic fold and formant rash behavious.

To be monk or run is not by compulsion. Under the Western and Eastern churches, celibacy has been there from time immemorial. Under the Western/Latin Rite, celibacy is required of all clergy. But it is the Eastern Church that clergy are permitted to marry before ordination and it is also the same Eastern Church; that its bishops are selected from among the unmarried priests. The question is: why selecting the bishops, a superior hierarchy from among the unmarried clergy?

Those who made the celibacy laws for the clergy are not fools. They are spiritual and intellectual deep thinkers that meant good for our dangerous world. The principles upon which the laws of celibacy are anchored are that (i) a celibate Clergy may serve God with more freedom and with an undivided heart. (ii) that being called to serve Jesus Christ, they may embrace the holier life of self-restraint.

If what motivates those asking for priests to marry is because of satisfaction of sexual urge, bearing of children or companionship, then, this writer’s question to them is what of priests in Anglican Communion who enjoys these privileges and yet go further propagating and demanding for gay marriage?

Again, one may ask how can a clergy in union of matrimony embrace the holier life of self-restraint with children and hangers on and yet serve God with more freedom and with an undivided heart, be compared with a priest under the vow of celibacy, who tends to be selfless in his service to god and humanity? The history of all the Saints shows that most of them are celibate.

From the above, these “one-man” churches often turn to sex communes and preach apocalypse, remember Charles Manson (Satan Slaves), Reverend Jim Jones of Jonestown and David koresh of the Brand Davidian who broke away from Seventh Day Adventist, all these characters among others are by products of unorganized religion that lack somewhat puritanical code of ethics which Catholicism has endeavored to uphold since its origin.