Defending the Catholic Faith: Celibacy in the Priesthood

Many people have asked, especially in recent times, why Catholic priests are not allowed to be married. The recent priest scandals within the Roman Catholic Church have urged this question to be asked, and some have suggested that if they were allowed to marry, then the amount of scandals and pedophilia would decrease.

However, priests within the Catholic Church practice celibacy for a variety of reasons and they are also well thought out. Saint Paul teaches us many things in the First book of Corinthians in the New Testament. Although he never mentions the idea of the Priesthood specifically, he does reference the married state versus the unmarried state. In verses 32 through 34 of Chapter 7, St. Paul says, "An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided." If we take this teaching of St. Paul as it is, it means simply that. Paul has made it very clear that if a man is married, he will be devoted to his wife and things of the world more than he is devoted to the Lord. And for very good reason, considering that raising a family is a very well-intentioned ambition. Paul goes onto say in verse 35 that he tells us this not to place any restrictions on us, but to provide a way that we can adhere to the Lord without distraction. In other words, priests will not be able to devote himself fully to the Lord and the Catholic Priesthood if he decides to raise a family because his interests will be divided and he will not be able to concentrate fully on one or the other. This is not only sound reasoning, but is very practical advice. We can see this in any normal family life. The father and the mother are busy with raising their family, taking their children to sports practices, club meetings, school functions, as well as family outings. How would he be able to serve a Parish with the same energy as he serves his family? Considering that Catholic Priest's lives involve many more responsibilities than simply daily prayer and Mass, it would be a very difficult task to take on both the Priesthood and Fatherhood.

So Paul's advice in 1 Corinthians is to stay unmarried to be free from distraction, implying that one should live a celibate life, as he had chosen also. Another question, however, of the Priesthood still remains. Some people may ask how it's possible for a Catholic Priest to remain celibate. Wouldn't it be hard to live that kind of lifestyle? There is no simple answer to this question, however, as the answer is both yes and no. Yes, it seems, on the outer surface as though the celibate lifestyle would be hard to live and accomplish. But no, on the contrary, it is not. God takes the desire for a man to marry and the attraction to other women and forms it into a gift. Men who decide to enter the Catholic Priesthood are given a very special gift from the Lord: celibacy. The Lord takes the man's natural urges of attraction to women and turns it into something beautiful, which is his service and devotion to God Himself. Priests channel this gift inwards to serve their Church better, teaching and preaching God's Word to His people.

So while the rule of celibacy for the Catholic Priesthood may be a little difficult to understand, hopefully you can now understand it just a little better now. It is God's plan that priests are celibate; we see this not only in Paul's teachings in the Corinthians, but we also see it in the excellent examples of the Catholic Priesthood today. Celibacy in the Priesthood is not simply a rule that is simply there just because; however, it is a practical spiritual rule and beautiful gift that God gives to those who choose to enter the Catholic Priesthood.