• Why do priests have to be celibate in the Roman Rite?
  • Celibacy is a treasure that is an integral part of the priesthood for Latin Rite Catholics.  It is a discipline that is required by the Church – the Church being God’s representatives on earth through whom the calling to the vocation of priesthood comes.  Celibacy is not meant to limit the freedom of the priest, but to truly provide for the ultimate flourishing of the priest’s freedom.  The priests celibacy truly enables him to be “a feather on the breath of God” (Archbishop Collins); to go wherever He sends you without the worry of having to uproot your whole family.  Imagine if you were the wife of a priest: would you not feel like your spouse had a divided heart – a heart that was only half yours?  Furthermore, a married priest could only do one third of the work that a celibate clergyman could do, due to the freedom from earthly dependants.  Lastly, we use the image of the priest marrying the Church.  In the same way that a man or woman can only have one spouse, so too can the priest only have one spouse – the Church.

 

• Isn’t celibacy against God’s command to be fruitful and multiply?
  • Celibacy is a discipline that is meant to provide for the flourishing of the priest.  On its surface celibacy may appear to be abnormal or against our nature and the very Word of God, however, a deeper look into the matter will reveal that celibacy is actually a beautiful gift.  First of all, celibacy is not against the command to be fruitful and multiply, as Jesus Himself advocates for it: “For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” (Matthew 19: 12)  Secondly, celibacy is not against our nature, because instead of denying our sexual nature, it sublimates it.  Sublimation is the lifting up of what is on the natural level to the supernatural level.  In plain talk, this means that it takes the desire for total self giving that is expressed in our sexuality, and expresses it in a different way – the very gift of the priest’s life for the sake of God’s people.  This lines up perfectly with the sacrificial nature of the priest’s calling: he is to give himself as Jesus gave Himself.  Furthermore, we see this in the priest’s ability to offer the sacrifice of Mass. Thus, celibacy is not unnatural, it is supernatural.  It is not against the Word of God, but in agreement with it.

Are priests lonely because of their celibacy?
There are many reasons why one can become lonely, but properly practiced celibacy is not one.  After all, a single person is not lonely, either, as he or she can still maintain a close circle of friends and partake in a great many social activities.  This also applies to the priesthood and religious life, and more so if you considering that a parish priest is a spiritual father to hundreds of parishioners. 

That being said, celibacy is not bachelorhood.  It requires a total gift of oneself to his or her vocation in order for it to be truly meaningful and proper.  It is a fact that celibates can sometimes be less than perfect in living that out, resulting in loneliness, but this does not equate to celibacy itself being the cause of loneliness. 

Theologically speaking, loneliness is a condition of human kind, expressed within Genesis, and even married people can feel it.  Our loneliness can only be satisfied when we are in full in communion with God in heaven, which as St. Augustine so beautifully puts it, “Our hearts are restless, until they rest in thee, O Lord.” 

 

Why is celibacy only emphasized for Latin-rite priests and not the Eastern rites?
This brings up a very important point: not all Catholic priests are celibate, as some priests of the Eastern-rite churches and converts from Anglicanism are indeed married.  Yet it is important to note that bishops (the fullness of the priesthood) within the Eastern rites are selected only from celibates.  So why does the Latin-rite church demand celibacy from its priests?

There are a number of reasons for maintaining the discipline of celibacy in the priesthood, but these can be narrowed down to the simple fact that the spouse of the priest is the Church. When Christ calls a man forward to become a priest, He calls the person in full, and that fullness is best expressed within an exclusive relationship with the Church.  This exclusiveness naturally lends itself to celibacy.

There are many other reasons, such as biblical directives and apostolic traditions.  However, the fundamental reason remains that priesthood requires a total gift of self, and that is best expressed through the celibate lifestyle.