Clerical Celibacy in Churches other than the Roman Catholic Church

[Mollari]

I don’t really intend to open the debate on whether or not priests should be married in the Roman Catholic Church.
What I’m after is information.
I was discussing this the other day, and was curious to find out if their are any other Churches, that hold to an Apostolic tradition, that have a mandatory policy as regards to priestly celibacy, whether in communion with Rome or not; Orthodox, Coptic etc…
If there are, are the reasons similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church?

 

[Laudate_Dominum]

Not for the secular priests and deacons. Though the bishops of the Eastern Churches are required to be celibate. And of course the religious.

Why? Because celibacy is inherently superior to the married state.

 

[Mollari]

Not for the secular priests and deacons. Though the bishops of the Eastern Churches are required to be celibate. And of course the religious.

Why? Because celibacy is inherently superior to the married state.

I don’t think its that straight forward, I believe a bishop in the Eastern Catholic churches may be a widower, in which case he may have been a married priest prior to this.
*** Because celibacy is inherently superior to the married state***
I’m sorry but such a sweeping statement like that requires considerable explanation and evidence to support it, for example, Christians would be a dying breed if we did not marry. In any case, this serves only to derail the topic of the thread.
The thread is not about should Catholic priests be married, or, if marriage or celibacy a better state of life.

As I also outlined, I’m not into the exceptions to the rule, as in the case of the Roman Catholic Church, or the ins and outs of who can and who can’t marry and receive ordination in any of the Churches. (Again not interested in the ‘special case’ studies of Protestant converts.)

What I am interested in, is whether there is any other Church with a position analogous to Roman Church, regarding priestly celibacy, in that celibacy is compulsory for all, for ordination to the priesthood. Different orders may have their own rules and regulations, but these need not apply to a Church universally.

 

[Laudate_Dominum]

I’m sorry but such a sweeping statement like that requires considerable explanation and evidence to support it, for example, Christians would be a dying breed if we did not marry.

I Corinthians Chp. VII: “It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman. [v.1] Indeed, I wish that everyone were like I am [celibate]. [v.7] I should like you to be free from anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord; how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world; how he may please his wife, and he is divided. [v.32] Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that.” [v.28] (see also Mark 12:18-27, Mtt 19:10-12, 2 Timothy Ch. 2:3)

That’s black and white Scripture. There’s no need for considerable explanation and the support is directly from the Word of God. Celibacy is a superior state of life. That doesn’t mean every one has their vocation in it.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

To my knowledge as an Eastern Catholic, none of the other Apostolic Churches practice mandatory celibacy for their parish clergy. A married man can be elevated to the priesthood, but a priest cannot marry (except in rare circumstances at the discretion of his bishop).

Celibacy, in the East, is considered the vocation of the monk, not the parish priest. That being said, it is very highly regarded, and some parish priests voluntarily choose celibacy over marriage.

An interesting tidbit - I’ve heard that there are more married Roman Catholic priests in the U.S. than there are married Eastern Catholic priests. I can’t remember where I’ve heard this from, but if true I find it rather interesting. Married men can indeed be elevated to the priesthood in the Roman tradition, but only under very rare circumstances.

As to celibacy being intrinsically superior… I find no Scriptural basis for such an assertion. Christ encouraged those who could accept celibacy to accept it “for the sake of the Kingdom.” And St. Paul offers his opinion that it is better to be celibate than married. But there is nothing definitive and explicit about celibacy being superior.

Marriage, on the other hand, is not only a Sacrament of the Church - unlike celibacy - but it is also considered the primordial Sacrament in that it is written into the very fabric of creation.

It is difficult to compare vocations, however. What is good for one may not be good for another. That’s why both Christ and St. Paul said that he/she who is able to embrace celibacy ought to, and he/she who is not able ought not to. Ultimately, as St. Therese of Lisieux says, our vocation is to love. If we are not living that vocation then it doesn’t matter if we are celibate or married.

 

[Mollari]

I’m sorry Laudate Dominum, but I’m really not all that interested in your zeal to take this thread off topic. We could toss scripture out of context back and forth all day, 1 Timothy and being married to only one wife and all that.

Further down the page from your “cut and paste” response it answers the question;

**Does This Mean That Marriage Is Inferior? **
*The Church teaches that marriage and the consecrated life were both created by Our Lord Himself, and are thus both to be held in high esteem. According to the Church, the two vocations are inseparable to one another; they reinforce and support each other (cf. p.1620). It is thus that marriage should never be scorned or looked down upon;

Catechism of the Catholic Church, p.1620: “Whoever denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory of virginity. Whoever praises it [marriage] makes virginity more admirable and resplendent. What appears good only in comparison with evil would not be truly good. The most excellent good is something even better than what is admitted to be good.” *

Among many other things, but perhaps in summation, FAMILIARIS CONSORTIO states that:
*16. Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not only does not contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes it and confirms it. Marriage and virginity or celibacy are two ways of expressing and living the one mystery of the covenant of God with His people. When marriage is not esteemed, neither can consecrated virginity or celibacy exist; when human sexuality is not regarded as a great value given by the Creator, the renunciation of it for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven loses its meaning.
*

Your detestation for the married states is up to you but again, I go** off topic**.

In any case, the title of the thread, and as repeatedly explained in subsequent posts, is whether any other apostolic Church, either in communion with Rome or not, has a similar rule to that of the Roman Catholic Church regarding celibacy and ordination to the priesthood. (Salient points in bold for clarity.)
By repeatedly going off topic I can only assume you either don’t know that answer,or don’t want to give it. Even if an answer in the negative, that is “no , there aren’t any” would be fine, or, in the positve " x,y and z Churches have a similar rule" would be equally helpful, and give me a direction to look for further research rather than useless digressions.

