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Introduction: a Time for Listening 1 Prologue 1 an Outline of the Study 2 Brief Overview of Theory 4 Significance 8 Organization of the Thesis 10 Faculty of Media, Society and Culture Public Dignity, Private Turmoil: An Anthropological Study of Celibacy and Sexual Intimacy in the Roman Catholic Priesthood Jane Estelle Anderson This thesis is presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Curtin University of Technology August 2003 1 Declaration This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made. Signature: …………………………………………. Date: ………………………... 2 Dedication I hope and pray that this thesis may serve the social, personal and spiritual good of priests, priests’ friends, and all who read it. 3 Abstract In the Roman Catholic Church, membership of the priesthood is confined to males who are canonically required to observe perpetual continence in celibacy. This requisite is upheld by the belief that priests mediate between God and mankind and that their “supernatural” status, reflected in celibacy, transcends the profane “natural” category of being, epitomized by sexual intimacy. Significant changes in the social and cultural contexts of the Church and the world, however, have seen increasing numbers of priests contesting this canon law from the perspective of their own, often contrary, experiences of celibacy and sexual intimacy. Calls for change have been strongly resisted by the papacy. From a perspective of social poetics, this study methodically investigates the rhetorics used by the papacy and priests with friends respectively to promote their interests in celibacy and sexual intimacy. The papacy puts forward a total and singular vision of celibacy. In contrast, priests with friends identify contradictions between the universalised vision of the papacy and their locally situated experiences, inclusive of their intimate relationships. In endeavouring to resolve these contradictions, these priests produce disjunctions that separate their rhetorics of word and deed from that of the papacy’s rhetoric. The rhetorics of the papacy and priests with friends are organized in a subset of rhetorics, namely, those that constitute faith and social order, position an individual in a social order, and radical change. Firstly, I examine how the hegemony of celibacy has been established and then eroded in ritual and in broader Catholic society. This erosion has resulted in an ideological struggle between the papacy and priests with friends. Secondly, I consider how the papacy and priests with friends construct and deconstruct morality, identity, and stereotypes within cultural intimacy. The papacy creates an abstract, universal and summarizing rhetoric of celibacy to uphold its total moral system. Priests with friends, however, construct a moral system that takes into account the complexities and contingencies of their lives and ministries. Thirdly, I examine how some of these priests use a rhetoric of radical change to promote their friendships in public. This analysis consequently indicates 4 marked differences in each rhetorical emphasis, and shows how these disagreements produce social dissonance within the priesthood and the Church. 5 Acknowledgements This thesis is one product of an eight-year adventure, full of struggle and toil, discovery and excitement. During this time, I have been privileged to share in the lives of some remarkable men and women, who through their goodwill and generosity have allowed me to explore the frontiers of knowledge and spirituality. This adventure could never have taken place if it were not for the many priests and others who have courageously shared intimate details of their lives, and the accumulated wisdom of their lives and professions. Thank you. Special mention goes to those priests who participated in this study and while I cannot name them, particular thanks are given to J, T, P, P, M and M, and those who facilitated this research, especially B. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Rev. Dr. Ian Mackay, faithful friend and wise mentor who as well, charitably gave of his vast knowledge. Included in this debt are Bill and Marie Welsh, Dr. Terence Collins and Jim Madden, members of the Epiphany Association who provided ongoing support, practical help, and great encouragement. I would also like to thank Rev. Dr. Paul Collins for his excellent advice. This thesis was primarily written under the supervision of Dr. Philip Moore. To him I express my sincere gratitude for his incredible patience, anthropological insight and creative encouragement. I have also learnt from Dr. Moore that the academic journey is not divorced from the human quest, and I remain truly grateful for his wise guidance. My gratitude extends to Associate Professor Joan Wardrop who assisted in the supervision in the latter stage of this project. Thank you for your astute contribution. The Curtin University of Technology must also be commended for its part in this research. The award of a fifteen-month scholarship ensured that this research has been completed. My appreciation also goes to the staff of the Off-Campus Library Service for their patient and generous assistance. 