The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

CELIBACY, ETC. 463the world who spend years, nay, their whole lives,in the single state? And who shall dare to accusesuch a multitude of incontinency?Nor should any one complain of theseverity ofthe law of clerical celibacy, since the candidatevoluntarily accepts the obligations after mature consideration.Finally, it cannot be urged against celibacy, thatit violates the divine precept to "increase and multiply;" for, this command surely cannot requireall marriageable persons to be united in wedlock.Otherwise, bachelors and spinsters would also beguilty of violating the law. The number of men>ind women consecrated to God by vows of chastityforms but an imperceptible fraction of the humanfamily, their proportion in the United States, forinstance, being only one individual to about everyfour thousand. And, moreover, it is an incontrovertible fact that the population increases most inthose countries in which the Catholic clergy exercisethe strongest influence ; for, there married people areimpressed with the idea that marriage was institutednot for the gratification of the flesh, but for the procreation and Christian education of children.