Celibacy doesn’t lead to sex abuse

By THE REV. PATRICK S. BRENNAN Issue date: Fri, Aug 6, 2004
The Portland Tribune, Portland OR

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The Roman Catholic Church has done a great deal of soul-searching since the clergy’s sexual abuse crisis hit the front pages of our newspapers in January 2002. To say that this has been a painful time is an understatement.
As a priest, I grieve with the many victims who have suffered because of clerical misconduct. As a priest, I also ask the victims for their forgiveness. The church mishandled the accusations brought to it. Leadership failed when it was most acutely needed.
Priestly celibacy and the church’s view of human sexuality are often cited as the root causes of the sexual abuse crisis. Such opinions are anecdotal at best. There are no data to substantiate any causal connection between celibacy and the sexual abuse of minors. Does marriage prevent the sexual abuse of children? Statistics would show otherwise.
Nonetheless, there is a common feeling that the church’s requirement of celibacy for its priests reflects an outmoded and negative view of human sexuality and even contributes to the sexual abuse of minors.
It may come as a surprise to many, but the church’s teaching on priestly celibacy has less to do with sexuality and more to do with theology. One forgets that Jesus was celibate. He chose celibacy, and he did so in contradiction to the cultural and religious expectations of his day.
Why would he do this? Perhaps it was to illustrate an important element of the kingdom. Love in God’s kingdom would not be exclusive. Rather, it would be inclusive, a love that says all men and women are my brothers and sisters.
The priest lives this same love in service to his people. To do so, he must be mature, sexually integrated and capable of self-sacrifice. While some may imagine seminary training as “isolating and gender-biased,” it is far from that. As a former seminary president, I can assure you that seminarians are fully engaged in the world around them.
And they are no strangers to human sexuality. Classes, seminars, counseling and personal experience make sure that they not only understand human sexuality, but that they appreciate it as well. It is truly a gift from God.
It is inevitable that questions of a married clergy and the ordination of women come up when the sexual abuse crisis is discussed. If one considers all of these issues as reflecting only sexism, patriarchy and control, erroneous conclusions will certainly be drawn. To paint with a broad stroke does not bring clarity. Rather, it covers up the real issues.
A priest lives his sexuality and his celibacy in a largely unsupportive society. He does so as a witness to friendship, commitment, sacrifice and love. Would there be more priests if priests could marry? Perhaps. But it is unlikely that a married clergy would solve the problem of sexual abuse.

The Rev. Patrick Brennan is vicar for clergy of the Roman Catholic Church’s Archdiocese of Portland. He also serves as parish moderator for Portland’s St. Rita Parish. He lives in Northeast Portland.