There are all sorts of issues and questions and what not that the Catholic tradition is simply too caught up in.The Catholic church's biggest problem in my view is that we operate authority wise with a framework that seemed okay enough in the first 14 or 15 centuries of the world, but which never took into serious consideration the educational level and various advances in self-understanding and so on, understanding of human nature, that now we all take for granted. We put way too much power at the top in the hands of far too few and insist on a view of 'truth' that is inaccurate, not in keeping with reality.
The hottest controversy in my view as a celibate heterosexual priest is not the question of mandatory celibacy for the priesthood (many priests have spoken of this publicly in recent years and it is an important topic, yes).
What no one in the Church wants to tackle publicly is the question of gays and lesbians in the world and how they fit into the scheme of things.
Bishops are scared to death of this question especially because percentage wise, they've just got to know a number of their Sisters, priests, seminarians and so on are not straight/hetereosexual.
The insistence from Rome that homosexuals who are sexually expressive are automatically 'sinning', even in the context of committed and enduring relationships, is simply nonsense. I say this a 65 year old celibate heterosexual priest who has never inappropriately touched a woman in my office or classroom.
If I or anyone with much of a public profile said this out loud, our superiors would call us to the sidelines for a one to one in the wink of an eye.
What is 'truth' may of course never be completely clear. I mean moral truth, the real stuff of goodness. The church in too many ways claims to have the handle on moral truth, and it's off, it's not that way.
A related problem of course is, "who is the church?" We're an extremely big family. The voice of the laity is almost never allowed however to really come out.
I am lucky in that I love my 'work' as a priest. But had I not become a missionary and not had the chance to enter a foreign and fascinating culture like Vietnam here, given the chance to study the language -- if I hadn't become a college instructor chap surrounded by all these interesting young people and hopefully being of some use to them - - would I have been able to hack it? I am honestly not sure.
I could so easly have wound up a 3 year priest, or a 7 or a 12 year and then out, man, out and married. I would have loved to be a dad.
I am by no means perfect. Somehow God has helped me keep my hands off huge numbers of female students and female office workers that affect me eomtionally and sexually strongly - and the fear of hurting someone, scandal and all the rest naturally have helped me toe the. line - and I do think for guys like me, celibacy is a positive statement to the world and our people . . . but only if the 'work' is very very fulfilling. As thank heavens, mine is.
Thanks for listening.
An American White Catholic Priest Working in Vietnam -- Born in Florida in 1945
