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| WHY ARE CATHOLIC PRIESTS CELIBATE? |
Celibacy has traditionally been a
highly valued way of ascetic life in Oriental religion.
In Brahmanism, celibacy is incorporated in the four
ashrams or stages of life: student, householder,
forest-dwelling ascetic and wandering ascetic. Celibacy
is observed in the first and last two stages. In
Buddhism one who becomes a monk has to be a celibate for
life. This practice, though not in vogue in Mahayana
Buddhism, continues in Theravada tradition.
An
ascetical movement similar to that in North India in the
6th century BC , from which evolved Buddhism, Jainism
and now the defunct Ajivkism, took place in Eastern
Christendom in the 4th and 5th centuries. It was a
movement for the practice of eremitic asceticism as
solitaries in the desert. This was followed by forms of
coenobitical or communal asceticism, the most prominent
of which, arising in the 6th century, was Benedictnism,
which became the dominant form of religious life in
Europe during the next six centuries. Celibacy was an
essential characteristic of both eremitic and
coenobitical life.
On the point of celibacy,
Christian monasticism had an influence on clergy life.
Apart from the ascetical value of celibacy, there was
also, in the case of the clergy, the practical
advantages of total commitment to the ministry without
being impeded by the encumbrances of family life. It was
felt moreover that following the example of Christ and
in keeping with his counsels (Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:29;
Luke 14:26) and the admonition of St. Paul (1 Cor. 7.7),
celibacy would be desirable also for those dedicated to
God's service in the ranks of the clergy.
A drift
towards celibacy for the clergy, though in slow stages,
was the result. The Spanish synod of Elvira (c.306)
legislated that bishops, priests and deacons should
abstain sexually from their wives. In 325 the Ecumenical
Council of Nicaea prohibited the marriage of clergy
after the diaconate. In 1123 the First Lateran
Ecumenical Council imposed celibacy on all the clergy of
the Latin Rite. This has remained in force up to the
present.
In spite of pressure in modern times
from some sections of the clergy and others for optional
celibacy., Vatican II has upheld the decision of the
First Lateran Council. After referring to the historical
facts that at one time celibacy was recommended to
priests, and at a later date, imposed on them, the
Council states "This most holy synod again approves and
confirms" the legislation requiring celibacy of the
clergy of the Latin Rite (Ministry and Life of Priests,
16). The Synod however respects the traditional practice
of optional celibacy in the Eastern Churches. "While
this most sacred Synod recommends ecclesiastical
celibacy, it in no way intends to change that different
discipline which lawfully prevails in Eastern Churches
(ibid)
The decision of the Council has been
passed on to the new Code of Canon Law. While
reaffirming the traditional legislation, the Code also
points out also the two chief merits of celibacy,
namely, its ascetical value and the fact that it enables
the priest to dedicate himself fully to his pastoral
ministry. "Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and
perpetual continence for the sake of the Kingdom of
heaven, and are therefore bound to celibacy. Celibacy is
a special gift of God by which sacred ministries can
more easily remain close to Christ with an undivided
heart, and can dedicate themselves more freely to the
service of God and their neighbour" (Can. 277, sec.1)
In the section on prerequisites for ordination, the
Code says again: "A candidate for the permanent
diaconate who is not married, and likewise, a candidate
for the priesthood is not to be admitted to the order of
diaconate unless he has, in the prescribed rite,
publicly before God and the Church undertaken the
obligation of celibacy, or unless he has taken perpetual
vows in a religious institute." (Can. 1037).
There is another aspect of the significance of celibacy
in the life of the priest. The sacrifice of Christ is
unique in that he was both priest and victim. He offered
his life as a sacrifice for the salvation of man. "I lay
down my life for my sheep.. No one takes it from me; I
lay it down of my own free will" (John 9:15,18). The
human priest who participates in the priesthood of
Christ should also participate in the priesthood of
Christ should also participate in the victim aspect of
Christ's priesthood. Celibacy by which the priest
renounces marriage for good brings the sacrificial
element into his life Perpetual chastity involves a
perpetual sacrifice.
The view has been put
forward that optional celibacy in the Latin Church might
be a way of meeting the problem of shortage of priests,
particularly in Western countries. While the real
reasons for the shortage of priests should be sought
elsewhere for instance in the materialistic outlook of
secularized society in the West, the question may be
asked whether celibacy is really a hindrance to genuine
vocations. In any case, marriage should in no way become
a bait to attract vocations.