Marriage of Catholic Priests Essay

Church consent was key in allowing marriages to take place. Marriage was only permitted by the Church as they saw it as having been created by God as a ‘cure for lust’ which ‘regulated the sexual impulses’ and legitimated procreation. Whilst the view that sex was a social problem was prevalent, popular opinion within the Church and among the

companion. This at last is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. She

A second circumstance is that a Calvinist pastor, like any other Protestant priest, could marry, that this is not an outright obligation of celibacy, as established by the Catholic Church for priests, and even more after the Council of Trent, whose sessions were completed in December 1563. Naturally, a Calvinist pastor and any other Protestant could not have sex outside of marriage, even though the two authentic sacraments finally are admitted by Martin Luther baptism and the Eucharist. These relationships, in such circumstances themselves, were a grave sin, especially among the Puritans and other confessions of a similar nature and the deep consciousness of sin that will take hold of both lovers. Also, it highlights, it is that although celibacy only applied to Catholic priests, however, intolerance within Protestant denominations around these issues extramarital sexual contact was much greater, then also that which it was common in the Church of

Growing up as a Catholic I was educated in the spirit of living a pure life, learning many aspects about what I should not do. My parents and the entire Catholic community in which I grew up praised a restrictive life, wherein most of the pleasures in life were forbidden. Sex has been always a taboo subject for Catholics. My parents taught me that sexual relationships are only allowed after marriage. People who were known to be engaged in sexual relationships without being married were regarded as sinners and they were not respected within our community. Being raised in this spirit of considering sexuality a sin, I had become to despise the idea of sex, considering it impure and vulgar. As a child I could not imagine myself ever being married and desiring to be involved in sexual relationships, because I was inculcated with the idea that sexuality is

of celibacy. A Boston congregation even expelled one of it’s members because he hadn’t had sex with his wife

The most important recurring issues in the study of the history of Christianity during our time period is sexual abuse amongst the Catholic Clergy and abortion, the killing of a living entity, as it is a sin against God according to biblical doctrine. Many believe that sexual abuse happening in the Catholic Church, is directly related to celibacy. The Churches restriction on priests that directs them to abstain from sexual relations. This issue has been debated since the reformation in which Martin Luther and other reformers opposed celibacy. They based their argument against celibacy on the bible scripture, namely Genesis 1:28, where God wanted people to “be fruitful and multiply”. There is nothing in the bible that directly mentions celibacy. There are many versions that mention fornication and uncleanliness and the interpretation of the Catholic Church seems to have made this deduction based on those scriptures. The other major issue that is common in most of the world’s religions is abortion; the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Protestant Church still adopt the early church’s belief to oppose the practice of abortion. Abortion is considered murder and a mortal sin in accordance which many versus in the bible as it relates to each of these faiths. Even between the Old Testament, where the law or Tora refers to the 10 commandments, where Exodus 20:13 states “Thou shall not Murder” and

Tested in Every Way: the Catholic Priesthood in Today’s Church, written by Christopher Ruddy, is a report and at the same time a reflection on the Seventh Annual Cardinal Bernardin Conference which was held in the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX in 2003 . Ruddy reports the voices of academic and pastoral expertise sharing about the challenges and the identity of being a priest. Besides of giving a report, the book opens up and finishes with the Ruddy’s insightful reflections.

Of course, it goes without saying that the pastor’s marriage should portrait the sanctimonious character of holy matrimony and family relationships.

The Catholic Church has encountered many changes within the last several decades as it has worked to bring itself into the modern era. With the introduction of the newest pope, Pope Francis who has been very outspoken on certain topics that have traditionally not been discussed so openly. Some of these topics include things like gay marriage, abortion and birth control. These are topics that have been shown to be expressed as important by the younger generations as being one of the biggest factors for a more secular lifestyle for those who were initially raised in the Catholic Church. “Young Catholic America: Emerging Adults in, Out of, and Gone from the Church” claims that there are seven factors that have played into how those emerging into adulthood have changed over the last several decades.

As new generations form and new traditions are being exposed many are questioning if gay marriage, divorce, or even remarriage is what is making people question about being catholic. In an article called “What is a Catholic Family” written by Peter Manseau states:

It was also familiar for members of clergy to buy their positions in order to obtain power and wealth. Priests were also known for visiting taverns, gambling, and having orgies with quarrels and blasphemy. (Arnold, 1999) From the Early Middle Ages, through the reign of Charlemagne, the church accentuated the importance of clerical celibacy, however by Carolingian times, it became apparent that clerical celibacy would be impossible to enforce. The church disclosed that not all

Also, the Church excludes all forms of premarital actions, which occurs either before, during or after sexual intercourse, which specifically is expected to prevent procreation, ‘whether as an end or as a means’.

There are many cultures around the world that do not expect clergy celibacy (Daly, 2009) including Christian denominations who allow ministers/priests to marry. These Churches demonstrate how marriage is compatible with the priestly life. These churches present a great example of how familial responsibilities are compatible with religious commitments. A study of married Evangelical ministers and Roman Catholic priests revealed that there were no significant differences in dimensions of religiosity or commitments to the parish between the celibate and married clergymen (Swenson, 1998). Both are

The purpose of this brief is to provide you with an overview of how the Catholic Church view women being ordained in the church. The views are based on the traditional and doctrinal references that the Catholic religion is based on. The views are from various resources such as the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican, Pope John Paul II, and the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI. The views described in this brief are based on the traditions of old and their refusal to change the traditions to fit for the twentieth century.

In “Amoris Laetitia” (”The Joy of Love”), an apostolic exhortation that does not change Roman Catholic doctrine, Pope Francis urged priests and bishops to treat homosexuals, single parents, and divorcées with understanding and respect and to avoid “reductive” approaches based on simple moral rules, which had led to many such Catholics feeling excluded or condemned. While suggesting that remarried divorcées (whose marriages had not been annulled) could be permitted to receive communion through guidance from a priest, Francis did not lift their formal exclusion from the sacrament. Francis also reaffirmed the church’s traditional rejection of contraception and same-sex unions. Two years in the making, “Amoris Laetitia” drew upon heated debates