Illicit Celibacy and the Deposit of Faith

Thirty years ago this author, an ordinary Catholic layman, experienced what our Protestant brothers term, being “born again”. This event became a formative experience even though I was 46 at the time. Catholics understand we are all born again at baptism but this event became a special experience. As an ordinary Catholic father of seven, I had religiously fulfilled our Sunday Mass obligation with wife and children, all of whom attended parochial schools, but after that time, my faith and beliefs became more important.

This profound faith experience ultimately led to an interest in the Bible and its eternal truths. However, only short passages are read during weekly Mass, and being an average Catholic, I had never read through the Bible myself. Beginning to investigate the Bible for the first time, it was soon apparent others viewed scripture and Christian history far differently than do Catholics. Recalling my youth, I remembered the anti-Catholic preaching that was broadcast via radio in my small East Tennessee home town. Later, attending Bible study groups with good Protestant friends who rely only on scripture as their guide to faith, it became apparent some of these new friends were personally concerned for my salvation should I remain Catholic. This too brought back youthful memories of criticism from non-Catholic friends who held a far different view of Christian history, believing Catholicism altered Apostolic preaching and was no longer the original Church left to us by Jesus. This was very disturbing and led me on a determined search for the truth.

After much study these differences in belief between Catholics and others became apparent. Especially concerning were differing views on our sacraments, the supremacy of scripture, and their rejection of Christian traditions not explained in the New Testament. In order to discover the truth a plan was conceived – examine history. I reckoned, at the death of the last Apostle, who replaced them and what did they teach on these subjects? Thus, I began a new study into the origins and formation of scripture, Christian history and its development over the centuries, leading to our different beliefs of today. Not to stop there, what about the origins and development of other religions, particularly Protestantism, Judaism, and Islam? It seemed simple; merely discover our earliest beginnings and beliefs as taught by those who first followed the Apostles.

After my first ten years of investigation I wrote a book: Before the Bible: beliefs and practice of the first Christians. Relying on recorded Church history I was able to answer all accusations posed by non Catholics and happily concluded that, historically speaking, the Catholic Church is the visible, organized Church Jesus left to us, and that today’s Church is the modern remnant of that original Church. Moreover, this Church had conquered the pagan world with only preaching, long before the New Testament, which is relied on by others as the only source of faith, was known to exist; I also discovered that tradition and history not contained in scripture is a valid part of Christianity. Finally, feeling vindicated in my beliefs I continued to read Christian history, tradition, and scripture. Now content with my beliefs I began a life long pursuit in search of the historical Jesus and His Apostles. This pursuit would later lead to new concerns.

Having been an abused child myself, new revelations of priestly sex abuse were greatly disturbing. In my first book I had vigorously defended the vow of celibacy which is presented as a personal choice freely made by our priests, even believing some Apostles renounced marriage, becoming chaste in an attempt to imitate Jesus’ lifestyle. I realized some priests had remained married but passed it off as unimportant because it seemed apparent celibacy became universal as a free choice by priests sometime after Constantine in 325 AD - the point in history where my book had stopped. Only intending to discover original Christian beliefs before the New Testament was known to exist, I had stopped, not wishing to examine the history of unsavory churchmen who later failed to live Christian lives as had the Apostles. Unfortunately, that’s when the story of celibacy begins.

It is more than disturbing. It is traumatic when one discovers they are misled by those whom they rely upon for guidance and teaching of truths on which our Faith was founded. Slowly, I concluded this was the case on at least one important teaching, mandatory celibacy for our priests; a teaching which has now led to our current world-wide scandal surrounding sexually dysfunctional clerics of all ranks. Despite the disappointment of being misled, along with our priests, by our Church hierarchy, I remain Catholic, a member of the Universal Catholic Church as it was left to us by Jesus, a Church with priests who are married fathers, as in the beginning. The very origin of the word, father, is predicated on the existence of children, either from God or man.

There is deep unrest and disaffection within the Catholic Church today. World wide from Asia, Africa, and Europe to North and South America: demographics reveal the Church is imploding in much the same way it was in 1139 AD when mandatory celibacy was forced upon the priesthood. Only the truth can set us free from this past. For these reasons this author writes in service to Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew. He did not leave us with mandatory celibacy. Therefore, this book is merely one more expression of this world-wide unrest, and often total disaffection.