AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun
TOM ELLIOTT HERALD SUN AUGUST 30, 2014
THE ongoing Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse has already shone some welcome light into a variety of dark places.
One such place is the Catholic Church’s requirement for its priests to remain celibate. Physical intimacy with a significant other is a normal and fundamental part of human existence. It can’t be a good idea for priests to repress that urge.
When asked about this a few days ago, the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, described celibacy as “fulfilling” and a “wonderful vocation”. He also refused to accept a sexual life was necessary for all people. On which planet is the Archbishop living?
In the animal kingdom, the desire to procreate and ensure one’s genes continue is a powerful innate force. Male lions fight each other, sometimes to the death, for access to females. Adult elephants will form a protective ring around a sickly youngster to keep predators at bay.
The human world is really not very different. Middle-aged men buy expensive sports cars, dye their hair and bleach their teeth in an effort to impress women.
And on a more serious note, adults of either gender will go to extraordinary lengths to protect and nurture their children.
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