Asunción, Paraguay, Mar 15, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Bishop Claudio Gimenez of Caacupe and President of the Bishops Conference of Paraguay said this week the true and only foundation for celibacy, especially in the New Testament, is the witness given by the Lord with his own life.
Making his statements during Sunday Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Miracles, Bishop Gimenez said he wanted to add his “two-cents worth” to the discussion surrounding celibacy, saying, “Jesus is the true and only priest and as such his is the ideal priestly life. That is how we ought to be, like Him. We tend towards such a great and lofty ideal, which we freely follow. Otherwise it’s not worth it.”
“If I become a priest and I have to force myself to accept celibacy, sooner or later I am going to have problems,” the bishop noted. He pointed out as well that celibacy is a valid option that is part of the norms of the Church in the West. “Jesus Christ is that biblical foundation. If anyone wants to look for something else, I think they will be wasting a lot of time. We aspire to be like Him, to live our priesthood like Him and to thus collaborate with Him in the building of his kingdom,” he concluded.