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Debate: Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry?
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- | ===Sexual abuse: Will allowing priests to marry lower sexual abuse in Church?=== | + | === Vocations: Would allowing priests to marry increase vocations? === |
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- | |width="45%" bgcolor="#FFFAE0" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top:0.5em;"| | + | |WRITE SUBQUESTION BETWEEN "=== ===" width="45%" bgcolor="#FFFAE0" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top:0.5em;"| |
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====Pro==== | ====Pro==== | ||
- | *'''Allowing priests to marry would reduce sexual abuse in Church.''' Louise Linehan, a non-practicing Catholic from Dingmans Ferry: "I think priests should be allowed to marry because it might lessen the sexual abuse cases there are in the church."[http://media.www.tchnews.com/media/storage/paper840/news/2007/03/26/Opinion/Should.Priests.Be.Permitted.To.Marry-2790011.shtml] | + | *'''[[Argument: Priests should be allowed to marry to increase vocations| Priests should be allowed to marry to increase vocations]]''' [http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/15/cozzens.celibacy.discussion/ Rev. Donald Cozzens. "Commentary: Celibacy should be rethought". CNN. May 15, 2009]: "For some years now I've been teaching in the religious studies department at John Carroll University in Cleveland. I've asked dozens of serious, healthy young students if they have given any thought to being a priest. They seem flattered by the question. With only one exception, each has answered, "Yes, I've thought about being a priest, but I want a family. [...] There are, of course, other factors, urgent and pressing, that will keep the celibacy issue alive. The Catholic priesthood is aging. The average age of active priests hovers at 60, and if retired priests are factored in, it is considerably higher. Moreover, Catholic seminaries are lucky to be half full. [...] Parish staffing challenges alone will press for a review of the celibacy rule. Catholic bishops simply do not have enough priests to meet the pastoral and sacramental needs of the Catholic faithful. Closing and merging parishes may offer some temporary relief for overworked priests, but the shortfall of priests will continue to challenge the vitality of Catholic parishes and the health of Catholic clergy for decades to come." |
- | :[http://www.usnews.com/blogs/john-farrell/2009/05/12/catholic-church-should-end-celibacy-rule-let-rev-cutie-and-other-priests-marry.html John Aloysius Farrell. "Catholic Church Should End Celibacy Rule, Let Rev. Cutie and Other Priests Marry". US News and World Report. May 12, 2009]: "You would think that after all the molestation scandals of recent years, the Catholic Church would give its priests a break and let them choose to be celibate, or to enjoy loving relationships with women." | ||
- | |width="45%" bgcolor="#F2FAFB" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top:0.5em;"| | ||
- | ====Con==== | ||
- | *'''Priestly celibacy does not encourage sexual predation.''' [http://www.pearlsofnonsense.com/2009/05/12/should-catholic-priests-be-allowed-to-marry-i-dont-think-so.html "Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry? I don’t think so." Pearls of Nonsense. May 12th, 2009]: "Remember several years ago when celibacy was blamed by the media for creating pedophiles? It’s shocking how many otherwise intelligent people still fervently believe that not having sex with women makes men have sex with young boys." | ||
- | *'''Lifting priestly celibacy would open door to sexual predation.''' [http://www.pearlsofnonsense.com/2009/05/12/should-catholic-priests-be-allowed-to-marry-i-dont-think-so.html "Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry? I don’t think so." Pearls of Nonsense. May 12th, 2009]: "Matters of faith aside, there are secular concerns that, for me at least, make the idea of dispensing with clerical celibacy somewhat distasteful. Priests tend to be a huggy-touchy bunch. I think it’s an occupational hazard. The ministry of a priest usually demands a lot of touching; reconciliation is the only sacrament I can think of that doesn’t require at least some touching. Most of us are okay with this because we know these touches are loving, not sexual. But take clerical celibacy out of the picture for a moment, and suddenly every woman in the parish is a potential mate. Imagine, guys, a fresh-out-of-the-seminary priest at the church door hugs your teenage daughter a little too closely for a few seconds too long. Or imagine, ladies, a priest hears your confession about something you shouldn’t have done with your last boyfriend, and after granting absolution, he asks you out for a drink. I don’t know about you, but I think I just threw up in my mouth." | + | |WRITE CONTENT FOR THE "Pro" BOX ABOVE THIS CODE width="45%" bgcolor="#F2FAFB" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top: 0.5em;"| |
