MANDATORY CELIBACY AND SEXUAL
ETHICS IN THE LATIN RITE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
HARRY A. WALSH, Ed.D.
INTRODUCTION
In this paper, we will attempt to demonstrate that MANDATORY celibacy, as required of priests in the Roman Catholic Church (Latin rite), is a human law in search of a theology. If theology is "the science of God", then an authentic theology of MANDATORY celibacy does not exist because God has never obliged the faithful to celibacy. Lacking such a theological basis, we propose to search out the real reasons why celibacy came to be MANDATED for the ordained of the Roman Catholic Church. Our historical, scriptural, anthropological and theological analysis will show that MANDATORY celibacy was introduced because those in power saw it as a benefit to the institutional church, with little regard for the well-being of individuals, and that in the final analysis, MANDATORY celibacy is an instance of man being made for the Sabbath.