Catholic Priests Can now Marry!

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   Diane Insideposted 13 years ago

   Do you think that if Catholic Priests where now allowed to have a Relationship with another person, that would stop the pedophilia that is taking place in Catholic churches all over the country?

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      Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Another person of what gender?
      
      And no, probably not, either way.

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      Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Gotta reply again....
      
      The Catholic Church, from my understanding, was meant to have priests who were "eunuchs", if not physically at least Spiritually.   The system is corrupted by improper "vetting" of candidates for priesthood. (Well...actually, IMO, the system was never quite correct anyway, but....)
      
      To change the system would nullify the system.  I can't imagine the Catholic Church doing that.   But maybe they will....in order to even maintain a portion of their status in the world...
      
      
      I agree with Someway that being a pedophile has nothing to do with being married or not.  It has to do with them not using self-control, period.
      
      
      Allowing gay marriage would be a total mockery and subject the Church to total mockery, not to mention subject God's name to even more mockery than that ritualistic Church already does.
      
      And allowing priests to marry wives would, like I said, change the system and they might as well become a Protestant Church!   
      
      
      ...hey, not a bad idea on that last one!  They'd be one step closer to true Christianity...

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, I think it would, for two reasons.
      
      One, the sex drive is a natural human instinct and therefore repressing it is unnatural. All psychologists know that repressed feelings tend to express themselves in ways that are damaging to ourselves and others.
      
      Two, while the priesthood unquestionably attracts people who feel a true vocation, it's also bound to attract people who have sexual feelings which are unacceptable to society, because they think it gives them a safe haven, where there is no sex and therefore they can avoid confronting them. 
      
      Unfortunately, those feelings don't go away and the priest finds himself in a situation where it's possibly easier to satisfy them than if he'd stayed in secular life.

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         mythbusterposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         This is a great response! Thx Marisa Wright - well said!

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      Twenty One Daysposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      about time, there goes the convent!

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   5. 63

      ceciliabeltranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The idea of avoiding sexual union while serving G-d is from an esoteric thought that by avoiding having children of the flesh, you will have children of the spirit.
      
      you cannot become a good servant of the whole if you have the interest of the family in mind. It is forever in conflict.
      
      My father was a son of a priest, a catholic priest from a catholic sect that deviated from the vatican authority.
      
      Before my father died, he bitterly recounted how my grandfather refused a post as spiritual adviser to the army in 1950s because he didn't want to salute to the generals. That job would have spared my father from working as a shoe shine boy. But, oh well. My grandfather thought he only salutes to G-d. Which is great if you don't have 12 children to feed. But utterly foolish if you do.
      When my father grew up, he became a muslim and practically raised me Jewish...which come to think it was very very weird. Good thing we had a huge family of Catholics.

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      Kimberly Bunchposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No because they have a mental illness for liking children sexually. That's not going to change when they marry. Why would it? If they wanted sex with an adult, wouldn't they have went after that in the first place???

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         Ladybythelake55posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         pedophilacs don't like to have sex with grown women. They like to have it with innocent children. This way the ruin the child's life.

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      paarsurreyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hi friends
      
      I don't think that Pope has allowed Catholic priests to marry.
      
      Thanks
      
      I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim

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         Ladybythelake55posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         The Catholic Church allows men from the Epsicopal Church and The Church of England along with other Protestant Churches to become priests like the Orothodox Churches do. If a man is already married he may enter into the priesthood but if he is not he is not allow to marry after he has entered into the Priesthood. Pope John Paul The II started this practice due to a shortage of priests and an other Pastors that sought to become priests within the Catholic Church.

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      Ladybythelake55posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      pedophile is a mental disorder that is uncurable. No matter what a psychiatrist or psychologist does that person that does it to child needs to be locked up into prison and they key thrown away.
      I found out that a Minister from the United Methodist Church had been a pedophiliac for more than 20 years. No one knew until he committed suicide and that his wife found the box storing the pictures of the children he did sexual abuse too.

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      Dave Mathewsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I believe that this problem would never have started if priests were permitted to marry and have a family the same as ministers and pastors of other religions. The Catholic church brought this upon itself because it wrongfully thought that if a priest married, it would take away from the time he would spend with the parishoners.

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       brotheryochananposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       marriage has nothing to with little boys. The catholics have no special connection with the God of the bible especially when you claim that "they are above the scriptures" and 3/4 of their doctrines are opposite to the bible.
       These are carnal thinkers that have not the mind of christ and will play a huge part in the end times but not for the good side.
       
       marriage is the norm for apostles, pastors, evangelists, in fact it is good to have a wife if you serve god because she can back you up, if a young woman wants counselling and she comes to the male pastor, the pastor can bring his wife in with him or let her handle it. You don't want to be alone in a room with a woman who you don't know well because you don't know if she has a wrong motive.
       
       Odd how the holy See doesn't get revelations on time at all.

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          Valerie Fposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          No Catholic claims priests are "above the scriptures," and you won't find a Catholic doctrine that contradicts the Bible.
          
          Now considering that children are more likely to be abused by a family member than anyone else, allowing priests to marry will not solve the problem. The abuse of children hasn't been eliminated in Protestant denominations, in Scouting, in athletic programs, or anywhere else. The fact is that pedophiles gravitate toward positions of trust with and responsibility for children, whether it be as a priest, coach, teacher, Scout leader, or parent.

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       dutchman1951posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       no...it would not help the situation at all

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   SomewayOuttaHereposted 13 years ago

   huh....I have the opinion that being a pedophile has nothing to do with being married or not.  I assume your post means marrying an adult.  I guess I have a different definition of what a pedophile is.  There are many people that are not married and I'm glad that I don't consider they may become or are a pedophile because they aren't.

