Priestly celibacy best for everyone

By Msgr. Pedro Lopez-Gallo

There have now been many articles regarding the sanctity of marriage, its obligations and rights, and, most of all, how God has chosen the union of husband and wife to be an image and sign of His tender love for them, to the point that St. Paul reminds us that such love is like the love of Christ for His Church (Eph. 5:21-33). I feel that it is only fair that I speak also about priests who do not marry, knowing that they do so “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 19:12).

Priestly celibacy is not a deprivation or a renunciation. Rather, it is a disposition to be at total service to the Body of Christ, which is His Church. “The perfect and lifelong continence priests observe is a special gift of God by which sacred ministers can more easily remain close to Christ with an undivided heart, and can dedicate themselves more freely to the service of God and their neighbour” (canon 277, No. 1).

In the twilight of my life, after over 50 years in the priesthood, I am grateful to God for His most precious gift. I must confess, however, that I was hurt by a reader’s letter to The B.C. Catholic speaking about a converted Anglican minister who is married. It said, “I hope and pray that married priests will some day be a reality in the Roman Catholic Church.”

This reader, however, is not learned in Church matters, or she would know that married priests are already a reality in our sister churches of eastern rite.

While I thank the editor for the accurate answer he gave, let me explain the theological and disciplinary principles that govern the Catholic Church in this respect.

It is a perennial and constant tradition in the Church that “the salvation of souls is and always must be the supreme law.” An example of this was explained in my last article on the dissolution of marriage through the Privilege of the Faith, when one spouse converts to Christianity and the other “is unwilling to live with the baptized party or to live peacefully without offence to the Creator” (canon 1143, No. 2).

Pope Paul VI, considering that marriage is indissoluble by divine law, has permitted that in some instances Protestant ministers who have become Catholic may be ordained Catholic priests, keeping their wives “until death do them part,” but with serious restrictions. One limitation is that they cannot exercise “cura animarum,” the ministry of parochial service.

These priests are dispensed from being celibate. They must keep their home and their children; they cannot reside at parish rectories. They are worthy of admiration because their conversion was a courageous step, involving great sacrifice and self-abnegation, the fruit of prayer. It brought them to the recognition of the Holy Father as Supreme Pontiff, successor of Peter.

The Holy Father himself, in granting this favour, has stressed that in no way can this diminish or weaken the canonical obligation of priestly celibacy; nor can it give false hopes that this precious commitment will disappear. Indeed, the faithful cannot claim that this dispensation for converted ministers is a rupture in the sacred law, nor can they consider them heroes or pioneers of a possible new legislation against priestly celibacy.

The Holy Father posited another restriction: if they become widowers, they cannot remarry and must adapt to celibate lives.

It is therefore critical that we consider how our faith interprets celibacy. In doctrinal terms, celibacy is not a simple abstention from sex, from having a wife, or being childless. Jesus alludes to the theological connotations when He says to His astonished disciples that “not everyone can understand what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted” (Mt. 19:12).

This was the first invitation to perpetual continence, for those who would consecrate themselves entirely to the kingdom of God. Theology, canon law, liturgy, will have recourse to these words of Christ to proclaim that celibacy is God’s gift only “to those to whom it is granted.”

I realize that perpetual continence is not easily understood by many. Some blame celibacy for the atrocious crimes of pedophilia by clerics. This is the intriguing mystery: why Jesus would choose as His 12 disciples sinners who denied, betrayed, and abandoned Him.

For many, celibacy is a stigma; those without a supernatural perspective cannot understand its sublimity. There are people who abhor the celestial music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, and those who do not appreciate the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and Rembrandt.

It is a false compassion on the part of such people to pity priests who have the “burden” of celibacy. It is a burden, but one that is sustained by grace, and coupled with the immense joy of identification with Christ in priesthood and priestly service.

Celibacy is best for the priest himself; it is best for the faithful, and it is best for our Church. To focus attention on just one of these factors is an injustice to the other two.

Celibacy is meant to assist the Church in proclaiming the Gospel to her members, who are the Body of Christ, to make it possible that His kingdom come into our world. Celibacy is a charism in, and for, the Church.

Msgr. Lopez-Gallo’s columns are available in two volumes for $20 each from St. Andrew’s Church Supply, 305 W. 8 Ave. in Vancouver, toll-free 1-800-663-7161. Proceeds will go to Hogar de Nazareth Orphanage in Mexico, which he sponsors.