The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CELIBATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
C
E
L
I
B
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result CELIBATE
- Chaste priest on strike in church
- Table I replaced in church: that’s just like some priests
- Unmarried priest given stick entering church
- Chaste yet potentially excitable, given kiss
- Monk might be in church, albeit tormented
- Pure Charlie swallowed, about to bring up bile
- Not in union — albeit, oddly, in organisation allowing it
- Like many a Catholic priest in church, albeit naughty
- Church position welcomes club practising abstinence
- Excitable times gone; unhappy without sex?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Like many a Catholic priest" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case like many a catholic priest = celibate.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CELIBATE mean?
CELIBATE noun- One who is not married, especially one who has taken a religious vow not to get married, usually because of being a member of a religious community.
- A celibate state; celibacy.
- To practice celibacy
- Not married.
- (by extension) Abstaining from sexual relations and pleasures.