A question: Roman Catholic Priests vs. Eastern

[AlruwhAlquds]

My family and I have a great reverence for priests, their calling and how much they do for us. We have known both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox priests. I know unlike eastern catholic priests, RC priests cannot marry and must live a life like Christ. I’m sure I may be missing something with this potentially silly question, but I will ask anyway and perhaps someone can help me out:

Why can’t RC priests practice until the age our Lord Jesus Christ left us (at 33) and then have the option to marry, become a deacon or stay the course as a single Roman Catholic priest? Just a thought since the thinking is that they must be like Christ. I’m sure I’m missing something and I mean no disrespect.

 

[Angel_Gabriel]

I think there may be some misunderstanding here about the married priesthood. NO priest may marry after ordination (with very RARE exceptions). This pertains to both East and West. The discipline of the unmarried priesthood developed in the West as a way of keeping Church property within the Church instead of passing it on to the priests’ families. I’m sure there are other reasons as well as I’m not that well versed on the subject. Both married and unmarried priests are vital to the Church IMHO.

 

[AlruwhAlquds]

I know of two married Orthodox priests with children. It’s true I don’t know their story or exception as you put it.

 

[Maezck]

I know of two married Orthodox priests with children. It’s true I don’t know their story or exception as you put it.

My Eastern Orthodox priest is also married with children, he explained to me that he was married before the priesthood. After being ordained, marriage isn’t permitted. Hope that helps

 

[Angel_Gabriel]

They were most likely married before Ordination. The only way a priest may be permitted to remarry would be if he had small children to care for and his wife had passed away. I’ve never actually heard or met anyone with this situation however so I assume that it is pretty rare.

 

[Fauken]

Just a thought since the thinking is that they must be like Christ.

If they were like Christ then, they would die at the age of 33 and never marry at all. Also, their Holy Orders as Priests already contain the Order of Deacon.

 

[Vico]

My family and I have a great reverence for priests, their calling and how much they do for us. We have known both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox priests. I know unlike eastern catholic priests, RC priests cannot marry and must live a life like Christ. I’m sure I may be missing something with this potentially silly question, but I will ask anyway and perhaps someone can help me out:

Why can’t RC priests practice until the age our Lord Jesus Christ left us (at 33) and then have the option to marry, become a deacon or stay the course as a single Roman Catholic priest? Just a thought since the thinking is that they must be like Christ. I’m sure I’m missing something and I mean no disrespect.

Some are married, before reception of Holy Orders. Mostly because Episcopal priests are allowed to continue their ministry after converting to Catholicism. (Also eastern Catholic priests exist.)

 

[dochawk]

They were most likely married before Ordination. The only way a priest may be permitted to remarry would be if he had small children to care for and his wife had passed away. I’ve never actually heard or met anyone with this situation however so I assume that it is pretty rare.

Rare enough that we could count the living cases on our fingers, I believe.

There have been a case or two, each, for both the EO and EC in which the widowed priest was allowed to remarry for the sake of the small children.

Also, there have been cases in which the Russian Orthodox allow an RC priest that covers to marry, as he had been “wrongfully denied” the opportunity to do so before hand (their term, not mine).

hawk

 

[ADeacon]

A priest would never ‘have the option of becoming a deacon’. In all likelihood he is already a deacon. Furthermore, just like a priest, a deacon can’t marry after being ordained as he is not ‘free’ to give an unqualified commitment to marriage because of his ordination vows. (I might add that wives must give consent for a married man to be ordained a deacon.)

There is no theological barrier to priests being married, and the prohibition against a married man being a priest could be dispensed, although it doesn’t happen often. It’s just after the first thousand years or so with married priests the Church decided the inherent conflict of interest between the family and the flock made it a bad idea.

 

[TomH1]

Why can’t RC priests practice until the age our Lord Jesus Christ left us (at 33) and then have the option to marry, become a deacon or stay the course as a single Roman Catholic priest?

When a man receives the sacrament of Holy Orders he is ordained a deacon. Then after a period of time he is ordained a priest. A priest cannot go back to being a deacon just as we cannot go back to being unbaptised.

