Why should a biblical scholar take note of canon law? We might
equally ask, why should the blogging son of a canon lawyer
suddenly push onto the front stage an article written by his
father almost six years ago? Why now? Thomas Peters, who calls
himself “American Papist,” published a few days ago a blog post
titled “Church Law says Permanent Deacons (and all clerics) are
obliged to abstain from sex, notes Canonist Edward Peters
{updated}” in which he states he has “been struggling to decide
the appropriate way to help bring this issue before the Church’s
attention.” After struggling for five years, he decided a post
on his blog and a Twitter comment remarking on his “my
controversial post showing that permanent deacons (& all
clerics) are obliged to abstain from sex” would be best .  Since
it appeared on my Twitter feed, and since I have taught biblical
studies to candidates for the permanent diaconate and their
wives for the past six or seven years, I was intrigued not so
much by the post but by the actual a