Many see the celibacy imposed by the Roman Catholic Church on bishops and priests as the cause of the perversities committed over the centuries, for example in certain convents, or towards minors. The press has brought to the fore several scandals that have been established today, and people are wondering about the consequences of the celibacy rule.
But who imposed this rule? Not God, in fact the Bible says:
" The BISHOP be blameless, husband of one wife " (1 Timothy 3: 2).
" Marriage be held in honor of all " (Hebrews 13: 4).
Not only that, the very Word of God states that only preachers of false doctrines will prohibit marriage:
" But the Spirit explicitly says that in future times some will apostatize from the faith, paying heed to seductive spirits and the doctrines of demons, misled by the hypocrisy of liars , branded in their conscience. They will forbid marriage and order to refrain from foods that God created ... " (1 Timothy 4: 1-3).
It is true that the apostle Paul advised those who wish to dedicate themselves fully to Christ to remain celibate, but he did not at all impose celibacy as an obligatory condition (1 Corinthians 7: 9), as the Catholic Church did arbitrarily. Rather, he advised: "to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife" (1 Corinthians 7: 2, cf. Matt. 19:11).
The same apostle Peter, on which the Catholic Church claims to be founded, was married (in Matthew 8:14 for example we read of his mother-in-law's healing), and like him the other apostles were married (1 Corinthians 9: 5), with the exception of Paul and Barnabas . Yet the apostles were holy men because they sanctified themselves in the fear of God and gave no cause for scandal in anything. Being married and having relationships with your wife does not mean that you are not in a position to serve God!
Furthermore, the apostle Paul wrote to Titus that the elder (ie the bishop) as well as being the husband of a single wife, to be hired in this office, must also be just, holy, and temperate; this means that even if married, the bishop can certainly have these qualities.
Even the theologians of the early centuries (whom the Catholic Church defines as the "fathers" of the church) were of this opinion. John Chrysostom (344-407 AD) stated: " St. Paul wrote to stop the mouth of heretics who condemn marriage, and to show that marriage is not only innocent, but also so honorable that with it one can become bishop " (Chrysostom, Hom. II, in Ep. Tit. chap. II).
All of this clearly demonstrates that clergy celibacy is not a commandment of God. It was imposed by some Catholic synods (Elvira, Orange, Arles, Agde, Toledo) and by the Lateran Council of 1139. It was a wrong decision because obviously many priests and nuns are unable to live their whole life in total sexual abstinence, and this leads them to seek other types of relationships that are more or less hidden but in any case illicit and sometimes widespread in certain environments (convents, seminaries).
God views unmarried relationships as extremely serious sin (1 Corinthians 6: 9-10,18; Acts 15: 28-29; Revelation 21: 8), and condemns those who cause scandal (Matthew 18: 7; Luke 17: 2). Those priests who cannot resist the rule that the papacy imposes on them, thus fall into sexual sins and have a more severe condemnation from God and scandalize many.
We are not saying that all priests and pastors must marry, but that marrying or not must be a personal and free decision, in accordance with the teaching of the Bible.
HOW THE CATHOLIC CELIBATE ARRIVED
Let's trace a brief history of the main stages that led to the imposition of celibacy for priests and members of the "consecrated life" (monks, etc.), following what the Historical Dictionary of Christianity and Christianity from A to Z, of the Pauline editions (C. Andresen - G. Denzler, 1992; P. Petrosillo, 1995).
- Ascetic and dualistic currents meant that in the past celibacy generally enjoyed greater esteem than marriage.
- Although there was no direct and obvious reference to the priest's ministry or life - quite the opposite (pastoral letters) - it was soon considered an unwritten law that a celibate priest, once consecrated, could no longer marry, under penalty of abandonment. of the ministry.
- In the fourth century. attempts were intensified, even with canonical definitions, to oblige legitimately married clerics (from sub-deacon to bishop) to abstinence from marriage.
- The Council of Nicaea (325) rejected this request, while some Western synods pronounced themselves for a similar legislation. Since the 5th century, several synods have requested a promise of abstinence from both celibate and married candidates.
- In the West, the discipline of abstinence for clerics, despite numerous infractions and abuses, was maintained and indeed continuously tightened. Especially the reforming popes of the eleventh century. the concubinaries and their concubines fought.
