Some facts about CELIBACY

Some facts about CELIBACY

by Bishop Ralph Napierski




The term 'Celibacy' is especially used in the Roman-Catholic Church. Celibacy is mentioned in church law as a pre-step for ordination as a deacon in Canon 277 of the church law book CODEX IURIS CANONICI: There it is said that celibacy is a voluntary choice rather than a formally enforced obligation.
This preliminary step is a precondition for the priesthood, for the ordination as a priest but it is not used in all rites of the Roman- Catholic Church. For example, the Eastern-Orthodox churches that are in union with Rome do not have obligatory celibacy.

There are also married Roman-Catholic priests, if in rather rare exceptional circumstances, in the Latin rite: If former Protestant or Anglican clergy do convert to Roman-Catholicism, who are married.

In the Anglican-Catholic/Anglo-Catholic Church it is also completely normal that even bishops have a wife and a family.

In fact the bible says this on celibacy:

1. Timothy, 3

3:1 This [is] a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

3:8 Likewise [must] the deacons [be] grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being [found] blameless.

3:11 Even so [must their] wives [be] grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

3:13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

3:14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:

3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.



This is a clear statement of St Paul and does not require any further verification as it is the living word.
But it brings us to the question, why is it then that so many bishops do not have a wife and a family, where it is so expressly recommended in the bible?

In principle, celibacy is a spiritual gift that might be given to some in order to fulfill their holy purpose on earth through single-minded service to God as an individual.
But this gift is not, what God wanted as the norm - it is rather an exceptional gift.

St Paul says clearly in 1. Cor 7, 1-9:

1 Corinthians 7 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)


1 Corinthians 7

1Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

3Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

4The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.

5Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

6But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.

7For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.

8I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I.

9But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.



It is therefore a very grave mistake and a violation against God, if people are forced into celibacy, who clearly do not have received this gift of God.

Many priests suffer from this enforced obligation and are not surprisingly struggling with temptation and with the consequences of giving in to temptation.

The solution to this - man-made - dilemma is not the condemnation of the gift of sexuality but rather the opposite. The bible states:

9But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

It is therefore of utmost importance that priests, who do not have received the gift of celibacy because they are meant to have a family in this life and to serve God also in holy matrimony, do have the choice to marry.

We are delighted to hear from Bishop Robert Zollitsch, the new Chairman of the German Conference of Bishops, declared after his recent election that 'celibacy is not theologically necessary'.

There is still a lot of education and information to do, until eventually the word of God will come alive again in this matter, too, and bring freedom of choice to those amongst the clergy, who suffer from imposed celibacy - which is the majority of priests and bishops.

This will also lead to the natural return to the beautiful and joyful mysteries of sexuality in the innocence accordingly to God's plan, which is the true liberation and freedom, of which every soul craves and every heart dreams.

xxxx












Some thoughts on Celibacy

by Mother Superior Sigrid Agocsi











St Paul was also warning that the view on marriage would be twisted before Christ's return. We are trying to heal rifts on various levels and part of it is education and bringing light into a dead end-debate about such vital issues. Christ is love and understanding and, celibacy is a beautiful supernatural gift from God that He bestows upon those, who have been chosen by God to serve Our Lord and King Jesus Christ single-mindedly in this way.
It needs to be pointed out though that it is a matter between God and the priest and bishop as it was always also in Christ's time, and it is also a matter between God and two souls,when He joins together in holy matrimony, whom He wants to serve Him and His church in this way.

Christ sacrificed Himself to end all rifts and wars and evil through love and understanding and wanted all the tribes of Israel to serve the One God by living El Shaddai's truth, which is to respect one another and is the highest form of love. It is necessary to live the truth that God wants us to live, not one that is enforced by man and made by man, and the decision of celibacy started to be imposed in a time that was not entirely pure in motives but was twisting God's law also.

There has come the time to speak on behalf of those, who have been chosen as servants of God and feel they are not allowed to serve God by also grounding themselves in the tiniest cell of God's kingdom and that of every nation - the family.
It would be very sad indeed, if God's law that He made clear with His command also to Noah to start again in pairs, would be interpreted in the way that the holiness of a priest depends on demonising women and the family , the very nucleus of the heavenly kingdom on earth.



God's word is a living word and we need to start to live it and to lead by example in our own tiny nucleus, in our families, if we are ever to manifest the heavenly kingdom on earth, so that our love for our neighbours as for ourselves can cause ripples and inspire others, who do not yet know that Christ's truth is really that simple and the only solution.


'Love one another' is all Christ wants us to live - and serve God by being shining examples of His Infinite light with all the spiritual gifts that He bestows upon us. One of it is the beautiful spiritual and 'supernatural' gift of celibacy but another equally valid and beautiful gift is that of the family, which is sadly often being ignored these days. And that has been a living truth until the God-given gifts have been taken under control and handed out by man...and therefore were removed from the holy truth.