Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry so that many do not tend to molest boys and girls?

Question

Other heads of different religious churches such as pastors and ministers are married and do not have a history of child molestations like the catholic priests have now. It only makes sense in my opinion to get married because they are human and neet to have a mate to have sex with besides the neighborhood alter boy or girl......

Answer 1

Correct me if I'm wrong, but celibacy came a few hundred years after the establishment of the church, and now the Roman Catholic Church decreed it and advocates it. One explanation for introducing celibacy that I came across associated it with inheritance laws, apparently, if priests were not married and had children their wealth would get transferred to the church, otherwise to their children. I don't have the scholarly background to evaluate the foregoing, perhaps others can add to it. But regarding molesting children, though we're likely to still get it, I think the number of such incidents would be less among married clergy.

Answer 2

You are passing untruths for the truth. Other denominations are just as guilty. The statistics are the same if not even a little worse for other denominations--an they can be married as you say. They are also now flagrantly pushing homosexuality with their clergy being in openly homosexual relationships. This is something the Catholic Church would not do.

Answer 3

actaully the pedipilia is rampant among fathers molesting their own children, aunts and uncles their neices and nephews and yes the other denominations. there is a site that has a large listing - i won't post it beucase personally i don't like to point out the "see they did it too" way of thinking however.... someone being married will not stop pediphilia - these people are sick and twisted and a sexual relatinship will not chnage that.

Answer 4

Obviously you do not know the stats, these child molesting Priest you speak of that are all over the news are in the minority, there are millions of good Priest that you never read about...

Answer 5

Marrying an adult has nothing to do with molesting boys and girls. I was married and never had any interest in molesting boys and girls. I am now divorced and still have no desire to molest boys or girls.

Homosexuality, heterosexuality, bisexuality, none of them has anything to do with child molestation. If you are a pedophile then you will want to molest children. If you are a homosexual pedophile then you will want to molest boys. If you are a heterosexual pedophile then you will want to molest girls. (Assuming you are male, of course). Bisexual, either boys or girls. The vast, vast, vast, vast majority of heterosexual, homosexuals and bisexuals are NOT pedophiles. They desire sexual relationships with adults.

Answer 6

no. Priests take a vow of celibacy. IF this was a direct result of celibacy, then why do married people also molest children? Priests make up a TINY number of child molesters, married or not.

Answer 7

Marriage won't stop anyone from molesting others..it's a sickness.
Men from every religion have molested boys and women also.

Answer 8

Married people molest children. Whats your excuse for them?

Answer 9

The basic premise of your question is false. It assumes that anyone who practices abstinence will molest children. only 6% of priests are involved with child molestation. While that is 6% too much, it is far too small to pin the source of the problem on priestly celibacy.

Yes, there are non-Catholic Christian ministers and pastors who do marry and raise families. However, you cannot justify one wrong by pointing to another wrong.

In addition, you claim that people need to have sex. This is incorrect. People need to eat, they need to sleep, but no one "needs" to have sex.

Although sex is needed for the procreation of the species, individual human beings are not required to have sex. Abstinence is not life-threatening. Starving oneself or depriving oneself of sleep is hazardous to ones health.

Understand something; in order to become a priest, a man must receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders. in doing so, they "marry" the Church. Ministering to the Church is a full-full-time job. If priests married, they would be required to divide their time - and possibly their loyalty - between the Church and their family. A priest cannot be as effective a minister.

Priestly celibacy is not dogma, but it is a discipline - a discipline based on biblical teaching.

Matt. 19:11-12 - Jesus says celibacy is a gift from God and whoever can bear it should bear it. Jesus praises and recommends celibacy for full-time ministers in the Church. Because celibacy is a gift from God, those who criticize the Church's practice of celibacy are criticizing God and this wonderful gift He bestows on His chosen ones.

Matt. 19:29 - Jesus says that whoever gives up children for the sake of His name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. Jesus praises celibacy when it is done for the sake of His kingdom.

Matt. 22:30 - Jesus explains that in heaven there are no marriages. To bring about Jesus' kingdom on earth, priests live the heavenly consecration to God by not taking a wife in marriage. This way, priests are able to focus exclusively on the spiritual family, and not have any additional pressures of the biological family (which is for the vocation of marriage). This also makes it easier for priests to be transferred to different parishes where they are most needed without having to worry about the impact of their transfer on wife and children.

1 Cor 7:1 – Paul teaches that it is well for a man not to touch a woman. This is the choice that the Catholic priests of the Roman rite freely make.

1 Cor. 7:7 - Paul also acknowledges that celibacy is a gift from God and wishes that all were celibate like he is.

1 Cor. 7:27 – Paul teaches men that they should not seek marriage. In Paul’s opinion, marriage introduces worldly temptations that can interfere with one’s relationship with God, specifically regarding those who will become full-time ministers in the Church.

1 Cor. 7:32-33, 38 - Paul recommends celibacy for full-time ministers in the Church so that they are able to focus entirely upon God and building up His kingdom. He “who refrains from marriage will do better.”

1 Tim. 3:2 - Paul instructs that bishops must be married only once. Many Protestants use this verse to prove that the Church's celibacy law is in error. But they are mistaken because this verse refers to bishops that were widowers. Paul is instructing that these widowers could not remarry. The verse also refers to those bishops who were currently married. They also could not remarry (in the Catholic Church's Eastern rite, priests are allowed to marry; celibacy is only a disciplinary rule for the clergy of the Roman rite). Therefore, this text has nothing to do with imposing a marriage requirement on becoming a bishop.

1 Tim. 4:3 - in this verse, Paul refers to deceitful doctrines that forbid marriage. Many non-Catholics also use this verse to impugn the Church's practice of celibacy. This is entirely misguided because the Catholic Church (unlike many Protestant churches) exalts marriage to a sacrament. In fact, marriage is elevated to a sacrament, but consecrated virginity is not. The Church declares marriage sacred, covenantal and lifegiving. Paul is referring to doctrines that forbid marriage and other goods when done outside the teaching of Christ and for a lessor good. Celibacy is an act of giving up one good (marriage and children) for a greater good (complete spiritual union with God).

1 Tim. 5:9-12 - Paul recommends that older widows take a pledge of celibacy. This was the beginning of women religious orders.

2 Tim. 2:3-4 - Paul instructs his bishop Timothy that no soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim his to satisfy the One who enlisted him. Paul is using an analogy to describe the role of the celibate priesthood in the Church.

Rev. 14:4 - unlike our sinful world of the flesh, in heaven, those consecrated to virginity are honored.

Isaiah 56:3-7 - the eunuchs who keep God's covenant will have a special place in the kingdom of heaven.

Jer. 16:1-4 - Jeremiah is told by God not to take a wife or have children.

To allow priests to marry, and bear children, goes against Biblical teaching. This in no way means Protestant ministers/pastors who also have families are bad minsters. It just means they have potential to be even better if they were to recognize priestly celibacy.

I am sure there are a number of prolific Protestant preachers out there, who are also family men. But far more clergymen would be adversely effected than positively.

Again, ther premise of your opinion is based on the the idea that celibacy really is the cause of the child sex abuse scandals. You have to prove this before the rest of your proposal can be taken seriously.

Answer 10

It is their homosexual tendancies, not their sexual tendencies that cause them to prey on boys. Otherwise they would prey on women. This is why homosexuality is wrong. It makes it so that children are not safe with either sex of adult.