Celibacy is always, shall we say, an affront to what man normally thinks. It is something that can be done, and is only credible, if there is a God and if celibacy is my doorway into the kingdom of God.
Certainly, it is difficult to make the demands of the Gospel understandable to secularized people. But this pastoral difficulty must not lead to compromises with the truth.
The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."
For many people today, practical atheism is the normal rule of life...If this attitude becomes a general existential position, then freedom no longer has any standards, then everyting is possible and permissible.
Homosexuality is incompatible with the priestly vocation. Otherwise, celibacy itself would lose its meaning as a renunciation.
An unusually good entry on the Catholic Herald entitled "Why Catholics should defend indulgences" gives a good account on indulgences.
It is a very good explanation on why they are a good that should not only be defended but promoted, and shows that it is entirely in line with Christian apostolic tradition.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar