Author: Johann Theodor Wübbels

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13:

Celibacy distinguishes Roman Catholic priestly ministers of the Latin Rite from their colleagues of other churches. What do African church ministers, both Roman Catholic and ministers of other churches, think about the law of ministerial celibacy? Thousands of celibate ministers used to enter Africa from Western countries, but in the West organized religion is in a profound crisis, and Roman Catholic seminaries are nearly empty -- proscribed ministerial celibacy being one of the main reasons. In Africa the Roman Catholic church is growing rapidly in terms of numbers, but in the dominant worldview of sub-Saharan Africa, vital interrelatedness and the continuation of the lineage are paramount issues. This ecumenical study looks at what African church ministers believe about the law of ministerial celibacy, with the thesis that, for African church ministers, celibacy is a major challenge. In this study's field research, 150 church ministers (both men and women, both married and unmarried, from a variety of churches, selected by a snowball sampling) were approached for an interview and a survey. Matthew 19:3-12, where Jesus of Nazareth distinguishes three types of eunuchs, was used as a catalyst. The Nairobi area was chosen because it is the biggest metropolitan concentration of East Africa. Inhabitants are drawn here from all over the country, the continent, and the world. They are exposed to the local and the global, the old and the new.