Correct me if I'm wrong, but so far as I'm concerned celibacy is the condition of being unmarried, or more modernly, voluntarily not being in a relationship. Abstinence, or more specifically continence, is the forgoing of sex which may or may not occur within a marriage or other relationship.
Therefore "John has said that he is celibate although in a 27-year committed relationship" is meaningless. He may be continent within the relationship, but he certainly isn't celibate.
CofEers, has celibate taken on a new official meaning, or is this just sloppy English?