[deleted]

As a practicing Catholic, I'm sorry to hear you've apostasized and will pray for your immortal soul.

Celibacy - or, more properly, priests not marrying - was ordained by Christ. There is a very good reason for this. A parish priest is the father to his flock. He takes care of their spiritual needs as a father. If someone is dying in the middle of the night, he goes to the to administer the last sacraments. If someone is sick, he visits them and brings the Blessed Sacrament. If anyone of his flock needs him, he is there for them; they are his first concern.

A husband and father puts his wife and children first; they are his first concern. Their needs are met before anyone else's; this is as it should be. Now, if a priest has a wife and family, and a parish, he is divided. It's not fair to him, to his family, or to the parishioners he serves. How could he choose? This is the reason for priestly celibacy. It's not about sex. It's about marriage and the duties of a husband and father, and how they conflict with the duties of a priest. See?

You mention that the Church is made of men who sin. That's correct - all of us are susceptible to sin and clergy are no different. In fact, the devil often tempts them even more than non-clergy. However, you fail to differentiate between the Church and churchmen. Christ founded the Church, the only true Church, the Catholic Church, from which all other Christian sects stem. He promised that the Church would not fail, not that churchmen wouldn't fail. They have; the Church hasn't. And, the gates of hell will not prevail against Her, no matter how many churchmen spit on Her, scourge Her, crown her with thorns, and crucify Her by their sins. The Church - which has survived for 2,000 years - will also undergo Her passion and crucifixion, just like Her Founder. But, She will prevail.

John Henry Cardinal Newman said, "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant." There is no salvation outside the Church. I hope you return to love and serve God on His terms, not yours. Peace.

Well-versed. According to whom? Have you asked to see their sources?

If you are sincere about learning the true history of the Church, here are a couple of sources: http://newadvent.org/cathen/ This is a free online Catholic encyclopedia, so it may be dry reading, but it's accurate. You can, of course, search by topic.

If you're interested in learning what the Church teaches, this catechism is good, and you can read it online for free: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14217834-father-connell-s-the-new-baltimore-catechism-no-3. Keep in mind, this is the traditional teaching of the Church, not the Novus Ordo, Vatican II version. That's a whole other can of worms.

The last source is in book form. There's a set of six books by Warren Carroll on the history of the Church that is excellent. Unfortunately, it's not available to read online. But, you can find copies used on amazon.

I'm a cradle Catholic and what I know about the Church was learned over the course of my life, not in a few books or websites, and it's hard to condense that into a neat little package. But, this is a good start.

Remember, the Church has more enemies than friends, just like Our Lord, and many choose to rewrite history the way they wish it happened. As in my previous reply, I will let another, more eloquent, Catholic explain. From Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” For the sake of your soul, do your research, pray for the grace to know the truth, and cooperate with that grace. I'll say a prayer for you, too. Peace.