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"New love," casley works from home I’d need twenty-four-hour access to a bed, too, if I was surrounded by sights like that all the tie of his twenty-four-hour access to beds"

"I don’t blame him" Grace turned away from the scene at the end of the hall "I don’t blame any of you"

"Not even me?"

Grace sat down on the top step and put her back to the stair railing

"Not even you, Father Stearns" She srandfather was a minister in the Presbyterian church He had a wife, children Zachary’s brother Aaron is a rabbi and has a wife and children, too I’ve never understood the Catholic church’s insistence on celibate priests"

"Celibacy wasn’t always mandatory for the priesthood New Testament church leaders were reported to have had wives It wasn’t until the eleventh century that it was spelled out as obligatory in the First Council of the Lateran The Second Council of the Lateran banned jousting"

"Jousting?"

"Yes They were apparently of equal theological weight"

"You don’t joust, do you?"

"Only with Eleanor"

"I remember my European history I don’t think many of the popes even adhered to the vow of celibacy Rather unfair to enforce it a the priests"

"It hasn’t been enforced Not consistently Most African priests do get married and the bishops turn a blind eye Eastern Rite priests are allowed to marry Only the breaches that reach the public are punished"

"So what’s the purpose of the vow? Psychological torture?"

"There are varying theories When the church beca itself rich Married priests meant sons Sons inherited money and land The church wanted to keep that money and land in its own hands Thus was born the vow of celibacy Now, of course, most bishops knew the priests would still have lovers and mistresses But if they weren’t allowed to itimate and couldn’t inherit"

"That’s the reason?"

"One of several I would say it’s the real reason, which is why it’s difficult for those of us who know church history to take the vow as so God intended The church’s official position is that priests are to be celibate because Christ was celibate It’s also omen can’t become priests"

"Christ was also Jewish and circumcised Do they require all priests to be of Jewish descent and circumcised, as well? If that were true, then my husband would make a better priest than you And I promise, he wouldn’t It’s ludicrous to draw the line so fine"

"I won’t argue with you The Jesuits have always been more liberal on these issues A married Catholic woman on birth control is considered unchaste even if she’s faithful to her husband We tend to overlook those types of glaring absurdities"

"And overlook the occasional lover?"