- Councils I and II of the Lateran (1123 and 1139) took other severe measures, declaring the reception of the major degrees of the order a decisive impediment to marriage (that is: first if a priest married, the marriage was valid, but he had to withdraw from the ministry; then the marriage of a priest became invalid - that is, it was not even considered marriage - and excommunication followed; any children were considered illegitimate).
- During the Middle Ages but also after the Council of Trent (XVI century) and until today, the law of celibacy remains unchanged in the face of attacks by the reformers.
- Paul VI (1963-78) granted the possibility of contracting religious marriage, after reduction to the lay state.
- The possibility that the law of celibacy could be abolished in part or completely was canceled by Paul VI's encyclical Sacerdotalis caelibatus (1967). [Paul VI in the same encyclical, at n. 5, says: "The New Testament, in which the doctrine of Christ and the Apostles is preserved, does not require the celibacy of the sacred ministers. Jesus himself did not place this prejudice in the choice of the Twelve, like the Apostles for those who they were in charge of the first Christian communities "].
- John Paul II was opposed to any change in this regard from the beginning.
The aforementioned Dictionary recalls, very appropriately, the so-called "pastoral letters", that is, those of the apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus. Let's read some passages from these letters of the New Testament (written Word of God) and compare them with what we saw above:
- 1 Timothy 3: 2.4: Â «The bishop must be blameless, husband of one wife, sober, sensible, prudent, hospitable, capable of teaching ... that he governs his family well and keeps his children in submission with every decorum ; for if someone does not know how to govern his own family, how can he take care of the house of God? ».
- Titus 1,6: "Let each of them [the bishops] be blameless, husband of one wife, and have faithful children ...".
- 1 Timothy 4,1-3: Â «Now the Spirit expressly says that in the last times some will apostatize from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, for the hypocrisy of lying men, branded in their conscience, which they will forbid marriage and they will impose to abstain from foods that God has created ... Â ».
MONACHISM
Catholic theologians teach that it is good and worthwhile to isolate oneself from the world to give oneself to the monastic life. By monasticism we mean the ascetic life in common or cenobitic life born in the East in the fourth century which spread almost simultaneously also in the West. Initially, monasticism was poorly organized, but with Benedict of Nursia it received a very specific rule, the so-called rule of Benedictwhich contributed greatly to the development of both male and female monasticism. Benedict himself built a monastery in Montecassino around 529. According to Urban II, "the venerable institution of the monastic Order sprang from this mountain almost from a heavenly source". In the Middle Ages this mountain even came to be compared to Mount Sinai. As regards the rule of Benedict of Norcia, it says that the monk must renounce all private material good, remain chaste and live in the deepest personal poverty; his daily activities are prayer, reading and work.
But monasticism is not a biblical teaching. Believers, according to the Lord's teaching, are not called to lead the life of hermits, in the desert or on a mountain, far from people, but are instead called to live among men, as "children of God without blame in in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world ".
Jesus reiterated this when he said to his followers: "You are the light of the world; a city placed on a mountain cannot remain hidden, and a lamp is not lit to put it under a bushel; rather it is placed on the candlestick and it sheds light. to all who are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven "(Matt. 5: 14-16).
Jesus himself who was the light of the world lived among the people of this world, his ministry did not fulfill it in a corner, but publicly in the midst of sinners. He ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners, he taught in the streets, in the squares, in the mountains, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, in the synagogues and in the temple which were the places where the Jews gathered to hear the law and the prophets. Someone will say that Jesus too withdrew on the mountain with his disciples, and withdrew to deserted places. It is true, but it is also true that he did not stay there all his life as do the cloistered monks or nuns. He withdrew away from the crowd to pray (Luke 5:16, Matthew 14:23), but shortly thereafter he returned to the towns and cities to preach the gospel and heal those in need of healing. We too have the duty to remain among the people who do not know the Lord to testify to him the Gospel of God in word and deed. What is the use of the lamp if after being lit it is placed under the bed? Nothing. Likewise, what good will the people of the world have if Christ's disciples take refuge in some remote place on earth to live as hermits? Nobody.
Let us also remember that both in the monasteries of the monks and in the convents of the nuns, the fact that they are obliged to renounce to marry feeds both fornication and sodomy. This is one of the dire consequences of monasticism. All this teaches us that whenever the Word of God is violated and human precepts are established in its place, the fruits cannot but be harmful.
(this paragraph is taken from a paper by G. Butindaro)
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