Priests cannot marry, period! This applies to the Roman Catholic Church, all the Eastern Catholic churches and the Eastern Orthodox churches. Married men may be ordained to the diaconate and subsequently to the priesthood. In the Eastern churches, Catholic and Orthodox, this is the norm. In the Roman Catholic Church married men who were clergy in a non-Catholic Christian ecclesial community, e.g. Anglicans/Episcopalians, and are received into the Roman Catholic Church and subsequently ordained as Catholic priests can be ordained even though married. However, no man, whether a bachelor or widower, who is a deacon or priest can marry.

In no church, Catholic (Roman or Eastern) or Orthodox, can a married man be ordained to the episcopate. Because married priests are quite common in the Eastern Orthodox churches these churches often select their bishops from monks. In the Roman Catholic Church although the ordinaries of the personal ordinariates for former Anglicans are equivalent in law to a bishop they are not raised to the episcopate because they are married.

 

[dochawk]

Furthermore, just like a priest, a deacon can’t marry after being ordained as he is not ‘free’ to give an unqualified commitment to marriage because of his ordination vows.

But it is quite common in the RCC, at least in the US, for a deacon to be granted a dispensation to marry.

I’ve been pushed not so subtly towards the diaconate on a couple of occasions (on paper, I’m probably the classic “ideal” candidate, both professor and lawyer . . .), but I pointed out that I know that I would not make it on my own if something happened to my wife, and would almost certainly need to marry again. The dispensations were mentioned in response–but I simply could not make a vow in the full knowledge that I would ask for dispensation if it ever came into play . . . (and I’m not sure that those are an option for EC, anyway . . .)

In no church, Catholic (Roman or Eastern) or Orthodox, can a married man be ordained to the episcopate.

However, it was done in the first century, East and West. By sometime in the second, it was recognized as a serious problem due to inheritance . . .

. Because married priests are quite common in the Eastern Orthodox churches these churches often select their bishops from monks.

And AFAIK in all cases for the EO, and to a lesser extent in the EC, a priest is actually tonsured and formally made a monk prior to episcopal consecration.

hawk

 

[ADeacon]

Canon law does say that a dispensation may be granted for a deacon to remarry, but even a bishop can’t grant it. It has to be from the Holy Father in Rome. The guidelines for granting such a dispensation would be for reasons of having young children who would need a mother, or something along those lines; some serious issue. I don’t think one should assume it would be automatically granted just because the deacon changed his mind and decided he desired to remarry. The promise made at ordination is that you will not remarry; but will live a celibate live in the event your wife dies before you.

 

[ralfyman]

One point to consider is the financial cost of supporting families, and there may be several factors to consider in light of that. Elsewhere, I shared one or two articles about married priests who converted to Catholicism, and some of them mentioned financial difficulties, including those that take place when they are reassigned.

 

[TomH1]

However, it was done in the first century, East and West. By sometime in the second, it was recognized as a serious problem due to inheritance . . .

Can you cite a reference for this. I know that was one of the concerns the led to the discipline of unmarried priests. I thought bishops had always been unmarried. I would like to read up on any information you can cite.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

But it is quite common in the RCC, at least in the US, for a deacon to be granted a dispensation to marry.

I don’t know about that. The deacon I knew at my hometown parish church quit the diaconate because his wife died and he couldn’t get a dispensation to remarry. His kids at the time this happened were either older teens or in their 20s, so there weren’t any young children to be concerned about.

 

[dochawk]

I don’t think one should assume it would be automatically granted just because the deacon changed his mind and decided he desired to remarry

And knowing what I would do/need, I found it inappropriate to approach those vows. Even assuming I knew with certainty that they would be dispensed, taking them knowing I would need the dispensation would be wrong.

Can you cite a reference for this. I know that was one of the concerns the led to the discipline of unmarried priests. I thought bishops had always been unmarried. I would like to read up on any information you can cite.

Not offhand, but it’s been discussed ad nausea on the byzcath.org forums. In “East & West”, iirc.

 

[Diaconia]

Most of the requests are granted. More often than not, so are the requests from priests, as well.

The Church has experienced the fact that, if not granted, they just leave anyway - often attempting invalid marriages. In the past, the requests took so long that most priests wouldn’t bother. Now that is not the case, the Congregation handles the requests rather quickly.

Incidentally, you can’t “quit the diaconate” (or priesthood). In both cases the cleric “abandoned the ministry,” if they did not receive a rescript.

But to @dochawk previous point, it would be disingenuous to enter into sacred orders with the thought in the back of your mind, “I can always get a rescript later.”

Just like the Marines - the Church is always looking for a few good men,
Deacon Christopher