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Robert Barron | – Bishop Barron on Priestly Celibacy

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Robert Barron
By Bishop Robert Barron
45 Comments

Everything in this world—including sex, family, and worldly relationships—is good, but not ultimate. This is why, the Church is convinced, God chooses certain people to be celibate: in order to witness to a transcendent form of love.

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About The Author

Bishop Robert Barron These are brief and insightful commentaries on faith and culture by Catholic theologian and author Bishop Robert Barron. The videos complement his weekly sermons posted and podcasted at WordOnFire.org.

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  2. Reading City of God right now. Augustine said that lust is a result of Original sin, and not sex is a result. And also there the act within marriage as possibly being a venial sin because lust is possible. But God can conform our wills to be rightly ordered over time to where we can actually love a person with a pure heart. Celibacy and marriage yes are both beautiful. Thanks Bishop.

  3. 'Biblical metaphysics' says the apologist.
    -Celibacy is a convenient way of avoiding the hassle of sham marriages.
    "… estimates of homosexual priests run as high as 50%… study the next year by the Kansas City Star found the AIDS-related death rate among priests was "more than six times" the rate among the general population in the 14 states studied…"
    -Do they think we're stupid?? They DEPEND on it.

  4. 1 Timothy 4:1-4 New International Version (NIV)

    4 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

  5. Everything God made is good. God made men and women sexual beings. It is virtually impossible to suppress this God given gift. Which is why there are thousands of children of Priests, and thousands of children being abused but sexually frustrated priests and nuns. The problem in the Catholic Church is that the priests are not celibate. The Church is fooling no one, celibacy is a joke be honest, the opposite of honesty is hypocrisy. The psychological and physical pain caused to children of priests is a crime. They say they love God but deny their own children. Not good

  6. On Priest Celibacy

    IN THE BEGINNING:

    In the beginning all priests were allow to marry and all churches were created equal. And it is to be remember that the Archbishop of Rome – the Pope in Rome – only had supremacy among the Archbishops and Bishops in the Western Christendom, the area roughly united under the rule of Carolus Magnus (Charlemagne), who was crowned as the Holy Roman Empire by the Patriarch of Rome (now we call the Pope) in the year 800 AD. Before this time, all Patriarchs (or Archbishops) had equal standing in the hierarchy of the church, AND ALL priests were allowed to marry. Only monks (living monastic lives) were supposed to be celibate.

    THE GREAT SCHISM OF 1054:

    Also called the East–West Schism. It was the break of Communion between what are now the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Catholic Churches over Financial, Political and Theological matter. The Theological matter was very obscure because it sprung out from the different languages used in respective churches. Latin for the Roman Catholic, and Greek for the Eastern Orthodox. The Financial aspect because Rome and Constantinople, wanted all the tithe (church incomes) from these two separate regions to flow into their own coffers, respectively. This schism was finalised when Pope Leo XIV in Rome demanded that all Greek churches in southern Italy to close or to conform to Latin practices. In retaliation, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Michael I Cerularius ordered the closure of all Latin churches in Constantinople. The Political aspect was concerning the “Battle of Civitate in 1053”, Pope Leo XIV’s war against the Normans in Southern Italy, which at that time was under the Jurisdiction of the Eastern Roman Empire, with the Greek Orthodox Catholic as their official church. The Norman won, and in a very short term allied themselves with their local spiritual leader, the Pope in Rome, the person with which they just had a war with. The Patriarch of Constantinople lost their last foothold in the Western Christendom, of which since around 500 AD, under Emperor Justinian, had been concentrated in Ravenna. The Patriarch of Constantinople was pissed. Adding insult to injury, The Pope sent an emissary to Constantinople showing the “Donation Letter” given to the Archbishop of Rome about 600 years earlier by Constantine I, outlining that the area of Southern Italy had been given to the Pope, the Archbishop of Rome. The authenticity of this document was questionable. In a very short period after Pope Leo XIV’s death, Rome and Constantinople excommunicated each other. —————

