Here is a link to an interesting article I came across about celibacy:
The National Catholic Reporter is left-wing, pushing progressive views. I am not surprised that they would be in favor of getting rid of Priestly celibacy.
If I had to bet, many of the Priests who are guilty of breaking the vow of celibacy are progressive Priests, but this is just a hunch.
Pray for our Priests, for they are under attack even more than we are.
Twice, the author quotes a former priest as saying that 50% (exactly half, eh?) of priests are not celibate and links it to priests sexually abusing children because of the celibacy requirement and says that priests and bishops “may be guilty themselves.” Why “may be” if he already knows it’s exactly 50%? And priests who abuse children would have made OK husbands and fathers if only they’d been allowed to marry? The Church has had a colossal problem with clergy sexual abuse, but the author presents no evidence that celibacy leads to child abuse and uses a suspiciously round number for lack of celibacy. Maybe it’s the author who is not celibate half the time.
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You make some excellent points here!
The author did not make up this number, however. A few months ago, an anti-Catholic gentleman was here on the forum referencing a study that America Magazine (also very left-wing Jesuit outlet) referenced. The wording of the study was a bit misleading though. It did not specifically say physical conduct, but could also imply a an emotional affair. I forget the wording it used, but I did not interpret the question asked of Priests to mean a sęxual relationship. So, I believe this study if flawed in many ways.
I also find it interesting that both National Catholic Reporter and America Magazine are promoting this study. Either they are trying to hold their Jesuit Priests accountable or they are trying to push for Priests to Marry, because they also support so-called same-sęx “marriage.”
Either way, there is something more deviant going on here.
One of the best articles that I have read about Priestly Celibacy was written by a Married Priest out of Texas. He was granted a dispensation when he converted from High Church Protestantism. He was Married with Children and ordained in the Anglican Church prior to becoming Catholic.
In both the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic Churches, Married men can become Priests, but if ordained a Priest, he cannot Marry. And no Married Priest can become a Bishop under these Christian traditions (if I recall correctly).
I work with a Protestant Pastor’s Wife and I get to hear how hard it is to be a Pastor of a flock, be a Husband, and put your two daughters through Med School! Pastor Tom works a full-time job, in addition to visiting the Hospital in the evenings, preparing the Sunday Sermon, and counseling struggling couples and troubled youth. St. Paul (celibate himself) wrote about how hard it is to be both a Husband and a Spiritual Father.
The only thing I could find from America was this article by James Martin (https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/beware-non-celibates-writing-about-celibacy) in which he criticized the former priest cited by the author of the other article. Martin said that the one who claimed that 50% of priests are not celibate based his conclusion on interviews with two priests. That is not a scientific survey and is not 50 per 100, which is what 50% means. If there was a survey of priests as to whether they are celibate, I would be interested to know the results, the sample of priests, what questions were asked, and their answers. Without such a source, I don’t buy the 50% claim.
A few years ago on my Editor’s Companion blog I wrote a post, “Round Suspects,” in which I related my research into statistics behind some claims involving suspiciously round claimed percentages.
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I’ll have to look for that study that that guy was referencing. He might have sent it to me in a Private Message, which I think is gone, because he either de-activated his account or blocked me. Let me do some looking.
Okay, you might be right. I can’t find where I saw it and all of our private messages between this individual and me are no longer in my inbox. I could be misremembering what he had said. Like you, I could find no such study. Thank you for looking into it and keeping me factually honest.