Catholic Church must start to rethink celibacy

The Catholic Church started this year in very rough water. January 30, the Archdiocese of Boston reported the names of 90 priests accused of sexually molesting children to the district attorneys; the diocese also admitted to privately settling hundreds of molestation cases.\nWith the public release of information surrounding these atrocious acts, most Catholics have demonstrated tremendous disappointment in the diocese's leader -- Cardinal Bernard F. Law. While Cardinal Law and his clergy need to be castigated for their involvement in concealing these incidents, the Catholic Church should use these dire times to reevaluate church doctrine and tradition -- principally, the priestly vow of celibacy. \nOne month ago, a Boston Globe/WBZ-TV poll questioned 800 Boston Catholics regarding their opinions of the church. The results showed that 74 percent of Catholics disagreed with priestly celibacy and that 65 percent believed women should be allowed to enter the priesthood. The survey showed that many opinions are dramatically changing regarding Catholic dogma. \nIn recent weeks, many people have made ignorant and incorrect correlations between pedophilia and celibacy. While these two conditions are not directly linked, a certain debate has surfaced as to whether or not the abolishment of celibacy among priests could have prevented some of the child molestation that occurred. \nThe priesthood has often been used as a disguise of secrecy and security for men who have unhealthy sexual desires (like pedophilia) or are struggling with their sexual identity. In his book "Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children," Jason Berry said the priestly vow of celibacy is often used to mask sexual dysfunction. Berry also questions why the church has not officially dealt with this issue.\nDue to the concerted efforts of the Catholic Church in maintaining privacy through out-of-court settlements, much of the public has little knowledge of the extent of child molestation and Catholic priests. The problem is so great that there are existing establishments that specifically support the victims and counsel the guilty. Father Canice Connors of the St. Luke Institute (a center for pedophiliac priests in Maryland) counsels priests and says, "I think there is evidence at times that people do enter the priesthood to hide from the realities of life." The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests was created to support justice and protection for those who have been sexually abused by priests. \nTo begin abating this epidemic of molestation one must ask, is it necessary to be celibate in order to serve God and the Church as a priest? Obviously not. If that were true, other religions would have already adopted the tradition. Undoubtedly, some priests are mature enough to uphold their vow of celibacy, but these men constitute a small minority.\nIn his book "Sex, Priests and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis," Richard Sipe -- a psychotherapist and former priest that advises Catholic Clergy -- estimated that only two percent of priests remain true to their celibacy. One benefit of abandoning celibacy that is often overlooked is an increased pool of possible candidates for the priesthood. In an era when seminaries are striving for new priests, the average age of a priest is approaching 60 and the number one reason why priests leave the church is to marry, the celibacy vow must be dropped in order to secure the livelihood of the church.\nThe Catholic Church has long been a symbol of tradition; official church documents are still written in Latin. But there is a time when change is inevitable and necessary and now is that time. While allowing women to be ordained priests is a step in the right direction, abolishing the vow of celibacy or making it an option is the most crucial step towards creating a healthy future for the church.