Celibacy and the Priesthood Term Papers

Celibacy and the Priesthood term papers show that the early arguments for priests' celibacy typically took two forms. Some, such as Ambrose, believed that priests who continued engaging in sexual activities "pray for others with unclean minds as well as unclean bodies," while others believed that because Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin, only virgins should offer the Eucharist, or communion, on the altar. Celibacy gained support as a sort of antitrust measure that would end the practice of bishops passing along their considerable wealth and power to their sons in the Middle Ages. In 1054, Pope Leo's delegate to Byzantium condemned the Eastern Churches for allowing priests to marry, and in 1130 Pope Innocent II asserted, "Since priests are supposed to be God's temples, vessels of the Lord and sanctuaries of the Holy Spirit…it offends their dignity to lie in the conjugal bed and live in impurity". Celibacy officially became mandatory for all Roman Catholic clergy in 1139.

Another historic argument for celibacy among priests has been the ideal of the ascetic. This emphasis came from the Orient, according to some scholars. Like Buddha and sects of monks who found enlightenment through the denial of certain earthly pleasures, the celibacy of priests sets them apart from the common person. However, unlike the Dalai Llama and other ascetics who also refrain from other comforts, such as alcohol, tobacco games and movies, most priests live comfortable lifestyles.

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