History Main / VowOfCelibacy

* In Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin's ''Literature/EarthseaTrilogy'' wizards are required to be celibate. However, one entry in the novella collection ''Tales from Earthsea'' shows the origins of the WizardingSchool on the isle of Roke. The order didn't originally require celibacy and admitted female members, but early in the order's history an extremist faction took it over and added those rules.

* One ''Series/BlueBloods'' episode has the Reagans' now-deceased minister be investigated as a candidate for canonization. Frank discovers that Father Bill had a secret romantic relationship with a woman for a number of years, but in deference to his Catholic vow of celibacy it was apparently never consummated. Frank compares this favorably to a saint who was a party to what would nowadays be considered genocide, and concludes that "the church could do a lot worse than Saint Bill from Brooklyn."

** A random event that may trigger if you were in love with a deceased spouse allows you to [[TheLostLenore forever swear off sex in their memory]], granting the trait "Celibate". Alternatively you can go out partying and try to forget her, giving the trait "Lustful".

* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings II'', Roman Catholic bishops (including cardinals and the Pope) are supposed to be celibate, though Catholic court chaplains are not. It is possible to appoint a married man to a bishopric, in which case he'll divorce his wife. Appointing a character to a bishopric or ordering them to take the vows also disqualifies them from succession, though not from being claimants to a title. Of course, just because they've ''taken'' the vows doesn't mean the character will necessarily ''abide by them'': with the Seduction focus from the ''Way of Life'' DLC, it's not unheard-of for Catholic clergy up to and including the Pope to end up with mistresses and bastard children. (It is not possible to play as a Catholic religious ruler without mods due to the object of the game being to continue your ''dynasty'' rather than any particular ''title''.) Orthodox clergy get a lesser version of this: they're not allowed to marry, but they can freely ''stay'' married if they were before their ordination.

* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings II'', Roman Catholic bishops (including cardinals and the Pope) are supposed to be celibate, though Catholic court chaplains are not. It is possible to appoint a married man to a bishopric, in which case he'll divorce his wife. (It's not possible to play as a Catholic religious ruler without mods, due to the object of the game being to ensure the continuance of your ''genetic'' dynasty.) If playing as a Catholic ruler, you can also order courtiers to take the vows, which disqualifies them from succession. Of course, just because they've ''taken'' the vows doesn't mean the character will necessarily ''abide by them'': with the Seduction focus from the ''Way of Life'' DLC, it's not unheard-of for Catholic clergy up to and including the Pope to end up with mistresses and bastard children.

* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings II'', Roman Catholic bishops (including cardinals and the Pope) are supposed to be celibate, though court chaplains are not. It is possible to appoint a married man to a bishopric, in which case he'll divorce his wife. (It's not possible to play as a Catholic religious ruler without mods, due to the object of the game being to ensure the continuance of your ''genetic'' dynasty.) If playing as a Catholic ruler, you can also order courtiers to take the vows, which disqualifies them from succession.

* The ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'' series has the Cassiline Brotherhood, a group of elite {{Warrior Monk}}s whose vows include celibacy. This follows the example of the archangel Cassiel, who unlike the other angels that followed the d'Angelines' precursor Elua, did not lie with mortals. Joscelin, Phedre's bodyguard, breaks this rule with her, and is outcast.

* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings II'', Roman Catholic bishops (including cardinals and the Pope) are supposed to be celibate, though court chaplains are not. It is possible to appoint a married man to a bishopric, in which case he'll divorce his wife. (It's not possible to play as a Catholic religious ruler without mods, due to the object of the game being to ensure the continuance of your ''genetic'' dynasty.)

Questions about exactly what counts as a breach of celibacy may arise -- in these cases, there are often parallels with TechnicalVirgin. In some settings, celibacy will have a practical purpose, such as to preserve VirginPower. Being LockedAwayInAMonastery can be an attempt to enforce vows of celibacy for political purposes. When rules like this are applied to the whole of society, it's NoSexAllowed.

Compare CantHaveSexEver, where sex is prevented by something more tangible and hazardous than just obligations.

Some organizations require that their members refrain from having sexual or marital relations. It's particularly common in religious groups - some churches bar their priests from such things, and most monastic traditions forbid them as well. Typically, these restrictions will take the form of a vow of celibacy (although simply making celibacy a rule, without anyone swearing anything, has basically the same effect).

(A note on terminology: People can mean different things by the word "celibacy" - sometimes it means not having sex, but it can also mean not being married. The fuzziness of definition may be due to the fact that traditionally, a ban on marriage equated to a ban on sex automatically, since extramarital sex was forbidden. In fictional examples, however, this may not be so.)

An obligation of celibacy can be used in stories for a number of purposes. Sometimes, it adds a complication to a love story - two characters may be [[UnresolvedSexualTension attracted to each other]], yet prevented from pursuing it by such a rule. It can be a cause of inner turmoil when characters are torn between their feelings and their vows, especially if the very fact that they have sexual feelings [[SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny is something they feel ashamed of]]. If a character is supposed to be subject to rules of celibacy but has a chance to break them, whether they do or not can be used for the purposes of characterisation - it's typically portrayed negatively if they do, such as to help establish a character as a SinisterMinister, although tropes like DirtyOldMonk and NaughtyNuns can be played for laughs or used as a humanising element as well. Whether celibacy requirements themselves are portrayed as positive, negative, or a mixture will depend on the writer.

