Given the latest Catholic Church scandal… is it time to rethink the vow of celibacy?
Senior Church figures in Germany meanwhile called for priestly celibacy to be reviewed, a tradition Benedict defended on Friday as a “the sign of full devotion” and of an “entire commitment to the Lord”.
The Church “should reflect on whether there are . . . conditions that favour abuse,” the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily cited ZdK head Alois Glueck as saying, citing loosening celibacy regulations as “one way”.
I agree with both statements. Celibacy should be reviewed and there are conditions that favor abuse. First, the vow of celibacy immediately rules out a lot of people for priesthood by demanding the repression of one the strongest natural drives. And given the fact that only men can be priests it also strikes me as an insult to women – as if marrying or having sex with women was somehow unholy and unworthy.
As far as the “conditions that favor abuse” point I completely agree because when a priest breaks the vow of celibacy he cannot openly break it. Immediately, it becomes an act of secrecy. And control, because silence is necessary. Add to that an institution that has moved heaven and earth to cover up the sins of their priests and you achieve favorable conditions, even a safe haven for predators.
Now, I am not trying to paint all priests with the same brush (that’s not fair), but there’s no denying that the Catholic Church has a big problem – a problem that their leaders have gone out of their way to cover up rather than address. It’s pretty bad when the words “pedophile priest” go together with the same ease of “pit-bull attack.” Perhaps removing the celibacy requirement would be a good first step. And while I don’t believe celibacy leads to pedophilia I do believe the rule is so broad that it forces all infractions underground and into the shadows… where not only can’t they be discussed, but they must be covered up.
I struggled with this post mainly because the vow of celibacy cover all sexual acts – which I believe is one of the main problems. The vow of celibacy is as expansive as it is restrictive.
Note: I am not bashing anyone’s religion, nor am I promoting celibacy as the cure-all. I don’t have all the answers on this question. I only know something is not working.