One argument against priestly celibacy can be found in Gn 1:28:

"God blessed them, saying: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.""

This passage however is a general precept for the human race and does not bind each individual. If it did, everyone who is unmarried, including Jesus, John the Baptist, and Paul, would be in a state of sin.

But what about 1 Tm 3:2?

"1 This saying is trustworthy: 2 whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.
2 Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable, married only once, temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money.
4 He must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with perfect dignity;"

Opponents say this is further proof against celibacy. However, Paul did not say a man must marry to be a bishop, but a bishop cannot marry more than once. This rule prohibits a man to remarry after being widowed and does not order him to have at least one wife.

But is the Catholic church apostate according to 1 Tm 4:3?

"They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth."

Certainly not. A Catholic man is free to marry, and he is not obligated to be a priest.

What about the scandal of child abuse by the clergy? This is a grievous sin done by evil men and was not caused by celibacy. One who is prone to do evil will do evil regardless of whether or not he is celibate. The roots of child abuse maybe traced back to when the rigid requirements and personality screening for those who choose to become priests were relaxed due to liberal ideas of inclusiveness. The sad part of this is that those in the Catholic hierarchy appeared to be complicit to these horrible acts by not responding to the problem as they surfaced.

• ¹What Catholics Really Believe-Setting the Record Straight: 52 Answers to Common Misconceptions About the Catholic Faith, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1992, by Karl Keating, director Catholic Answers, a lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization, and editor of the magazine, This Rock. He is also the author of the best-seller, Catholicism and Fundamentalism.

• 2Nuts & Bolts: A Practical Guide for Explaining and Defending the Catholic Faith, Basilica Press, San Diego, 1999, by Tim Staples, a former Assemblies of God youth pastor who converted to the Catholic Church.

• ³Catholic Source Book, Harcourt Religion Publishers, 2000, by Rev. Peter Klein. Rev Peter Klein is a priest of the Diocese of Winona in Minnesota.
• ⁴Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Huntington, Indiana, 1998, by Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, editor. Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas is the author of eleven books and more than 500 articles. He is the founding editor of Catholic Answer and the administrator of St. John the Baptist Church of Bayonne, New Jersey. He likewise serves as adjunct professor of education at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.

To read the rest of the series on Catholic Apologetics, please select one of the links below.

Apologetics Part 1: Catholic Practices and Traditions - Be Proud of Them

Apologetics Part 2: Catholic Devotion To the Virgin Mary

Apologetics Part 3: Bible Catholics?

Apologetics Part 4: The Catholic Beliefs Are Not Found in the Bible

Apologetics Part 5: Everything the Pope Says is Infallible

Apologetics Part 6: Catholics Are Not Born-Again - So They Are Not Saved

Apologetics Part 7: Catholics Worship Saints, Icons and Statues

Apologetics Part 8: Anointing the Sick with Holy Oil

Did You Know? Priestly Celibacy Is A Disciplinary Rule and not a Doctrine

Did You Know? That criticism of the Catholic Church comes from both the right and the left

Non-Catholic Criticism: Indulgences: A Catholic Can Buy Salvation

Non-Catholic Criticism: Communion of Saints - Why Catholics believe in Saints

Non-Catholic Criticism: Call No One on Earth Your Father

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