Throughout the centuries, the priest has been perceived not only as an authority but as an untouchable authority: believers felt dependent and also inadequate, incompetent, intellectually, morally and religiously inferior. The mantle and aura of prestige that has been accorded to Catholic priests allowed them to be treated for generations as special agents of God, as mediators between ordinary humans and the divine. Celibacy endowed Catholic priests with awesome, almost magical, power and authority. Celibate priests were not "ordinary men." It is this aura, this "mystical halo," that the pedophile priests have taken advantage of to gain easy access to naive religious families and their vulnerable children. Throughout the centuries, the priest has been perceived not only as an authority but as an untouchable authority: believers felt dependent and also inadequate, incompetent, intellectually, morally and religiously inferior. The mantle and aura of prestige that has been accorded to Catholic priests allowed them to be treated for generations as special agents of God, as mediators between ordinary humans and the divine. Celibacy endowed Catholic priests with awesome, almost magical, power and authority. Celibate priests were not "ordinary men." It is this aura, this "mystical halo," that the pedophile priests have taken advantage of to gain easy access to naive religious families and their vulnerable children.
Based on his extensive clinical experience, Richard Sipe—a former priest and seminary instructor, now a psychotherapist with a speciality in treating and counseling clergy—is convinced that celibacy is a strong co-factor in sexual abuse in the Catholic clerical community. As long as the Roman Church refuses to come to terms with human sexuality, and as long as it continues to put sexually and psychologically immature men in close contact with young boys, the institution is creating a high-risk situation. In the other words, the Church itself offers an "occasion of sin."
http://www.bibleinterp.com/opeds/2013/lom378008.shtml
The unbiblical requirement of celibacy on priests in the Roman Catholic Church likely contributes to sexual abuse in that men whom God never intended to be celibate are forced into celibacy, resulting in sexual tension and stress. Also, the stricture of celibacy is appealing to some men with abnormal sexual tendencies who view the priesthood as a means of keeping their desires under control. These men find that external rules do little to change the heart, and, when they give in to sexual temptations, the result is unnatural sexual acts, such as homosexuality or pedophilia.
In 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9, the Apostle Paul seems to assume that elders, bishops, overseers, and deacons will be married. Notice the phrases “the husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6), “he must manage his own family well” (1 Timothy 3:4,12), and “his children obey him with proper respect” (1 Timothy 3:4; Titus 1:6).
Celibacy, in the 12th century, became the official requirement of the Roman Catholic Church due to the practice of nepotism. Church leaders were giving their children positions in the church, despite a lack of any qualifications or training. Further, church leaders were giving church property to their descendants. As a result, the Roman Catholic Church mandated celibacy in order to keep its priests from having familial attachments which made nepotism attractive.
Based on his extensive clinical experience, Richard Sipe—a former priest and seminary instructor, now a psychotherapist with a speciality in treating and counseling clergy—is convinced that celibacy is a strong co-factor in sexual abuse in the Catholic clerical community. As long as the Roman Church refuses to come to terms with human sexuality, and as long as it continues to put sexually and psychologically immature men in close contact with young boys, the institution is creating a high-risk situation. In the other words, the Church itself offers an "occasion of sin."
http://www.bibleinterp.com/opeds/2013/lom378008.shtml
The unbiblical requirement of celibacy on priests in the Roman Catholic Church likely contributes to sexual abuse in that men whom God never intended to be celibate are forced into celibacy, resulting in sexual tension and stress. Also, the stricture of celibacy is appealing to some men with abnormal sexual tendencies who view the priesthood as a means of keeping their desires under control. These men find that external rules do little to change the heart, and, when they give in to sexual temptations, the result is unnatural sexual acts, such as homosexuality or pedophilia.
In 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9, the Apostle Paul seems to assume that elders, bishops, overseers, and deacons will be married. Notice the phrases “the husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6), “he must manage his own family well” (1 Timothy 3:4,12), and “his children obey him with proper respect” (1 Timothy 3:4; Titus 1:6).
Celibacy, in the 12th century, became the official requirement of the Roman Catholic Church due to the practice of nepotism. Church leaders were giving their children positions in the church, despite a lack of any qualifications or training. Further, church leaders were giving church property to their descendants. As a result, the Roman Catholic Church mandated celibacy in order to keep its priests from having familial attachments which made nepotism attractive.