6 Table of Contents Declaration ii Dedication iii Abstract iv Acknowledgements vi Table of Contents vii Conventions xi Introduction: A Time for Listening 1 Prologue 1 An Outline of the Study 2 Brief Overview of Theory 4 Significance 8 Organization of the Thesis 10 Chapter 1: An Assessment of the Social Landscape: Literature, Theory and Method 13 Celibacy in the Anthropological Context 13 Celibacy in the Context of the Church 15 Tradition of the Theoretical View 20 The Research Process 26 Interviews with Priests 29 Research Principles and Ethics 33 Documentary Sources 35 Approach to Analysis 36 Dilemmas with Language 37 Conclusion 39 Chapter 2: The Dilemma of Disjunctions 41 The Total Identity of a Priest 42 The Lack of Wholeness and Well-being of a Priest 43 The Commitment to Celibacy: Absolute or Contingent? 50 The Schemes Behind the Sacrament of Penance 55 The Politics and Processes of the Sacrament 56 7 Dialogue: A Solution to the Problem of Celibacy 63 An Assessment of Priestly Strategies 67 Conclusion 69 Chapter 3: The Ritual Organization of Celibacy 71 Hegemony and Eucharist 72 The Socially Ordered Play of Eucharist 73 The Ritual Sacrifice of Sexual Intimacy 79 The Daily Sacrifice to Celibacy 80 The Sacrifice of Priests 82 “Sweating Blood:” The Trauma of Contracting Friendship 85 The Papacy’s Maintenance of Priests’ Sacrifices 87 The Sexually Intimate Contest 93 Sacred Body, Sacred Bread 95 Difficulties and Dreams 97 Conclusion 100 Chapter 4: The Social Organization of Celibacy 102 The Genesis of Hegemony 103 The Gradual Erosion of Celibacy 107 Officially, Love is Conditional 109 Canon Law and Celibacy 112 The Responses of Dissidents to the Hegemony of Celibacy 114 The Problems of Disclosure 117 The Laity’s Role as the “Pope’s Policemen” 123 The Papacy: A Force to be Reckoned With 128 Conclusion 131 Chapter 5: The Contest of Moralities 134 The Papacy’s Use of Etymology 135 Multiple Claims Made of Tradition 140 The Moral Status of Eternal Verities 142 The Immorality of Celibacy 144 8 The Moral Relativity of Celibacy 149 The Morality of Sexual Intimacy 151 God Bless Friendship 157 The Ambiguity of Celibacy 159 Conclusion 162 Chapter 6: The Struggle Over Identities 164 The Process of an Iconicity of Celibacy 165 The Iconicity of Jesus as Celibate 167 The Iconic Use of Scripture: The Matthean Idiom 171 The Iconic Use of Scripture: The Corinthian Idiom 173 The Papacy’s Attempt to Make New Iconicities 176 A Priest in Love 178 Saints: Past and Present 181 The Iconicity of Fatherhood 185 The Status of the Papacy’s Iconicity of Celibacy 189 Conclusion 194 Chapter 7: The Control of Stereotypes 196 The Iconic Construction of Mary 197 The Patriarchal Ban on Homosexuality 200 The Papacy’s Use of Stereotypes 203 A Challenge to the Stereotype of Celibacy 204 The Homosexual Challenge 211 The Contest of Women 213 A Challenge to Locally Crafted Repetitions of Stereotypes 215 A Joke about the “Two Talking Parrots” 218 An Overview of Culturally Intimate Resistances 221 Conclusion 223 Chapter 8: Typical Priests and Their Ordinary Friendships 225 Sources of Dissent and Intransigence 226 The Pursuit of Sexual Egalitarianism 230 A Quest for Authenticity 233 The Politics of Ordinariness 236 9 A Typical Priest and Ordinary Friendship 237 Local Performances for Local Circumstances 239 Some Dangers of Typical Practices 243 Preaching Practices 245 An Enlarged Typicality 247 Ongoing Negotiations 249 Conclusion 252 Conclusion: Having Listened 254 Summary 254 Dual Significance 259 A Consequence of Listening 261 Afterword: A Pathway to the Future Priesthood 265 References 269 Appendices 284 Appendix A: Excerpt from The Swag 284 Appendix B: List of 30 questions 285 10 Conventions Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from The Harper Collins Study Bible, New Revised Standard Version (1993). Gospel references use the customary short-form, for example, “Matthew” is cited as “Mt.” Whenever quoting a priest, either from my own research or from another source, I have put their words into italics so that their rhetoric can be clearly identified. I have quoted the pope’s Holy Thursday Letters, and noted them by year. As is customary, dates given for the popes are for their papal reign. 11 Introduction: A Time for Listening Prologue Many years ago, I lived in a remote rural area that could be described as the “black hole” of the diocese. In my eleven years there, our parish was consecutively assigned five priests, four of whom faced significant personal hardship. Alone on the endless highways that traverse the Australian bush, each of these priests travelled long distances to make visitations to isolated farms and to celebrate Mass in outlying parish centres. In doing so, they confronted the limits of their humanity.
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