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   pylos26posted 13 years ago

   Nope…priests cannot marry…because they’re not allowed to marry  infants.

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   wildernessposted 13 years ago

   I actually doubt it - the percentage of pedophiles in the priesthood doesn't seem to any higher than those not a priest.  People are people everywhere, whether a catholic priest or not.

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   Diane Insideposted 13 years ago

   I ask because I just wondered if Gays or Pediphiles look at priesthood as a way of conceiling there tendencies. Therefore making it a likely choice to make, and for pediphiles access to young boys. If it is made so that they can marry, would this open the door to those who might have become priests but chose to marry instead. And in some way change the focus from what gays and pediphiles percieve. I don't know just asking.

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   Lady Roseposted 13 years ago

   There are many more pedophiles in the internet and all over the world than in the Catholic Church. The problem is that they get more publicity and people tend to label the whole priesthood. Is like saying all muslims are terrorists, or all jews are greedy, or all the polititians are crooks. We all know that this isnt true, so lets not fall into the labeling game. Sure some priests that have been repressed sexually for ages sometimes fall for some physical contact with kids. Just like so many wives fall for a nice looking guy that pays them more attention than their boring husbands, or viceversa. We are all humans, folks. We all make mistakes. Lets not demonize the catholic priests just because a few of them made mistakes.  Lets try to see also the positive things those folks did for the community, how they gave up their lives to serve others, etc.

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   theirishobserver.posted 13 years ago

   Over 95% of religious who abused children are Homophiles - that cant be cured by marrage - what about the tens of thousands of Married men and woman all around the world who have abused children - marrage did not curtail their perversions

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   ceciliabeltranposted 13 years ago

   The problem is, there are no psychological screening from priesthood. I personally think they should have that. Because priesthood is a position where they hold in their hands the trust of people.
   
   Many priests who have repressed issues of homosexuality hide behind the cloak of priesthood. when I say many, I mean MANY. I went to a catholic school and my friends and I could spot the ones who fancied wearing the dress more than the actual job. (we went to church so often, you can't believe it.)
   
   There was also a nun who called me and asked me if I had a relationship with a girl I was running around with in the school grounds (she had short hair). I was 12. I was like "huh? what are you talking about, she's a girl"...later on, I totally got that she was projecting her own shadows on me.   psychological screening....

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   Twenty One Daysposted 13 years ago

   This is the issue. There is no scripted doctrine that states a teacher of faith should not marry. The notion of priesthood derived from a "tri-brid" of Roman Baal, Levi Priesthood & Rabbinical Law. The pagan side was permitted to have sexual acts with any male or female -depending on the deity in question, while the Levi were forbidden (mostly because their job took up too much time). A teacher of the law was not. But largely teachers of the faith should marry -showing an example of their actual understanding of family unit, nurturing, instruction, etc as with children and unity, affection with their wife. Both of which reflect their abilities with their congregation. If David Hume were here, he would argue that no priest can teach without experience. The best experience is him being a faithful husband, patient father -showing strength, restraint, encouragement, etc. Also noted that these very basic two things are missing in much of Western society today. It effects religion greatly and more so the general social population, from which come such negative actions. Again, it is not just the crimes that are negative, it is the denial of the natural order, value, knowledge and emotion/enjoyment of both.

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      ceciliabeltranposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      some people naturally do not have the family unit as their priority but the pursuit of the spiritual.

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         Twenty One Daysposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         true, but with regard to the context, it should be allowed.
         as for the other, yes, "eunuch" for the sake of unity is excellent, removes physical necessity and distraction.

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         Kimberly Bunchposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         And some people can have both!

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    Cuselaxposted 13 years ago

    WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!

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    theirishobserver.posted 13 years ago

    There is no relationship between celibacy and child rape - those who will rape children will do so whether married or not - Homophilia, Hetrophilia and Paedophila are rife through-out all societies.......see my Hub on sexual crime A Moral Quagmire Punctuated by political Indifference.......

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    thecatholicexpertposted 13 years ago

    I think that it would help the cause of stopping the pedophilia, but it will never, ever happen.

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    Rochelle Frankposted 13 years ago

    I don't know.-- But I do know of non-catholic ministers who have also been molesters.
    
    Martin Luther started a protestant movement in part, because he felt that clergy should be able to have a committed married relationship.
    
    St. Peter-- often regarded as the first Pope, was obviously married, since scriptures mention his mother-in-law being healed by Jesus.
    
    In a way I can understand the ideal of a priest dedicating himself completely to his calling, but I often wonder how he can counsel married people without a personal understanding of the experience.

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    RFoxposted 13 years ago

    Many married men are pedophiles...marriage/celibacy has nothing to do with pedophilia.

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    Mighty Momposted 13 years ago

    From the title of the OP I thought this was some new development that had managed to escape me. I don't picture the Vatican making such a fundamental change in my lifetime.
    I'm still hoping to live to see women ordained as PRIESTS. Dream on, eh?
    My personal view is that in the abstract, taking a vow of chastity in order to better serve God is setting priests and nuns up for failure. The human sex drive is pretty powerful.
    When you forbid it, the energy gets channeled in weird ways. That includes a large percentage of alcoholics...
    I do believe the priesthood attracts more than its share of sexual deviants. Not all of the molesters are doing the altar boys. Some are taking advantage of their status to engage in sex with adult parishioners. This is wrong (similar to a psychologist or doctor with a patient).
    Since the Church is having trouble recruiting new priests AND the decades of sexual abuse (and coverup) are coming to light -- it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the system is broken.
    Will they shine the right light on things and fix it? Doubtful.

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