As the debate on whether priests should be allowed to get married gets more heated, I wish to elaborate on what I had written in this newspaper on January 16.
By joining in the discussion with an open mind and wanting the good of the ordained priest and the community in which he serves, we can delve deeper into the problems and grandeur of priestly celibacy.
We need, though, to move away from dogmas and our discussion should not simply focus on what is licit or illicit.
To discuss celibacy without relating it to the realm of grace and holiness would be divesting it of its real meaning.
Focusing on the frailty of the priest and his human nature without stressing the power of grace that is tied down to his vocation would be simply a discussion on the human level.
We, as Catholics, who believe in the power of the Holy Spirit and sacramental grace, should emphasise this divine reality.
Grace is described as the power that God willingly gives us to help us do what we could never do on our own.
When St Paul feels the pinch of his human frailty, the Lord assures him: “My grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection.” St Paul then was able to assert: “I willingly boast of my weakness instead, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9).
In the editorial of The Sunday Times of Malta, it was stated that “celibacy, as mandated by the Church’s Code of Canon Law, is viewed as ‘a special gift of God’ symbolising a sacrifice for spiritual devotion”.
I wonder how many priests would agree that ‘this special gift of God’ simply symbolises a sacrifice for spiritual devotion.
Though celibacy might be considered a sacrifice, it is embraced freely as a committed act to help the ordained priest fully dedicate himself to that mission for which he has been called.
When debating whether priests should be allowed to get married, we need to distinguish between a married man who is asked to be ordained and a priest who is being given the option to get married.
Though a married man may, in specific circumstances, be asked to be ordained, it does not automatically follow that priests can have the option of getting married. When a married man is given permission to be ordained, he is being asked to dedicate more of his time and commitment to the service of the Church and the community. Whereas when an ordained priest is given the option to get married his selfless and unreserved commitment will now need to embrace the duties towards his wife and immediate family.
We live in a material and secularised world which is bound to have its impact on our way of living- Ray Azzopardi
Fr René Camilleri, in his input in this newspaper, rightly remarked that one should not simply consider whether one would have enough time and energy to cope with both the family and one’s ministry when discussing whether priests should be given the option to get married. “Priesthood is much deeper,” he asserted, “and requires one’s full life.”
We live in a material and secularised world that is bound to have its impact on our way of living. The spiritual realm, though real for those of us who believe in eternal life, is continuously being in combat and put on the back burner because of our material make-up. Making life less demanding for the ordained priest in order not to feel the sacrifice of his total commitment is simply negating the very essence of his ‘divine call’.
St John Henry Newman, when commenting about priestly celibacy, remarks: “It is the world, the flesh and the devil, not celibacy, which is the ruin of those who fall.”
Fr Juan Valez, when commenting on the above quote by Newman, remarks that this goes on to prove that those who argue that married clergy would solve the problems of sexual sins and the shortage of clergy are far from the truth.
It is, therefore, unfair for the editorial of this paper to state that Archbishop Charles Scicluna’s comments “had ruffled feathers, especially among the ultra-conservative factors of the Church”.
Why is it that those of us who reason that celibacy should be considered as an integral part of ordination because it allows the priest to offer his full undivided self to his call be labelled “ultra-conservative”?
The archbishop asked why a young man possessing the potential to be an exceptional priest should be compelled to choose between the commitment to God and a desire for marital companionship. The answer should be: Because it is God who makes the invitation and man, who freely accepts this invitation, has faith and is convinced that, with that call, special graces shall accompany him in his journey once he responds faithfully to his call.
Ray Azzopardi is a former headmaster.