In the half-century since Pope Paul VI issued Sacerdotalis Caelibatus, its portrait of priestly celibacy as a “brilliant jewel” has defined the Latin Church’s discipline without ever quite grappling with the complexities beneath the surface. Written as the Second Vatican Council’s fresh winds still blew through ecclesial corridors, the encyclical cast celibacy in exalted, almost mystical terms: a definitive sign of a priest’s total self-gift, a foretaste of heavenly communion and a service rendered unencumbered by earthly ties.