I’ve never really understood why “Jesuitical” is a slur in the English language, as almost every Jesuit I’ve met is charming, well-informed, and eminently fair. Rev. James Martin is no exception. He’s been holding forth recently on The Huffington Post, NPR, and elsewhere on the theme that celibacy is not the problem vis-a-vis the sexual abuse crisis in the Roman church—that the core issues are power and secrecy and a self-protective all-male hierarchical culture.
He and I chatted about this and many other matters in a temperate (too temperate?) exchange for “bloggingheadsTV.” There’s good material in the piece on “heroes” of celibacy: persons whom Jim Martin thinks gave and still give a lot to the world on account of living chaste and celibate lives. Had I been slightly more alert, I might have called him on the “post hoc ergo propter hoc” problem in this: i.e., Is it because of celibacy that, say, Francis of Assisi or Oscar Romero were amazing leaders, or is celibacy incidental to their greatness? And what of non-celibate heroes of faith, like Tutu and King and many others?
Anyway, check the video and tell me what you think.
The Whole Thing (scroll down for segments):
Does celibacy encourage priestly abuse? (06:54)
The Anglican overture, married priests, and women priests (07:33)
Jim calls for women in the Church’s leadership (07:12)
Is celibacy abnormal? (07:22)
Jim: Clerical culture, not celibacy, is to blame for the abuse scandal (06:57)
The universal call to holiness (03:35)
