Part One

 

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
7/5/2006In 1990 there was a Rome meeting of bishops from around the world on how best to prepare Catholic priests.  As always a large contingent of the press was present, many ex-priests, who wanted to allow priests to be married.  They waged a strong campaign.
One bishop pointed out that at future synods, even if the theme was agriculture, there would still be pressure for a married clergy!
There are different groups or rites in the Catholic Church e.g., Maronite, Ukrainian, Chaldean, Melchite, but most Catholics belong to the Latin rite where the general rule is that priests must be unmarried i.e. be celibate and refrain from sexual activity.
Eastern rite Catholics do have married priests, like the Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches.  Therefore a married clergy is not like a dog walking on its hind legs!  In many places it is common, and even in the Latin Church for more than 1000 years there were married priests, although from the fourth century onwards priests were urged not to sleep with their wives.  Theologians interpreted St. Paul’s injunction that a priest should have one wife to mean that his wife should be the Church!  This is paralleled by the Orthodox tradition today that their bishops cannot be married.
Why did the Western Church tighten its discipline in the reform movements of 11-12th centuries to require all its priests to be unmarried?  Why do the Pope and most Bishops support maintaining this policy today?
Is this another example of senior clergy who are hostile to pleasure and afraid of sex?  Does it manifest hostility to marriage and family life?  Does it show that most Catholic priests are homosexually inclined, so that not marrying is no sacrifice?  Is a life time of sexual inactivity unnatural and therefore a major cause of the scandal of clergy pedophilia?
These are serious questions needing answers.  But before attempting to make a positive case for clerical celibacy, we should note that statistics show that marriage is no preventative against pedophilia.  Ninety percent of pedophile crimes are committed by married men, while there are no statistics to demonstrate that most priests are homosexually oriented, much less that they are homosexually active.  Some of those who claim otherwise are too much influenced by their own circle of acquaintances.
During the Dark Ages there was much clerical corruption and neglect of the people.  Benedictine monks, especially from Cluny in France started a wonderful reformation, which a renewed papacy supported and compulsory celibacy was both a consequence and cause of this renewal.  The Normans too were supporters and the first universities developed then.
No one is forced to become a priest.  This commitment to life-long celibacy is a free choice after at least six years of trial and preparation and cannot be taken before the age of 23.
Next week we shall examine the religious rationale for such a choice.

 

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
14/5/2006
The traditional Christian teaching that sexual intercourse is only legitimate in marriage is now counter cultural.
Christians do not believe that everyone has a right to sexual activity, so that a celibate person is one who is both unmarried and sexually inactive.  Celibacy is not unnatural, because humans, unlike animals can control their sexual instincts, while Christians believe that sexual activity is good, when it is linked to love and open to the possibility of children.  When sex becomes a commodity, sexual partners become objects, something to be used for pleasure.
Priestly celibacy has to be seen within the context of Christian faith, because while there is a clear dimension of sacrifice and self control, celibacy is also seen as sacred, a very personal offering to Christ not simply a renunciation to be borne stoically.  Celibacy clearly states that not only sex but even family love are not all important.  It spells out part of the meaning of Christ’s teaching that the first and greatest commandment is to love God, while the second is that we love one another.
The immense Catholic network of services throughout Australia was built in less than 200 years primarily through the work of unmarried priests, sisters and brothers, because celibacy releases immense reservoirs of energy and time for the service of people.
Marriage and family life are the basis of all civilization, but they can fluctuate between heaven and hell and always take hard work, time and energy.
Christ is the most important model for all Christians and for a Catholic priest, who is defined as “another Christ.”  It is important that Christ was unmarried, as were Paul, the great missionary and John, the youngest of the apostles.  On the other hand Peter, the head of the apostles, was certainly married as Jesus cured his mother-in-law from sickness!
Like Christ a priest is called to a spiritual paternity, to nurture Christians through the sacraments and prayer and generate new children through baptism.  Through celibacy his heart should be undivided, less distracted and more focused for service.
The sacrifice of celibacy is still the best sign to people generally that a man is not a priest out of self-interest, while it also remains a potent witness to the reality of life after death where Christ has explained there will be no sexual intercourse.
Catholic priests generally are very effective servants of their people, called on by day and by night and they are respected and often loved by their people for this.
A missionary priest said that he had traveled widely and never been among strangers, only brothers and sisters.  A celibate priest’s life should be full of friendships, supported by his brother priests.
But it is not for everyone.  Psychological testing now supplements the long years of preparation for those who aspire to be celibate priests.