Since I was born Catholic, I find it hard to knock the whole celibacy thing. Nevertheless, I refuse to believe that ever member of the clergy is "called" by God. Correct me if I am wrong, but a lot of times, this "call" as we refer to it is mostly an institutionalized means of keeping the priesthood stocked. I find it especially hard to believe that the priests involved in these latest scandals were "called" in any way. I know quite a lot of choirboys who were "led", rather than "called" to the priesthood. Sometimes, in some environments, enetering the priesthood is a career decision, as their is no other way to make it in a tough world. It isn't right, and it creates problems, but it happens. I guess I can say this now, from the outside looking in.
Now, to play devil's advocate, the behavior of these priests is extremely deviant, and can we really say that marriage would have prevented it? They did not go and have illicit relationships with women. They used their power to force themselves upon children, boys entrusted to their care. Thus, removing celibacy may not be the complete answer.
There is so much wrong with the church, and this is just a tip of the iceberg. Notice I said church as a generalized term, not just Catholicism. As a christian, I realize why people say what they do about hypocrites. The greatest crime here is the Papacy covering up the crimes for years, moving the priests around instead of dealing with them and having them arrested. Image is everything, and kids had to suffer a result. No amount of secret settlements will erase this.
Of course, a celibate-grounded priesthood isn't for everyone. Which is why I can yap about it so effectively!
