Why Pope Should Allow Marriage Rights to Ordinary Priests

Jesus said about the necessity for his disciples to be away from home for their arduous work leaving their families behind. That was a warning to them about the nature of their work. Not an indirect inducement to divorce their wives. In fact, we read in the Bible how sometimes Jesus willingly accepted the invitation of these families to their dinner tables.

As for St. Paul, he made suggestions about the desirability of celibacy among early missionaries. He didn't issue a decree. He didn't because he was not the Pope. St. Peter was occupying the highest position in the church at that time.

And celibacy could not be imposed by St. Paul alone because some of the original disciples who were his contemporaries were married including St. Peter.

History says St. Peter's wife was one of the earliest martyrs for Christianity, and was crucified for being a Christian.

And St. Paul could not insist on celibacy for the simple reason that he was not among the first twelve disciples chosen by Jesus Christ. Paul later repented and converted to Christianity after taking the leadership in incarcerating and killing Christians as a government employee under the Romans.

So, if we insist that St. Paul imposed celibacy, we are obliquely implying that he was purposely and surreptitiously undermining the credibility of the original disciples including St. Peter, whom Christ entrusted the leadership during his lifetime itself.

It is preposterous to infer that he had issued diktats against married leaders of the Church.

That there were a few married Popes after St. Paul's demise also proves that his suggestion for celibacy was not a diktat.

To tell that St. Peter was the first Pope and then to conveniently quote St. Paul for imposing celibacy is hitching the cart before the horse.

Even if anybody wants to continue to believe that untruth, it is the duty of the present Pope to issue new diktats to prevent further destruction of a Church so painfully built over the blood and sweat of martyrs.

Sex is a physiological function God put into man. And there is no point in denying something God created. Some realistic seminary rectors have allowed novitiates to leave once they found it difficult to lead a celibate life. Such realism should dawn on the higher echelons too.

Pope should not waste time in trying to fight a losing battle. It is high time he allowed interested priests to marry rather than trying to deal on an ad hoc basis this plague destroying the Church.

If we read St. Paul's words it is obvious that he was prescribing celibacy for church workers of a higher calling who wanted to lead a life of renunciation in the service of others. The best recent example was the late Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who I believe is soon to be elevated to sainthood.

Silence of the laity should not be taken as blanket permit to commit sin. They are just patiently waiting for Church leaders to come out with bold decisions, just like the way early Church Fathers did.

And those remedies are simple:

1. Those priests who want to marry should be allowed to do so. In return, they should be willing to forgo promotions to positions of higher calling. For example they should not expect positions beyond that of Vicar Generals or Chancellors.

2. St. Paul's suggestions should be made compulsory only to positions of leadership like bishops, or those that need an ascetic life like monks and nuns.

That such codes are followed by Protestants and Orthodox churches should not make anybody think that it is beneath their dignity to follow what others doing. At any rate such theological differentiation is no justification in putting ordinary priests in such situations that lead to sexual abuse.

Christianity is not a wanton game of tit-for-tats and holier-than-thous among the various denominations.

Crime is crime. There is no separation into divine crime or human crime. There is no divisions into believer's crime or atheist's crime, Catholic crime or non-Catholic crime. Crime is still crime.

The only other solution is castration of these guys which can be done less painfully by modern day surgeons than the ancient medicine men. But that is reverting back to the uncivilized era even when done in clean hospital settings.

Bold steps are necessary in this aspect, and only a bold Pope can initiate that kind of epochal actions. Hope Pope Benedict won't be found wanting as the time for bold decisions are long overdue.

It is better than apologizing in every country he visits over something he cannot control or taking an ostrich-like position which some of his predecessors did by sleeping over such complaints. No verse in the Bible should be used as a ruse to continue religious codes and practices that offer chances for sexual abuse.

Manipulating Biblical verses for cover-ups doesn't sanctify such codes and morals.

If it does, it is within the powers of the Pope to change such codes that put priests in such depraved conditions. That is why there is the institution of Pope, to give effective leadership, to shepherd his lambs to better and safer pastures.

To non-Christians who are reading this:

This is a Christian trying to get his religion's leaders to do some house cleaning. It doesn't mean that other religions are 100% superclean.

But I believe that it is the duty of followers of each faith to clean up their respective religions. So I will stick to my territory than pointing fingers at others. Doing otherwise may boost my ego, but the dirty linen will still be waiting there to be washed in my home, in fact dirtier than before.

Unnecessary criticisms from the outside will only give another excuse for wrongdoers and extremists not to make changes and amends by crying,"we are under attack." In fact such holier-than-thou criticisms have been one factor that provided a convenient facade for culprits to thwart laity's attempts to enforce a clean up.

To all Christians who are reading this:

Even among Churches, there is no point in claiming that each one is more dearer to Christ. For the simple reason that much of these divisions started because of the geographical separation between the areas assigned to each apostle. And partly because of personal rivalries and one-upmanships. So no point in one church lording it over another.

Let us have the courage to face it:

We have do have a real problem here, a nasty one. There is not even one dogmatic justification to ignore it or delay one day longer and to get it smellier!

Papacy is not a position for issuing endless, delayed apologies, it is a position to end those shameful acts so that there won't be need for apologies any more.

Hope and pray that the Holy Father will not absolve himself from the responsibility of giving the church a new direction by stopping injustices that have been eroding the true Christian values of the Church.

Let us not forget Christ had defined Christianity during his own lifetime here:

Christians are not those who try to flatter Him by calling him Lord, Lord in every breath but are those who follow the Lord's teachings in every act. And those teachings never said,"Priests should abuse children," period.