Questions about exactly what counts as a breach of celibacy may arise - in these cases, there are often parallels with TechnicalVirgin. In some settings, celibacy will have a practical purpose, such as to preserve VirginPower. Being LockedAwayInAMonastery can be an attempt to enforce vows of celibacy for political purposes. When rules like this are applied to the whole of society, it's NoSexAllowed.

* Claude Frollo, the main antagonist of ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', is torn between the pious celibacy he is supposed to maintain as an archdeacon and his lust for the gypsy Esmerelda, becoming [[LoveMakesYouEvil increasingly unstable]] as he fails to reconcile the two. (Not all adaptations maintain Frollo's status as an ordained priest, though - in [[Disney/TheHunchbackofNotreDame the Disney one]], he's a judge, and therefore bound only by his own hangups rather than by a priestly vow.)

* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, medicine cats (the healers/spiritual leaders of their Clan) - are not allowed to take a mate. It is also often said that female deputies and leaders cannot have kits, but for them it's more of a guideline, as compared to the medicine cats, where it's a very strict rule.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', the Asari race have a group called the Ardat-Yakshi who are compelled to live in celibate isolation in monasteries. For Asari, sex involves a connection between nervous systems, but the Ardat-Yakshi have a genetic condition which causes this connection to be dangerous and possibly fatal for the other partner - to protect people from this, Ardat-Yakshi are subjected to monastic celibacy whether they like it or not.

* Some Christian religious denominations require that their priests be celibate. The most well known of these is probably the Roman Catholic Church. However, other denominations, including most Protestant groups, have no such requirement and their pastors are free to marry. Some denominations take an intermediate approach - Eastern Orthodoxy, for example, generally requires bishops to be celibate, but allows ordinary priests to be married provided the marriage predates their ordination.

* Some Christian religious denominations require that their priests be celibate. The most well known of these is probably the Roman Catholic Church. Other denominations, however, have no such requirement - Anglicans, for example, are free to marry. Some denominations take an intermediate approach - Eastern Orthodoxy, for example, generally requires bishops to be celibate, but allows ordinary priests to be married provided the marriage predates their ordination.

* In ''[[Film/{{Priest1994}} Priest]]'' (1994), a new Catholic priest starts to question his faith after embarking on a sexual relationship despite his vows. (He's also gay, which makes it even more forbidden.)
* In a another film called ''Film/{{Priest}}'', the titular priests (who are more like warriors than priests as commonly understood, but are still associated with the Church) are required to be celibate. The main character left his lover and newborn daughter behind when he joined.

* Ancient Rome had the Vestal Virgins, who were punished very severely for any loss of their main qualification.

* Works which form part of the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' sometimes deal with Jedi rules about relationships in more detail. [[DependingOnTheWriter Different writers seem to have taken different approaches]] (some of them pre-''[[Film/ThePhantomMenace Phantom Menace]]'' {{backstory}} decisions that ended up getting {{Jossed}} by the prequel trilogy, with associated {{retcon}}s to make them fit), with the result that whatever rules the Jedi are said to have had, they must have changed over time or had lots of exceptions. Some characters seem to be married without repercussion, while others are told it isn't allowed. Specific examples:

* In {{Dragonvarld}}, the Sisterhood has a selective form. Generally speaking, its members aren't supposed to have relationships with men, but exceptions are made for a [[BabyFactory breeding program]], and they're all quite able to have relationships with women. Melisande, the high priestess, and Bellona, the captain of the [[AmazonBrigade all-female guard]], are lovers. When it appears that [[spoiler:Melisande has run off with a man (actually having been rescued by him from a non-evident threat)]], it's a big scandal.

* In the first book of ''Literature/TheElenium'' it notes that the Pandion Knights had originally taken an oath to never marry (and by implication never have sex). However, due to a shortage of Pandions and applicants for knighthood they were allowed by the church to take back their vows so they could marry and have children.

* One ''Series/BlueBloods'' episode has the Reagans' now-deceased minister be investigated as a candidate for canonization. Frank discovers that Father Bill had a secret romantic relationship with a woman for a number of years, but in deference to his Catholic vow of celibacy it was apparently never consummated.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Company chaplain Rev. Theo Fobius [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2001-02-22 has a vow of chastity]] and tries to draw a distinction from a vow of celibacy. But after spending 18 hours TrappedInAnElevator with the [[BuxomIsBetter very well-endowed]], former exotic dancer chief medical officer Edward Bunnigus, he realizes that for all practical purposes they're the same thing.

* Even where celibacy isn't required for priests, it is generally considered fairly fundamental to the concept of monasticism, both in the West and in the East.

* In ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', we learn Lt. Ilia has an "Oath of Celibacy", we she randomly informs Admiral Kirk of when she arrives on the Enterprise's bridge. The story behind this is expanded upon in the {{Novelization}}: Deltans (Ilia's race) are highly sexual and view humans as immature when it comes to sex, and more to the point having sex with a non-Deltan can potentially kill their partner (because it involves a blending of minds as well as bodies). Deltans are compelled to take a vow of celibacy in order to join Starfleet.