+ | ====Con==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | *'''[[Argument: Allowing priests to marry would not increase vocations| Allowing priests to marry would not increase vocations]]''' [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31091-2004Nov6.html Kathryn Nicole Stockhausen. "Should Roman Catholic Priests Be Allowed to Marry?". Washington Post. November 7, 2004]: "I have heard some who state that it would lead to an increase in vocations, but there is not a single piece of statistical data to prove that. Of those who have contemplated a vocation to the priesthood, very few have stated that a vow of celibacy was a stumbling block that they could not overcome. In fact, I have known of many ordained individuals who see celibacy as a blessing, and as a way to allow them to focus more on their vocation of service to others and to the church." | ||
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- | |colspan="2" width="45%" bgcolor="#F2F2F2" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top:0.5em;"| | ||
- | === Vocations: Would allowing priests to marry increase vocations? === | ||
|- | |- | ||
- | |WRITE SUBQUESTION BETWEEN "=== ===" width="45%" bgcolor="#FFFAE0" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top:0.5em;"| | + | |WRITE CONTENT FOR THE "Con" BOX ABOVE THIS CODE colspan="2" width="45%" bgcolor="#F2F2F2" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top: 0.5em ;"| |
+ | ===Sexual abuse: Will allowing priests to marry lower sexual abuse in Church?=== | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |width="45%" bgcolor="#FFFAE0" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top:0.5em;"| | ||
====Pro==== | ====Pro==== | ||
- | *'''[[Argument: Priests should be allowed to marry to increase vocations| Priests should be allowed to marry to increase vocations]]''' [http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/15/cozzens.celibacy.discussion/ Rev. Donald Cozzens. "Commentary: Celibacy should be rethought". CNN. May 15, 2009]: "For some years now I've been teaching in the religious studies department at John Carroll University in Cleveland. I've asked dozens of serious, healthy young students if they have given any thought to being a priest. They seem flattered by the question. With only one exception, each has answered, "Yes, I've thought about being a priest, but I want a family. [...] There are, of course, other factors, urgent and pressing, that will keep the celibacy issue alive. The Catholic priesthood is aging. The average age of active priests hovers at 60, and if retired priests are factored in, it is considerably higher. Moreover, Catholic seminaries are lucky to be half full. [...] Parish staffing challenges alone will press for a review of the celibacy rule. Catholic bishops simply do not have enough priests to meet the pastoral and sacramental needs of the Catholic faithful. Closing and merging parishes may offer some temporary relief for overworked priests, but the shortfall of priests will continue to challenge the vitality of Catholic parishes and the health of Catholic clergy for decades to come." | + | *'''Allowing priests to marry would reduce sexual abuse in Church.''' Louise Linehan, a non-practicing Catholic from Dingmans Ferry: "I think priests should be allowed to marry because it might lessen the sexual abuse cases there are in the church."[http://media.www.tchnews.com/media/storage/paper840/news/2007/03/26/Opinion/Should.Priests.Be.Permitted.To.Marry-2790011.shtml] |
+ | :[http://www.usnews.com/blogs/john-farrell/2009/05/12/catholic-church-should-end-celibacy-rule-let-rev-cutie-and-other-priests-marry.html John Aloysius Farrell. "Catholic Church Should End Celibacy Rule, Let Rev. Cutie and Other Priests Marry". US News and World Report. May 12, 2009]: "You would think that after all the molestation scandals of recent years, the Catholic Church would give its priests a break and let them choose to be celibate, or to enjoy loving relationships with women." | ||
