Priestly celibacy?
After drawing fire for appearing in a series of photos which showed him playing on the beach with a female friend, Miami area priest Alberto Cutie left the Roman Church to join the Episcopal Church, further fueling the issue of celibacy and Catholic clergy:
I've seen with my own eyes how many brothers of mine serve God as married men and with the blessing of having their own families.
I've seen it too, so I agree with his observation.
Little do most people know that celibacy is not the rule for all Catholics, merely a tradition which part of the Church has long clung to. The Eastern Churches, which are in communion with Rome, have long permitted married clergy. In fact, those who have visited my parish have met my priest, his wife and his teenage daughter.
Many Catholics who attend or visit a Roman Catholic parish will notice there is often one priest in that parish, and there's a good chance that priest isn't from the South, and if so, may very likely be from overseas. But if one attends an Eastern Catholic parish, where many of the clergy are married, they will often find more than one priest, and may very well find parishioners working towards the priesthood.
Patriarch Gregory, the head of the Melkite Catholic Church (which I'm a part of), has addressed the issue:
Little do most people know that celibacy is not the rule for all Catholics, merely a tradition which part of the Church has long clung to. The Eastern Churches, which are in communion with Rome, have long permitted married clergy. In fact, those who have visited my parish have met my priest, his wife and his teenage daughter.
Many Catholics who attend or visit a Roman Catholic parish will notice there is often one priest in that parish, and there's a good chance that priest isn't from the South, and if so, may very likely be from overseas. But if one attends an Eastern Catholic parish, where many of the clergy are married, they will often find more than one priest, and may very well find parishioners working towards the priesthood.
Patriarch Gregory, the head of the Melkite Catholic Church (which I'm a part of), has addressed the issue:
"Celibacy has no theological foundation," Gregorios III Laham, who attended the synod as the patriarch of the Melkite Catholics, an Eastern Rite church, said at an early session, official briefers reported. "Married priests are admitted," he said.
Click here if you want to read more of that posting from '05, which discusses how some clergy view the issue.
The priesthood is a call to serve. While it's honorable that one would be willing to give up having a career or family to serve, there are many good people who are willing to go to seminary and make the priesthood a part of their life, but who have careers and families. One can only hope the Vatican will consider that what has worked for part of the Church for so long can help bring new life to the rest of the Church.
6 comments:
The Roman Catholic Church should look into relieving its priests of this celibacy burden; it should be a voluntary, self-imposed burden to forgo marriage and family life.
The celibacy requirement seems to be a control measure, more than anything. To keep things all in the family -- to have complete control over the life, relationships, death and distribution of assets from the central control tower at the Vatican.
Nuns are probably more physiologically equipped to maintain their vows of celibacy. To deny a man the physical release of intercourse [with his wife] -- is a dangerous thing around our household. This sounds goofy -- but that tea kettle is going to boil, spew, and whistle somewhere, at some point. It always does around here.
I'm not sure if it's a control issue so much as a long-standing tradition that they are cautious about overturning. I can respect the traditions of my Roman cousins, but I can also see that the Eastern Catholic Churches, which allow married clergy, have addressed a lot of staffing shortages (my priest has been known to fill in at Roman parishes even) and a lot of parishoners feel they can relate better to their priest.
As to your thoughts on sexuality ... I think that's a little one-sided there. I think we all should feel a desire to connect, and getting one's own thrills out of it shouldn't be as important as serving, as it should be in any part of marriage.
If what you get out of some aspect of your marriage is more important than what your wife gets - do you think that's the way it's supposed to be?
Hopefully your wife's kettle boils, spews, and whistles at least as much as yours, and if you put her first, it might just do that.
Of course, any advice I give on marriage should be taken with a grain of salt ... or maybe a truckload?
Enough porn in the Blogland!
12:40 is a female.
Who shall remain nameless.
It's not like it is on tv -- really it's not. Most women I know, if they are honest, will tell you that once the kids are grown and gone, a whole 'nother life awaits. Don't put us on a guilt trip if you don't get it so and so times per week. Etc. Etc. Etc.
I've been married for twenty-two years...I'm of a mind to wind things down in the bedroom and crank things up in the garden.
Hubbie's bedroom pony still bucks, snorts, and rages on. How freaking old do y'all have to get before you men find other pursuits?
Hum?
[That is not a rhetorical question. I've got other beds to plant.]
Ron Hubbard was a priest on Venus
After two divorces and fitting the hopelessly-single stereotype of a blogger, I find lots of things to do by myself (Mike, DON'T SAY THAT!!!)
Sounds like the husband should learn to enjoy the garden, if you ask me. If I ever have a wife to come home to, I'm ready to let her call more than a few shots. Especially since two divorces is ample proof that my shot-calling skills aren't all that hot.
Having been divorced for thirty something years I really cannot remember much about the married life. Must had been bad stuff.
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