    WHEN PRIESTLY CELIBACY STARTED GAINING TRACK IN ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH:

    Pope Leo XIV was also the Roman Prelate (of Germanic Origin) who started to forbid the Roman Catholic Priests to marry, formalised in synod took place in 1049. Before that time, ALL Roman Catholic priests, just like Eastern Catholic Orthodox priests, could marry. The reason of Pope Leo XIV’s decision was land holding. He wanted to make sure that Church properties and land holdings were not divided among the offsprings of the priests, or worst, offsprings of the Bishops. Can we imagine how much poorer the Roman Catholic Church if the Cluniac Orders – the recipient of a vast sum of endowment from William, the Duke of Aquitaine in 910 – had his land holding divided by successive Bishops? This was especially true because the Roman Catholic Church wanted to be independant of any Political (and temporal) entity. The Roman Pope didn’t want a situation where the Patriarchy was beholden to a certain Emperor or ruler, like the Patriarch of Antioch and Constantinople under the influence of the Byzantine Emperors. That was the real reason. —————-

    What you offer here is merely a justification, clouded in theological excuses. Not the real reason.

  9. Celibacy is a personal path, not an outward show. If being celibate is more beneficial in serving the Lord?

    That's your personal choice. No one shouldn't even know that you've taken any oath of celibacy, there shouldn't be one. That your prerogative.

    Don't please man in your actions, don't let them glory in your flesh unless you're a man pleaser.

  11. If only more priests were celebate rather than pretending to be. Children would be safed for a start.
    Up to 80% of priests in the Vatican are probably gay and living in a sexual time bomb 'closet' environment , then no surprise when many are far from celebate.

  13. I do see his point that some should be celibate to witness to this ultimate experience of divine love. The problem is that his explanations contradict one another. He rightly said that God created sex,marriage, family and that it is "good", but then he went on to explain how that if a celibate Priest were to marry it would border on "idolatry" – this idea of making the creature into an object of worship. Is he implying (unintentionally) that a married couple are idolaters or almost idolaters?…. Surely being married does not detach the couple from a personal experience of divine love. The married couple both should first have this personal experience with Christ before entering into marriage – this is how one would benefit the other in a variety of ways.
    The bottom line is that the Bible does not have this prohibition. Even in the Old testament God did NOT command celibacy for the Levite Priesthood.

  16. Semen retention (to put it plainly) is powerful not only for priests but for young men looking to hear Christ’s voice. Our posture (biology) should match our spiritual intention. When we fast and move away from things tied to our human imperfection we can ascend closer to God.

  19. You to to great lengths to detach sexuality from spirituality, and you do it without an iota of experience, apparently, in the sexual realm; unless you, like Paul, perhaps, got burned sometime as a young man and decided you were going to spare yourself the anguish and heartache of the sexual battleground. Is it a distraction? Yes, if you're human. If you are like Paul claimed to be, and you say you are, you have transcended your humanity and become like God Himself, Whom you claim is too high for such things as sexual desire and sexual fulfillment. You omit God's first word to the human race: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth." You presume to know that God had a higher meaning in all of this, that He was merely ALLOWING man–before the Fall–to be human, and of course the Church still teaches or at least insinuates that sex–with the Devil–is what caused the Fall, that Adam and Eve were too "childlike" before this to experience lust; yet any first-year medical student can prove to you that babies in the womb experience lust–if you can equate an erection with lust. You sweep all this under the table, Father Barron, and I think you do it at your own peril and the peril of your flock. "By thy words shalt thou be justified," Jesus said, "and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." If our words don't match up with the Word of God–I don't what the Catholics or anybody else teach–you're asking for trouble. And it looks like you've got it. You're part of an institution–and not just part of it, but one of its chief defenders–that is rotten to the core sexually; that is, if sodomy and sodomites are asking for the same trouble that the original sodomites asked for.

