You are probably a good Catholic, and you have heard of the concept of clerical celibacy.
To put it simply, priests are not supposed to date or get married.
Priests are devoted to the service in the church, and they are mainly under an oath of celibacy.
This often makes people assume they are emotionless.
This, coupled with the role of spiritual guidance that they play to others, is responsible for the conventional expectation that they cannot be attracted to women.
However, it will be unfair to forget that they are humans and, as such, may not cease to experience all forms of emotions as other human beings, including attraction to the opposite sex.
Their oath of celibacy is guided by self-control and self-denial.
As a religious lady, you could observe some behaviors from your priest, which may leave you confused, especially considering the societal and religious expectations of them.
Finding out that a priest, who obviously does not have the liberty to be romantically involved with any woman, is attracted to you is complicated.
Let’s consider some of the behaviors that could be pointers to the fact that your priest is attracted to you.
9 Subtle Signs A Priest Is Attracted To You
1. He suddenly begins to give you more attention
If you observe that your priest accords you an unusual amount of time and attention, this could be a sign that he seems to find you attractive, and he cannot help giving you more doses of attention than he gives other parishioners.
It seems he enjoys spending time with you, and he may even show jealousy when you’re around other people.
2. He often makes eye contact with you
Body language, such as eye contact, could also sell him out.
If you observe that the priest gazes at you in a way that makes you feel a little awkward, or you catch him stealing glances at you when you are not looking, this could be a sign that he finds you attractive.
He could constantly make eye contact with you, even during the homily, while you are in the congregation during mass.
If a priest pays close attention to you, observes your every move, and makes sure to look at you from time to time, he may want something going on between the two of you.
3. He shares his problems with you
Priests also have their own down moments and could need to pour out their hearts to someone to boost their faith.
However, this someone is rarely a follower.
It could instead be a fellow priest.
Therefore, if a priest chooses to make you that someone, something is likely in the offing.
A priest shouldn’t easily share his problems with you.
It’s a personal matter, and he knows better than anyone what to do with it.
A priest is capable of keeping a secret and can keep things said to him in confidence, confidential.
Therefore, sharing his issues with you indicates that he feels comfortable around you and is probably starting to regard you as more than just his church member.
If he opens up to you about his issues, chances are he has a special interest in you.
These issues could even be related to him being in a dilemma as to whether he wishes to continue in the profession he has chosen.
He may be considering quitting so he can be with you.
He may not tell you directly, but he will probably let you know his dilemma is because of you by sending you signals in hopes that you will understand his situation and that you may, luckily, feel something mutual for him.
4. He tries to touch you
If a priest sees you often and has also gotten to know you, his relationship with you may turn into something beyond friendship.
Observe how he tries to approach you and make contact.
It is not out of place for a priest to offer you a handshake or a hug.
However, if he holds you a tad longer than necessary, his feelings may be stronger than they should be.
5. He requests your contact details
It is not strange for a priest to have the contact details of his parishioners, but if your priest approaches only you and asks for your phone number or email address, something must be up.
He could probably find an intangible excuse to get your contact.
This could be a sign that he wants to have a private conversation with you unrelated to the church affairs.
6. He enjoys your company
This is another thing to watch out for, to know if a priest is attracted to you.
As I pointed out earlier, priests are prohibited from dating or marrying.
Therefore, since he cannot ask you out on a date, he will probably try to encourage you to engage in church activities that will keep you in his company.
When a priest enjoys your company, he will most likely want to be around you often.
He might also ask you to join him for priestly errands and activities.
7. He makes advances when you are alone
Observe his behavior towards you when it’s just the two of you.
If you notice that this is when the priest feels the most comfortable with you and even makes some affectionate moves towards you, the priest is most likely attracted to you.
If he wishes to have discussions with you only when no one else is around, it could mean that he does not want others to see how extra cordial and intimately he addresses you.
He could even tell you how special you are to him or how much he cares about you.
He is probably conflicted and unsure if or how he should proceed.
He wants to get closer to you and, at the same time, is saddled with the concern of letting other people be involved in his personal matters.
8. He treats you specially
If your priest behaves differently or approaches you in a manner that is not similar to how he does to everyone else, this could also be a sign that he is attracted to you.
If you observe that he takes special interest in you and anything that pertains to you, you do not see that same level of interest in other persons.
He probably always has a special treat for you or makes it a habit to greet you, especially after the mass.
This could mean that he is attracted to you.
9. He is getting too close
The two of you are standing face to face talking about this and that, and he suddenly invades your personal space.
It may just be a friendly gesture, or he may be trying to find out if you have feelings for him.
Priests are expected to be approachable by their parishioners.
But if, as a lady, a priest gets too close to you and starts invading your personal space, chances are it is already beyond the usual priest-parishioner cordiality.
He could also intermittently ask questions that border your private matters, e.g., your love life.
Maybe there are no ulterior motives, and his intention is to put you at ease, but the questions may be strange or too intimate for the situation.
If he asks you something like that, he is probably trying to get close to you and find out whether you are taken.
LAST THOUGHTS
Reciprocating the feelings or advances of a priest is not a wise thing to do.
Priests have sworn to protect the faith, as well as the faithfuls.
Therefore, they should not take advantage of a vulnerable situation and exploit it to satisfy their desires.
I realize how difficult this situation may be for you.
Still, if you stay calm and try to avoid the situation by respectfully letting him know you are not interested, you can avoid ending up in a messy situation.
If he becomes annoyingly persistent, you might need to take further measures by reporting him to the church authorities.
No one should be forced or pressured into a relationship, especially with someone who has pledged to serve God and protect the faithfuls.