Sometimes, when a conversation starts about the Catholic Church, the question arises: "Celibacy - what is it?" This is a mandatory vow of celibacy for priests . Entering the dignity, according to Western church tradition, is impossible if the holy father has not renounced all worldly things. It's not even a matter of whether he is married or not, although this is welcomed in the first place. The question is that he should devote himself completely, including his own deeds, to God, to service in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
True, the modern world looks at centuries-old customs in a slightly different way. This is due primarily to the fact that the nature of Catholicism, and the Roman Church itself, have changed somewhat during this time. And they have changed not for the better. The process of liberalization of views also touched the most conservative circles of Catholic clergy. They are no longer able to control the total secularization of local communities, and the constant scandals surrounding the “godless behavior of the Holy Fathers” only add fuel to the fire. It becomes clear that celibacy itself is becoming a thing of the past, that this is only a tribute to tradition, and, in principle, it takes a little more time for the irremovable rule of celibacy to be replaced by a soft formula, say, the right to marriage.
However, speaking more seriously, arguing: “Celibacy - what is it: a duty or a necessity?” - we can come to ambiguous conclusions. Firstly, austerity does not mean a complete rejection of everything. Especially in relation to the Catholic service. Indeed, traditionally the Catholic Church has always remained the center of social, public, and economic life of regional communities. And in this regard, the clergyman did not exactly renounce all worldly things. Secondly, the priest, being actually a political figure, did not care exclusively about the spiritual growth of the entrusted parishioners. Thirdly, initially Christianity did not consider celibacy as a compulsory austerity. Moreover, the rejection of the family and procreation was perceived belligerently negatively. Moreover, according to the logic of Paul, the family is the best tool in the fight against sin.
However, after a long struggle between the Catholic parties at the Council of Trent, the priest's family, as a fact of history, was anathematized. From this moment it was believed that to accept celibacy means to accept the service of God. And nothing should, according to the new church philosophy, interfere with this holy cause. Thus, a formal renunciation of the world and all worldly affairs was demonstrated. Informally, the church remained the key political and power tool of the nascent monarchism and the justification of the absolutist power of the monarchs. Thus, the Catholic Church voluntarily or involuntarily took a dual, mutually exclusive position, which in general terms has been preserved in our time.
It is not surprising that from modern perspectives, the answer to the question “celibacy is what it is” is a rather unofficial, but already well-established definition: a special kind of physical asceticism, which, in theory, should lead to spiritual perfection; an obligatory element of deignment, personnel policy, characteristic only for the Catholic Church as an organizational structure.
Celibacy in Orthodoxy is not common. This is a rather rare occurrence, and few people know about it. In general, the Orthodox Church does not very much approve of celibacy as a phenomenon. Moreover, the Russian Orthodox Church even to some extent stimulates the process of creating families among clergymen, arguing that at the time of the ordination, the father should be married. However, celibacy itself as a principle is not denied. An Orthodox priest can take a vow of celibacy, but only if he agrees to a church position, being unmarried.