The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-10-09
cELIBAcY OF THE CLERGY.

The celibacy of the clergy is not a
dogma of the Catholic Church, writes
Rev. Geo. Mahony, C. IS. r. in 1.-THE
Liguorian.'' 1t is not a question OF
doctrine at all, but merely matter OF
discipline; that is, it is regulation,
law, made by the Church for her
clergy. 1t is not a doctrine of the
Church, because all her doctrines,
being the revealed word of God, are
truth, and truth can never change
Now, the law of celibacy in the Cath
Ollie Church can change, and history
tells us it has changed. In the early
Sof the 1huEch IN apostolic times
this law did not exist at all. The
practice was there, but there was no
law in the Church binding priests to
celibacy. say that the practice of
celibacy existed in the Church be-
cause st. Paul tells us that he him.
self was a celibate, and st. Jerome,
whose testimony is unimpeachable,
declares that all the other apostles
likewise, even st. Peter, who was mar
ried, observed ceHbacy after their
C6k1I W ZIG ApOOLO10LCs DuL LuC SAu1NA
had not yet enacted d law making
clerical celibacy obligatory, because
in those early days, when priests
were everywhere in great demand, it
was matter of sheer necessity to adj
nit even married men into the priest
hood. Hence, the law of celibacy is
not matter of doctrine at all, it is
merely matter of discipline.
Yet, strange to say, this law of
celibacy, affecting only the Catholic
clergy, excites the bitter luminosity
and rage of thousands of people who
have no reason to concern themselves
about the matter at all Why should
they worry their heads about whether
priests are married or not? They
need not fear the Church is plotting
to impose celibacy on them. AS to
priests it seems to me that the law
and practice of eelibacy is strictly
personal matter with them, and it is
surely nobody else's business if they
choose to observe it.
There are many honest nome atho-
lies, who, am convinced, love the
truth and are seeking the truth, yet
entertain this intense prejudice
against clerical celibaey. But, ait the
same time, l am equally convinced
that they do not know why they are
SO prejudiced. think I can account
for their hostile attitude, and intend
to do so later on in the course OF my
remarks.
There are other opponents of cell
bacy who are Influenced simply by in
tense hatred of everything Catholic,
and who make the celibacy of the
clergy the object of their bitterest at
lacks. Among these the most implac-
able foes of celibaey are certain ex-
priests and ex-nuns, who go about the
country lecturing against the Catholic
Church sometimes even in Protes-
tant churches and branding all
priests as hypocrites and slaves of inn
morality, as ravening wolves in
Sleeps clothings that ought to be ex-
terminated.
These are the people that write
nasty articles for scurrilous sheets
like the Menace" entitled sWhy
Priests Should Marry, THE Abom-
nations of the Confessional" and
other such choice masterpieces of re-
fined and eleyating literature.
In regard to this unfortunate class.
let me tell you that if you study the
lives of these ex-pfiests and ex-nuns.
If you go back into their past his
tory, you will find that they have their
own good reasons personal reasons
for their hostility to the practice of
celibacy. They themselves violated
their vows of celibacy, and they were
expelled from the priesthood or the
religious life because of their hopeless
immortality, or at least because of
their drunkenness. So in order to ex.
cuse or palliate their own infamy.
they attack the very principle as we'll
as the practice of celibacy.
But can any fairminded man re-