Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), the grass-roots Catholic group that sprang up after the sexual abuse scandal, has always focused its mission on "structural change" and largely avoided hot-button doctrinal disputes. But VOTF is now raising the issue of priestly celibacy. In a letter to Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, chair of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, VOTF calls for a "serious ecclesial review of mandatory celibacy for diocesan priests."
The letter cites the 60 percent drop in vocations to the priesthood during the past 40 years and notes that for many young men "the requirement of celibacy is a major obstacle preventing them from responding to a call to the priesthood." It adds, "Recruiting non-native priests from poor countries, substituting communion services for Mass, lowering standards for admission to seminaries," and an increase in parish closings and the use of one priest to serve as pastor for multiple parishes fail to address the root of the problem.
Is VOTF going outside its mandate? Not necessarily. Many bishops and church leaders have called for a similar review, and priestly celibacy is, as Pope Benedict XVI himself has noted, a church law that can be changed. Promoting optional celibacy--certainly retaining the beautiful and longstanding option of a celibate vocation--could be seen as a constructive structural change for the church.
The priest is central to the eucharist, and the eucharist is the "summit and source" of the church's sacramental life. Cannot such policy change bolster a spiritual renewal?
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It is interesting that in most debates about celibacy discussion seems to presume that a decision once made gains primacy of standing thereafter. Not everything can be justified from tradition and no prevailing human construct should be presumed beyond obsolescence.
Since Darwin provided a natural notion of how some change occurs, it would seem appropriate to ask in the case of celebacy, what if it is simply an adaption to a particular time (more than a thousand years ago) that has become maladaptive in current circumstances?
From where I sit, the burden of continued justification for mandatory celibacy and an all male priesthood demands an answer to the question: If it is the "right" thing to do, why is it failing the faithful so badly?
If persuasive defenders are not forthcoming; then its time to try an adaptive change. I don't find "just let the nominal Church shrink into an enclave of Middle Age wisdom" is a particularly winning notion. But then that's just me.
Bill M
Wasn't St. Peter, the first pope, married. His mother-in-law is mentioned in the New Testament.
I believe celibacy should be optional. Already we have at least 100 married priests who have come into the Church from other faiths. The apostles were married. The Bible in Genesis says "It is not good for man to be alone" "Increse and multiply and fill the earth." A man should not be denied a family in order to serve God. God created man a sexual being. If the Church wants good and faithful priests then marriage and family should be allowed. They would better understand the laity who mostly are married. God did make this law. Man made it.
I do not see any spirituality in this law of celibacy.
As for women, they should be alowed to be deaconess. A deaconess from another faith talked with me and helped alot when my sister was in ICU at death's door.----Thank you and God Bless!
As I think about the refusal of our Church shepherds to discuss mandatory celibacy it is hard for me to not loose heart. I am the lay ecclesial minister for a small mission Church in a county where we are the only Catholic presence. This mission community founded by the Glenmary Home Missioners in the late 1960's has never had a full time priest. Yet this community has managed over the years to be a viable Catholic presence in the county. At the present time we only have mass twice a month and if something happens to one of our priests that come to us we may not get mass that often. The rest of the time we are forced to have Word and Communion services. We are now faced with the prospect of implementing the revised Sundays Without A Priest which will take our community further form the celebration of the full Eucharist and will treat people who have been loyal leaders in these mission communities more and more like second class Catholic leaders. For me personally I find the interagency of our hierarchy most difficult to understand. I have a certificate in Theological Studies from a respected Jesuit college, I have attend classes on preaching and have completed one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education just to name some of my training and study, frequently accomplished at my own expense. Yet when it comes to leading the community I have been give to responsibility to care for I can not lead it in the central act of our Catholic Faith Tradition. Why you might ask because I have committed the unforgivable sin of marriage and have raised a family of five children. At this point I can only say, go figure!
I believe it would greatly advantage today's Catholic's to read the history of the church and the Bible. I am so disappointed when I discuss these issues with fellow Catholics and they are totally unaware that the church for many centuries had a married priesthood and we have actually had sons of Popes, go on to be Popes. A married priesthood was the Catholic Church in it's purest form mirroring what God had created,a family. As a mother of a 13 year old son, I have had a very hard time rationalizing the legacy of rape and molestation that went on knowingly by our church leaders. After much thought I strongly feel this evironment grew after generations of male thought followed by a respect that grew stonger for the lawyers of the church, rather than it's shepherds. During my son's recent confirmation I had to worry which Bishop would be sent because one was directly related to overseeing the abuse in Boston. He was given the Rockville Center, Long Island and Cardinal Law was given a Basillica in Rome. I told my son I would not condone him officiating the sacrament. It was 25 years ago that the first Canon lawyers were sent from the Vatican to measure the state of abuse in the church. Because of their choice to conceal evil rather than deal with it, it continues to smolder. Even as late as last week, a story came out of Latin American where a 9 year old girl had been repeatedly raped by her stepfather with an outcome of the "little child" becoming pregnant, I believe with twins. The mother approved an abortion and the Church excommunicated the mother, the doctor, but not the rapist, stating his crime was not equal to the mother and doctors choice. First, I do belive all life is precious and a gift however the Vatican ruling sickens me and firmly reinforces my belief they are still emotionally ignorant to sexual abuse. That stepfathers actions took four lives, the life of the 9 year old that he repeatedly raped, the mother of the girl, and the unborn infants. My grandparents were Irish immigrats who did without to build Catholic Churches and schools I feel I'm at the point that I can no longer support the direction this church has chosed to go. As the declining numbers show I'm not alone.
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