why does the Catholic Church require Celibacy for its Priests?

according to St Paul's explicit teaching in 1 Corinthians 7:7-38, and in our Lord's statements in Matthew 19:12, the celibate priest can singleheartedly devote himself both to God and his flock.

Opponents of celibacy often simply assume that such a life is utterly impossible, whereas, our Lord Jesus and St. Paul undeniably teach the contrary, and the desirability-even preferability-of celibacy for those so called.

no one is forced to be celibate. it is both a matter of personal choice and, on a deeper level, an acceptance of one's calling, as given by God.

St. Paul acknowledges both the divine impetus and the free-will initiative of human beings.
if a man is called to celibacy, he will be given both the desire and the ability to carry out this lifestyle successfully.
if one is not called to celibacy or the Priesthood, then he or she ought to get married.

to personally renounce something is not to regard it as evil. one may give up eating potatoes, reading fiction, ice skating, or swimming for various and sundry reasons (for lent), but this does not make any of them evil in and of themselves.

likewise, the Catholic Church is not in any sense whatsoever against marriage or sexuality, as long as these are within the proper biblical and moral guidelines.

marriage and ordination are both Sacraments, and positive and wonderful means of God's grace, in Catholicism.

we observe God calling the prophet Jeremiah to a celibate life in Scripture: "Do not marry any woman..."(Jer 16:2). And of course, St. Paul was a single, celibate man: "Now to the unmarried and to widows, I say: it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do" (1 Cor 7:8).