  20. 1 Timothy 4
    The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

  22. I can respect this way of life. In fact, I wish I could have it here on Earth and be in complete communion with God's love. Problem is, I'm absolutely obsessed with the idea of having a wife. I want both earthly AND heavenly love in this life. I'm really stuck, because I feel like there's this calling to serve God as a priest or pastor, but I won't allow myself God's love until I finally get in a relationship, which has never happened for me in my life. This is why Lutheranism is so attractive to me as it is Reformed Catholicism and where celibacy is not required. But I really believe in Eucharistic Presence. Well, so do the Lutherans, just not as Body and Blood. So maybe I'm best to look into being a Lutheran pastor instead of a Catholic priest? I've always had issues with Catholicism but now really see its beauty. But due to demands I put on myself as well as alternative beliefs, I cannot serve as a priest.

  28. While the reasoning is articulate, perhaps it’s a tad bit over complicated. The inspired word of God at 1 Timothy 4:1-3 clearly states its stand on celibacy in the Christian congregation. Of course it’s a personal decision, each one has their own right to choose celibacy or not but should it be a requirement for those “taking the lead” in the church ? The answer from God’s word is clear, no it shouldn’t.

  31. My Church practices voluntary celibacy or marriage. There is no need to justify that as Scripture is clear on that. The Roman Catholic Church is just trying to justify a 1000 year mistake by Gregory VII which has never worked well for souls involved. Lots of money made but the human and spiritual cost proves its not worth it.

  32. Bishop Baron has spoken – or attempted to speak – relatively much. Commendable that far.
    But regret to say, HIS ARGUMENT FOR CLIBACY and its intrinsic link with p/hood, in my view, HE HASN'T REALLY HIT ON THE COGENCY of & FOR PRIESTLY CELIBACY AS SUCH. He touched on the concept, but DID NOT FATHOM MUCH, TO RATIONALLY, & REASONABLY CONVINCE ME!!

    He talked on the practicality and preferability of celibacy for p/hood: that it 'LIBERATES' a priest, to allow him the extensive FREEDOM TO EXERCISE HIS MINISTRY much better and more extensively than if he was ENCUMBERED WITH A FAMILY, that his call to extensive duties in all of their kind and nature as a priest, would get RESTRICTED, ENCUMBERED BY FAMILIAL RESPONSIBILITIES (prior and and above)

    Suggesting: Bishop Baron can STILL ADD A CHAPER 2, so to speak, and DWELL ON, EXPAND THE NEED AND INTRINSIC LINK BETWEEN CELIBACY AND P/HOOD.

  33. Celibate priesthood is an earthly witness to the realness of the power and love of God. Celibate priesthood enables priests to reach to the lowest people, selflessly and completely, without earthly concerns of time, money and duty of family.

  34. Priest should be allowed to get married. It’s not natural to be celibate. People need to be loved and touched. This reason alone attracts all the sick perverts to join the Catholic Church as priests. If God wanted people to be celibate, it would not have made humans with sexual urges.

  38. I don't believe priests are celibates. It shows youthfulness in one's face the effect of their discipline. Ive seen celibates and they look half their age. Your face denies your claims priest.
    There are nuns in the convent for the relief of the priest's lust.

  40. – Catholic Priest can't marry but catholic church support lgbt, that's perverted the words of the Bible
    – child molestation is at high in catholic since marrying is basic human need even apostles is married
    – catholic church is very materialistic, I change myself to an evangelistic church, I go into their small church and I feel more accepted in community because they way they act much better and they're more obeying the bible than catholic who make their own laws
    – vatican hold so many secret, why?
    – Catholic is on decline globally and most catholic nation is very atheist

  41. Please extend the exposition beyond scholastic to also include biblical basis of Priestly Celibacy from the OT & NT. The expositions by Dr. Brant Pitre & in the book by the St. Paul Center 'The OT Origins of Priestly Celibacy' presented biblical grounds. We need this balance of scholastic & biblical for the apologetics.

  43. Roman Catholic priests weren't always celibate, which belies the myth that it has always been Church Doctrine. It was enforced to ensure that the worldly goods of a deceased priest went not to a wife or relatives, but to the Church. Always follow the money.

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