Vatican’s No. 2 Says Celibacy Not ‘Untouchable,’

[DGuller]

Celibacy is not "untouchable"

Just like little children!

I wanted to say the same when I saw the thread title!

So did I. 

[alfred russel]

The Church has been around for almost 2000 years; it has had to be open to change and will need to be in the future to survive.

The strict enforcement of celibacy and marriage bans was the product of a particular social environment, not some irrevocable and inevitable dogmatic truth.  In a feudal era where status was inherited, the Church needed to have some mechanism to keep control over its property and to maintain authority over its people.  That era has long past and the Church now faces a radically altered social reality that requires a different approach.

I don't disagree as far as the health of the Catholic Church is concerned.

I'm just pointing out that the clergy of the Catholic Church makes the rules, and what most of the clergy has in common is that it has taken the vow of celibacy and is living the lifestyle of a priest under those rules. For the policy to change, elderly members of the clergy like the pope need to put in place changes that makes the mode of life they have lived obsolete and end a defining mark of priestly culture for the past 1,000 years. For a conservative like Pope Benedict, you are putting the future of the church into the hands of a future clergy that is likely going to be much more socially progressive.

[Malthus]

It would be quite revolutionary

Not at all - for much of Late Antiquity it was quite common for priests to be ordained later in life after they had a family.  The expectation and ideal was that marital relations would cease but that was not always enforced strictly.

It wouldn't be unprecedented, but it would be a tremendous change--if you think of the three vows of celibacy, obediance, and poverty that many priests make--once you remove chastity it becomes hard to make the other two (you can't tell a potential father he needs to stay in poverty, and must follow the directions which may move him to a dangerous place or job). There is also probably something to the idea that the Catholic Church is less open to change than mainstream protestant sects because its clergy is has to make much more extreme lifestyle changes due to celibacy and thus keeps out more secular individuals--ending celibacy could open the floodgates to change.

Even today, there are non-celibate Catholic priests; for example, Ukranian Catholic priests can have wives, as long as they marry 'em before they become priests. My wife's family's Catholic church has a priest who is married, and is presumably not celibate.   

Priestly celibacy is only required for the Latin Rite within the Catholic Church. They are the majority, but certainly not all, of the Church; it isn't a doctine of faith binding on Catholics per se. 

[alfred russel]

Even today, there are non-celibate Catholic priests; for example, Ukranian Catholic priests can have wives, as long as they marry 'em before they become priests. My wife's family's Catholic church has a priest who is married, and is presumably not celibate.   

Priestly celibacy is only required for the Latin Rite within the Catholic Church. They are the majority, but certainly not all, of the Church; it isn't a doctine of faith binding on Catholics per se.

I realize this, and while doctrinally it may not be a huge change, for priestly culture that is currently celibate it would be a tsunami and would have a huge impact on the type of people entering the priesthood.

[Razgovory]

Which might be good.

[grumbler]

I realize this, and while doctrinally it may not be a huge change, for priestly culture that is currently celibate it would be a tsunami and would have a huge impact on the type of people entering the priesthood.

Possible, but not likely, as the priestly culture today is not completely celibate, and the introduction of non-celibate priests appears to have created no problems at all.  I would argue that a bigger impact than the loss of celibate culture would be the re-introduction of parish priests - the catholic clergy would no longer be moving from church to church to cover all of the parishes which the shortage of priests will not permit to have a permanently assigned priest.

[viper37]

Priestly celibacy is only required for the Latin Rite within the Catholic Church. They are the majority, but certainly not all, of the Church; it isn't a doctine of faith binding on Catholics per se. 

no, they have the same rules in the Latin Rite.  But it's not advertized.

[garbon]

Took you long enough.  However you're getting old for the endless hot sex that is our prerogative. 

Only if he was seeking to have sex with a child. I think you would be hard pressed to tell individuals 35+ in SF that they were getting old for endless hot sex.

[Malthus]

Priestly celibacy is only required for the Latin Rite within the Catholic Church. They are the majority, but certainly not all, of the Church; it isn't a doctine of faith binding on Catholics per se. 

no, they have the same rules in the Latin Rite.  But it's not advertized.

I never knew that. Only married Catholic priests I know are Ukranian. But then, I don't know many priests.

[garbon]

I don't know many priests.

Shame on you.

[Rex Francorum]

What kind of person would want to live a life of perpetual celibacy?

Me 

Half-joking.

[dps]

It wouldn't be unprecedented, but it would be a tremendous change--if you think of the three vows of celibacy, obediance, and poverty that many priests make--once you remove chastity it becomes hard to make the other two (you can't tell a potential father he needs to stay in poverty, and must follow the directions which may move him to a dangerous place or job).

I can see the problem with forciing a man with a family to take a vow of property, but not so much the vow of obediance.  Soldiers take a vow to obey orders, and those orders can definately take them to dangerous places, yet that doesn't stop married men from joining the Army.

Empty seminaries have been deeply troubling Rome for a long time too.

If the Catholic Church were to do away with clerical celebacy, I think it would have more to do with this than with the molestation scandal.

[Capetan Mihali]

What kind of person would want to live a life of perpetual celibacy?

Me 

Half-joking.

Rex! 

[Rex Francorum]

What kind of person would want to live a life of perpetual celibacy?

Me 

Half-joking.

Rex! 

[dps]

For a conservative like Pope Benedict, you are putting the future of the church into the hands of a future clergy that is likely going to be much more socially progressive.

Is there any actual evidence that a non-celibate clergy would, in fact, likely be more socially progressive?  That would be my gut instinct, but OTOH, the Southern Baptist clergy isn't celibate, but isn't exactly socially progressive either.