+ | |width="45%" bgcolor="#F2FAFB" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top:0.5em;"| | ||
+ | ====Con==== | ||
+ | *'''Priestly celibacy does not encourage sexual predation.''' [http://www.pearlsofnonsense.com/2009/05/12/should-catholic-priests-be-allowed-to-marry-i-dont-think-so.html "Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry? I don’t think so." Pearls of Nonsense. May 12th, 2009]: "Remember several years ago when celibacy was blamed by the media for creating pedophiles? It’s shocking how many otherwise intelligent people still fervently believe that not having sex with women makes men have sex with young boys." | ||
- | |WRITE CONTENT FOR THE "Pro" BOX ABOVE THIS CODE width="45%" bgcolor="#F2FAFB" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top: 0.5em;"| | + | *'''Lifting priestly celibacy would open door to sexual predation.''' [http://www.pearlsofnonsense.com/2009/05/12/should-catholic-priests-be-allowed-to-marry-i-dont-think-so.html "Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry? I don’t think so." Pearls of Nonsense. May 12th, 2009]: "Matters of faith aside, there are secular concerns that, for me at least, make the idea of dispensing with clerical celibacy somewhat distasteful. Priests tend to be a huggy-touchy bunch. I think it’s an occupational hazard. The ministry of a priest usually demands a lot of touching; reconciliation is the only sacrament I can think of that doesn’t require at least some touching. Most of us are okay with this because we know these touches are loving, not sexual. But take clerical celibacy out of the picture for a moment, and suddenly every woman in the parish is a potential mate. Imagine, guys, a fresh-out-of-the-seminary priest at the church door hugs your teenage daughter a little too closely for a few seconds too long. Or imagine, ladies, a priest hears your confession about something you shouldn’t have done with your last boyfriend, and after granting absolution, he asks you out for a drink. I don’t know about you, but I think I just threw up in my mouth." |
- | ====Con==== | + | |
- | + | ||
- | *'''[[Argument: Allowing priests to marry would not increase vocations| Allowing priests to marry would not increase vocations]]''' [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31091-2004Nov6.html Kathryn Nicole Stockhausen. "Should Roman Catholic Priests Be Allowed to Marry?". Washington Post. November 7, 2004]: "I have heard some who state that it would lead to an increase in vocations, but there is not a single piece of statistical data to prove that. Of those who have contemplated a vocation to the priesthood, very few have stated that a vow of celibacy was a stumbling block that they could not overcome. In fact, I have known of many ordained individuals who see celibacy as a blessing, and as a way to allow them to focus more on their vocation of service to others and to the church." | + | |
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- | |WRITE CONTENT FOR THE "Con" BOX ABOVE THIS CODE colspan="2" width="45%" bgcolor="#F2F2F2" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top: 0.5em ;"| | + | |colspan="2" width="45%" bgcolor="#F2F2F2" style="border:1px solid #BAC5FD;padding:.4em;padding-top:0.5em;"| |
=== Finances: Would allowing priests to marry help/hurt Church finances? === | === Finances: Would allowing priests to marry help/hurt Church finances? === | ||
Revision as of 03:54, 27 May 2009
Church: Does celibacy hurt/help priests perform duties to the Church? | |
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Con
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Tradition: Is it wrong to maintain the tradition of Catholic priest celibacy? | |
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Con
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Vocations: Would allowing priests to marry increase vocations? | |
Pro
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Con
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Sexual abuse: Will allowing priests to marry lower sexual abuse in Church? | |
Pro
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Con
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Finances: Would allowing priests to marry help/hurt Church finances? | |
Pro
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Con
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Pro/con sources | |
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Con |
External links
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Categories: Priests | Christianity | Religion | Catholicism | Marriage | Sex | Morality