Eugene Cullen Kennedy

According to his research, writes Eugene Cullen Kennedy in the following viewpoint, many priests do not view celibacy as a virtue but as a condition to which they must adjust. Unfortunately, he maintains, immature candidates for the priesthood are not yet aware of their own sexuality and may later become confused and tortured by sexual conflict. If a priest is particularly disturbed, says Kennedy, he may eventually sexually abuse children. Kennedy, a former priest, is a professor of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago and author of the book The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What did Kennedy’s research reveal about how priests live celibate lives"
2. How does celibacy serve the institution of the Catholic Church...