Why do you affirm that celibacy is a path to Christian fullness? Father García-Morato: Both celibacy as well as marriage are paths to Christian fullness, namely, to holiness.   St. John in his gospel reveals that “God is Love” and because we are created in God’s image and likeness, we are all called to love.  Christian revelation points out two vocational paths of fully realizing this divine identity: marriage and celibacy in any of its forms.  Both are included in God's plans.  Both need each other to understand each other better.  Both are a ways of self-giving.  And in order to give oneself, one must first possess oneself.  As a person created in God’s image and likeness, we are not "half a person."   Each person is complete in himself.  Only a complete person can bring his whole self into play and give himself — to God or to another person — with sufficient maturity to make that decision freely. This is why chastity and celibacy are part of the path of human and Christian fullness.   Because when it comes to loving God, in response to a call that is implied in that gift, every dimension of our humanity must come into play, especially those that depend on the masculine or feminine condition, excluding simply the exercise of sexuality outside of monogamous marital relations.  That was the lifestyle of Jesus Christ, the perfect man, and of the Virgin Mary - a lifestyle that has an irreplaceable role in the history of redemption.

Do you think priestly celibacy is a topic that can be revised theologically? Could the law of celibacy in the Catholic Church be abolished? Father García-Morato: Of course, celibacy is a discipline, not a dogma of our faith.  It is a way of life that grew within the Church since the second century.  In its historical context, the link between celibacy and priesthood is not essential.  What is essential is the profound congruence between the mystery of Christ and the mystery of the sacramental priesthood.  So yes, there is the hypothetical possibility of abolishing celibacy, just as there is for any other ecclesiastical law that does not respond directly to an express mandate of divine law and the faith handed down from the Apostles.  However, the conviction of the Church in regard to the correspondence of the priesthood with a celibate priestly ministry is neither pragmatic nor situational, but profoundly based.  The Catholic Church continues to trust in God's continuing to distribute the grace that is the gift of celibacy among many young men and in his sending those same graced young men to become the sacred ministers necessary for the life of the Church.   As a doctor, do you think that celibacy is an unnatural "repression" that can result in psychological problems? Father García-Morato: Celibacy does not impoverish the personality.  On the contrary, by being one of the paths to full realization of the person's vocation to love, it enriches him.  I have seen this many times, thank God.  However, I am aware that there are individuals who wonder if it is not emotionally and mentally healthier to have a spouse and a family rather than to live celibacy. As I noted earlier, each person is complete in himself and is fulfilled in relation with others.  Further, it is not possible for a married person to relate to all persons, or to make use of the innumerable opportunities to relate to one another. The promises made and responsibilities taken up by a married person necessarily limits their relational options with others.  Whether a person is celibate or married, each person freely chooses those relationships they consider most appropriate for their personal fulfillment as well as the limits that they will observe for the good of those relationships. The problem, to my mind, does not reside in living celibately.  In life, what is terrible for the inner harmony and mental health of a man or woman does not lie in being celibate or married.  The crux of the question lies in having made a free decision and remaining true to that decision as its manifestations affect one's whole existence.   In whatever vocational state you find yourself in, problems arise by continuing to envy what one has not chosen, filling oneself with ever greater anxiety.  This is what Jesus was talking about when he spoke of the unworthiness of the one who puts their hand to the plow and continues to look back.  It is a sign of immaturity, which destroys and plays havoc with any existing commitment and even ends up by making one incapable of future commitments. We must all learn to make decisions and to understand that, with every decision, we discard many options; and assume it with the view of one who starts on new paths full of surprises.  That is why, faced with the fundamental questions of life, decisions must only be made if we are aware and are prepared to have them be decisions that, in fact, draw after them the whole personality. If a decision is made, and the rest of the personality goes another way, inevitably a high-risk situation is created for mental health and personal harmony, both in celibacy as well as marriage.