Priestly celibacy in the catholic church: African perspective with special focus on Nandi community in Kenya

Abstract

Priestly celibacy, a core feature in the Catholic Church is controversial in Africa as the indigenous African cultural and philosophical thought on marriage contradicts with priestly celibacy. Due to the dearth of studies detailing the indigenous African stance on priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church, the study examined the indigenous African and Protestant Church viewpoints on priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church with a special focus on the Nandi Community. The study had four objectives: to examine the development of priestly celibacy in relation to the Catholic Church in Africa; to evaluate the African indigenous worldviews on celibacy with a special focus on the Nandi community; to examine the perspectives of the protestant clergy on priestly celibacy, and to assess the acceptability/non-acceptability of priestly celibacy within the Nandi community. The study was undergirded by the social constructionist theory and the biological theory of human sexuality, supported by interpretivist philosophy and took a qualitative exploratory cross-sectional design. The study purposively sampled 50 individuals: 10 community members, 25 Nandi sages (75 - 86 years old), 10 Catholic priests, and 5 Protestant clergy. Data collected through interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed before being subjected to a content analysis(NVivo 8). The findings indicated that indigenous Nandi religious ceremonies required ritual purity from the priests (tisik). A celibate priest (kiborenatiot) was groomed separately and tasked with the oblation offerings at the shrine(Kapkoros) during periods of strife, calamities and epidemics. Furthermore, specific indigenous ceremonies, such as circumcision and marriages, required the sponsors (matirenik) and celebrants (boiyop – tum) to observe ritual purity. The indigenous Nandi community viewed chastity as an important virtue to the young and unmarried, while valuing marriage as a means of continuity of life. As such, an unmarried individual (kipsongoiyat) was ostracized and could not participate in any communal event. The indigenous Nandi community could not fathom the practicality of priestly celibacy and loathed Fr Kuhn on sight (the pioneering Catholic priest in Nandi County). Celibate Catholic priests were not culturally and socially accepted by the Nandi community in the mid-20th century but by the turn of the 21st century, priestly celibacy has gained acceptance. There has been a gradual societal acceptance towards priestly celibacy at the community level because of the value attached to purity to indigenous ceremonies. Whereas Catholic priests are acclaimed, they are still individually questioned on their choices at cultural, and societal levels. The study concludes that there exist cultural and social rigidities in the Nandi Community concerning priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church. The study recommends that the Catholic Church hierarchy appreciate the natural and cultural philosophical value attached to African indigenous marriage. The celibacy requirement for Catholic priesthood should remain as it based on the voluntary acceptance of celibacy rule by the individuals who are called to serve as priests. Catholic priests and church ministers across the divide should strictly adhere to the ideals of ministerial priesthood; fidelity and service to God and Humanity