I’ve had far too much about politics here of late, so here’s something Church-related.
A yet-to-be released report to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has found that 55% of priests in Australia believe that optional, rather than obligatory celibacy would be appropriate for priests in the Catholic Church. A further 16% of priests said that obligatory celibacy has had a negative impact.
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The finding that 71% of respondents have a negative view of the obligation of celibacy is in accord with recently released work from overseas. Last week in the United States, a 53 diocese study revealed that 67%
I’m not opposed to a married order of priests, but I wouldn’t want celibacy made optional across the board. I count priests among the “eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew 19:12.
How do you folks feel about this? Do you agree/disagree with the respondents? Why?
Also, if Roman Rite priests were allowed to marry, how would that work out financially? Their income would have to increase by huge amounts to support a family. Huge amounts, that is, that the Catholic Church does not have. It’d be on these priests to support themselves; which might mean getting outside jobs or soliciting from congregations, even simony.
Also, where would we get bishops from? The Byzantine Rite and the Orthodox get their bishops primarily from monastic communities, and occasionally from diocesan priests who’ve remained celibate. But a new attitude regarding celibacy could cause good episcopal candidates to choose marriage, rather than celibacy.
Anyway, how would this new system work out? Would priests have to be married by the time of ordination, like the Byzantines and Orthodox? Or would they be able to marry afterwards?
As Eastern Catholic discipline already allow married men to be ordained to the priesthood, it’s obviously no problem on a theological level. (Though I would note that Eastern Catholics do not seem to be overflowing with priestly vocations, either…)However, I have serious doubts on the practical level. Priests would need to support and raise families. Would the increase in numbers make up for the decrease in availablilty? In this culture, with married priests there would soon be the scandal of divorced priests. (e.g. Fr. Bryan recently remarked that the majority of non-Catholic campus ministers at the universities here have been divorced.)Priests are already unjustly suspected of being sexual abnormal, simply because of their vocation. For any priests who would choose the traditional discipline, that suspicion would increase massively. It would also feed into the lie that everyone ‘needs’ to be sexually active.
I’m wondering which priests the study polled. Those stats seem to reflect the demoralization of secular priests. I doubt that priests of religious congregations and orders would question celibacy at such a high rate.