What type of rules does the Catholic Church have about priestly celibacy?
(A): The Code of Canon Law shows (Canon 277), states the following about clerical celibacy: “Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven and therefore are obliged to observe celibacy, which is a special gift of God, by which sacred ministers can adhere more easily to Christ with an undivided heart and can more freely dedicate themselves to the services of God and mankind.” Pope Paul VI states that priestly celibacy has been guarded by the Church for centuries as a brilliant jewel. Below are several selections from his encyclical promulgated on June 24, 1967. 12. We well realize that there are other objections that can be made against priestly celibacy. This is a very complex question, which touches intimately upon the very meaning of being alive, yet is penetrated and resolved by the light of divine revelation. A never-ending series of difficulties will present themselves to those who cannot “receive this precept”[5] and who do
