Eliminating the celibacy requirement for catolic priests - Essay Example

appears here] appears here] appears here] appears here] Eliminating the Celibacy Requirement for Catholic Priests At present the celibacy question is being discussed, although Pope John Paul II insists the question is closed. However the problem persists and even gets stronger as the number of priests continues to decline. Unfortunately the open argument of priestly celibacy often takes place in newspapers and magazines and generally the arguments on both sides are apparently presented. Without doubt some serious arguments can be presented supporting retaining clerical celibacy.

One argument maintains that since Jesus himself was celibate and for the reason that the priesthood is a special vocation by which one follows Jesus, such a sacrifice is appropriate. In addition, celibacy serves as a sign of total devotion to the kingdom of God, a kingdom in which there will be no marriage: “for at the resurrection men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven” (Matt 22:30). Lastly, celibacy functions as a witness that sexual activity, despite the fact that good, beautiful and important, is not the absolute essential it is held to be in western culture.

To alter the celibacy requirement would be observed to give into cultural mores. (Sipe 85-88) On the other hand, there are a lot of arguments in favor of eliminating the requirement of celibacy. For instance, though it seems obvious that married, many of his apostles were married men. Further, the law of celibacy is a church law, not a divine law and can be changed should the Church believe it essential. A further suggestion supporting the lifting of the requirement of celibacy states that a married priest would be more pastorally sensitive to the needs of married couples as well as families if he were married himself.

It can as well be argued that it is without doubt possible to have a total commitment in one’s love of God and of one’s spouse and consequently serve the Church as a married priest. (Sipe 210-215) Work Cited Sipe, Richard. Celibacy in Crisis: A Secret World Revisited; Routledge, 2003