My Life in Argentina and Beyond

Friday, November 13, 2009: Today I am remembering a lost love. He was a priest and I was head over heels in love with him. Frankly, I cared nothing about religion, but because we lived in a Peyton Place type neighborhood, I pretended to. I cared deeply about him and I lost him. I will never recover that love and/or that magical feeling. That only came once in my life and it is gone forever. I hope that one day soon, when a woman falls in love with a priest, she can marry him. And I also hope that she won't have to hide her love and pretend to love someone else--someone who does not exist.Eugenia Renskoff

South American priests are expected to have a woman and maintain the facade of celibacy. Eugenia Renskoff

I am not in favor of priests having lovers. It is true that the longer living a lie goes on, the worse it'll be. It will just go on and on. That is why I so strongly believe in Optional Celibacy. There is no reason why priests cannot have wives and girlfriends. Eugenia Renskoff

Celibacy should never be a job criteria. Not for the prieshood, not for anything. Eugenia Renskoff

 We do not have optional celibacy. You have to make a vow of celibacy before you are ordained. The vow can be broken if a man/priest falls in love. There is no sin when that happens. Feelings are feelings and repression is harmful. Very harmful. Isn't the Church all for Love? And shouldn't that love be human (as in man/woman) and not just spiritual, serving the parishioners kind of love? Both loves are very noble and should be part of a priest's life if he so chooses. Eugenia Renskoff

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: I am now grown up enough to say this: after having loved a priest many years ago, I am proud of that love. If the experience could be repeated I would wish and hope and pray for a different ending. But I would, without any question or doubt, tell him that I loved him, like I did once.

I totally agree with you. The Church is doing itself in by honing the image of the priesthood. There is nothing glorious about being celibate. If I had a son, I would not want him to be a priest. Eugenia Renskoff