what does celibacy mean, according to the Catholic church?

an unmarried status? ~~ or:
abstaining from sexual relations ~~

anyone find in this article mention of marriage ordained by God?
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/11/20433950-pope-francis-no-2-clerical-celibacy-is-open-to-discussion?lite

It IS comforting to know that man can never override God's Holy Righteousness according to His Word no matter how many worldly traditions~

I always thought that it meant Priests and Nuns cannot marry. They cant have any relations outside marriage either.


The Church has a big problem, its has severe shortage of Priests, so I can see how the Pope wants to change things to attract people into the Priesthood. If I were him I would change the rules too.

No sexual relations at all. I always wondered about this when priests would offer marriage counseling. Without living in a relationship themselves I wondered how could they adequately counsel on the subject.

Celibacy? It means both.

Abstention by vow from marriage.

Sexual abstinence.

I was not Catholic, but was put into a Catholic school for five years in fourth grade. My best friend there in my class was entrusted often to a priest who was a close family friend. He "took her to the movies and fairs and just special things...." that turned in to sexual relations too afterward. She couldn't tell her parents tho I tried to convince her to.

It would have been better to allow priests to be married to one wife than to expect them to be celibate their entire priestly life. I hope that can change for them someday!

no doubt, Rocki ~~ the Scriptures as you mention were meant to be understood by true followers of Jesus Christ ~~ manmade 'traditions' as always, are extremely faulty and sinful ~~

I agree with NOR - it means both. Yet I look at it in the sense that the apostle Paul spoke of it. Not everyone is meant to marry - if marriage in and of itself takes us away from the Lord and His purposes. Being unequally yolked, is the way I always took that.
The problem I have with this, concerning the RCC (which I came from) is that they make rules for others yet do the very same thing they condemn in others or worse. Some in the priesthood consider being celibate as in "do not have relations while unmarried" yet there are millions of children who have been sexually abused and relations outside of marriage have taken place between a priest and a woman or vice versa, nun and man. Much of it sounds like the Pharisees to me, but you would have to have been there. I'm sure other denominations are no better. I've seen that too. Don't get me started and I won't expound on this.

There I go again.....sorry.

If I recall correctly, I was told that Catholic priests could only be married if they had already been married prior to committing to priesthood. They could not marry after becoming priests. So I would question if it also means no sexual relations. What if a priest and his wife decided to have a child? I always took it to simply mean that they were unable to get married, but I guess that if a priest hadn't already been married both things would most likely go hand in hand.

It kinda makes the rcc rules seem silly, doesn't it? Become an episcopalian priest, get married. Convert to rcc, stay married, have kids, stay a priest. Which makes me wonder if they can do it, why can't others? It's another case where church tradition trumps actual scripture. And it seems bizarre that those who claim to sit in Peter's seat discount the fact that Peter was actually married himself.

Email: TxThom@raptureintheairnow.com

Good point, TX Thom. Agreed.. and it's...

TRADITIONNNNN...

Firstly, let us start off with Catholic teaching. Catholic teaching states that both priest's and nun's are married to God, entering into a holy vow, committing themselves to neither take wife nor husband in the flesh. As this would be adultery against God.

They choose to remain celibate by not entering into fleshly bonds of matrimony, and the second definition of celibacy is towards those that are united in a fleshly marriage. As such they vow to not leave, forsake or have adulterous relations with any other outside of marriage.

So then how does the Pope explain away sexual relations, gay or otherwise for priest's and nun's? This is not simply a matter of accepting an alternate lifestyle. Nor is it a matter of being liberal and non-judgmental. They are in violation not only of scripture but their own teachings.

This is satan masquerading as being loving and accepting. Oh foolish Galations, who has bewitched you? Satan has!

Love & blessings...Tender Reed

I agree but "liberal" (as we know it to be) and "non-judgmental" both go hand in hand and both violate Scipture. So, how do we say this doesn't include the two?
We are not to judge the motives of the heart but are to judge sin. In what my understanding has led to, is that being "non-judgmental" is to accept everything. Being "liberal" is the same. How can a person seperate that from what the RCC teaches? It's the pot calling the kettle black. Do you know what I'm saying? I understand what you're saying, TR. What I am saying or questioning is how can the RCC so easily seperate them? It's a double standard. It all comes down to THEIR standards and do they live it? That's their definition, as you mentioned. But let's be honest here.