 

[Mollari]

To my knowledge as an Eastern Catholic, none of the other Apostolic Churches practice mandatory celibacy for their parish clergy. A married man can be elevated to the priesthood, but a priest cannot marry (except in rare circumstances at the discretion of his bishop).

Celibacy, in the East, is considered the vocation of the monk, not the parish priest. That being said, it is very highly regarded, and some parish priests voluntarily choose celibacy over marriage.

Thanks for you response Philip, and leaving aside the current norm for married men being ordained to the priesthood, was this always the case, or is this a relaxation of a previous norm where it would have been expected that priests were unmarried, as is the case now in the Roman Catholic Church?
I guess I’m trying to establish how widespread compulsory celibacy is, or indeed was in the past, outside of the Roman Catholic Church.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Thanks for you response Philip, and leaving aside the current norm for married men being ordained to the priesthood, was this always the case, or is this a relaxation of a previous norm where it would have been expected that priests were unmarried, as is the case now in the Roman Catholic Church?
I guess I’m trying to establish how widespread compulsory celibacy is, or indeed was in the past, outside of the Roman Catholic Church.

In the early Church, the universal norm was to elevate married men to the priesthood. This was the case even in the West (St. Peter himself was, after all, a married man). At one time in the early Church it was even not uncommon for a married man to be made a bishop. Either St. Gregory of Nyssa or St. Gregory Naziansus was a married man as well as a bishop. If memory serves me correctly, he and his wife abstained from marital relations after he was made bishop.

To my knowledge there were multiple reasons that the West eventually adopted the discipline of mandatory celibacy. But such an adoption was a gradual development. Factors such as priests having multiple mistresses, other diocesan priests living in community, evangelization, need for greater education, etc. all contributed to the development of the discipline of mandatory celibacy. The discipline helped in some regards, but not in others. The whole issue with mistresses was brought up as late as the IV Lateran Council, I think it was. Education and a focus on evangelization were certainly greatly enhanced by the discipline of celibacy. It is much easier for a single man to spend x-amount of years in seminary and/or go off to foreign lands to preach the Gospel than it is for a married man.

All this being said, however, it was at one time the practice of the universal Church, not just the Churches of the East, to ordain married men. Again, it fell out of practice in the West for many reasons.

 

[Evan]

In many ways, Orthodox and the Catholic hold the same teachings on this.

A married man may be ordained, but this is not the ideal for a married man is distracted from the ministry by wife and family. So the preference is for unmarried men to be ordained.

But in both churches, Catholic and Orthodox priests are not allowed to marry after their ordinations.

See the section on Orthodox priests
kurskroot.com/orthodox_priests.html

 

[5Loaves]

In many ways, Orthodox and the Catholic hold the same teachings on this.

A married man may be ordained, but **this is not the ideal for a married man is distracted from the ministry by wife and family. **So **the preference is for unmarried men to be ordained.
**
But in both churches, Catholic and Orthodox priests are not allowed to marry after their ordinations.

See the section on Orthodox priests
kurskroot.com/orthodox_priests.html

If you mean that Orthodox and Catholic priests (and deacons) may not marry, this is true (although a married priest or deacon whose wife dies in certain circumstances ie a father with young children, may marry again.)

The idea that there is a preference for unmarried men to be ordained is not the teaching in Holy Orthodoxy nor in the Eastern Catholic Churches. (America is an anomaly for Eastern Catholics frequently having celibate parish priests due to some very unfortunate history here which is slowly being repaired.) Although there is no prohibition for a celibate priest to serve a parish, and many worthily do, the norm has always been for our parish priests to be married.

As the article you have linked to says:

In general, parish priests are to be married as they live in normal society (that is, “in the world” and not a monastery) where Orthodoxy sees marriage as the normative state. Unmarried priests usually live in monasteries since it is there that the unmarried state is the norm, although it sometimes happens that an unmarried priest is assigned to a parish.

It seems to be a cause these day for delaying ordination when the man has yet to find a wife. I know of several men at the moment in this situation.

 

[Evan]

If you mean that Orthodox and Catholic priests (and deacons) may not marry, this is true (although a married priest or deacon whose wife dies in certain circumstances ie a father with young children, may marry again.)

The idea that there is a preference for unmarried men to be ordained is not the teaching in Holy Orthodoxy nor in the Eastern Catholic Churches. (America is an anomaly for Eastern Catholics frequently having celibate parish priests due to some very unfortunate history here which is slowly being repaired.) Although there is no prohibition for a celibate priest to serve a parish, and many worthily do, the norm has always been for our parish priests to be married.

As the article you have linked to says:

It seems to be a cause these day for delaying ordination when the man has yet to find a wife. I know of several men at the moment in this situation.

I apologize. You are correct. Too much influence from the west

 

[5Loaves]

I apologize. You are correct. Too much influence from the west

Not to worry. What bothers me is that the West has gotten into this thing of explaining the celibate discipline in the West by saying married priests, as you have said, will be distracted by their wives and families. The disciple of celibate priests in the West, and our monks in the East, is a very beautiful thing in and of itself. If only Latin Catholics could believe that. There is no value in somehow pitting celibacy against married life re priests, which I don’t see you doing but I have heard in too many catechetical explanations about the celibate priesthood in various venues of the Latin Church. I’m very involved in the Latin Church and these celibate priests are awesome. I love them!

(My Internet connection went down as I was in edit, and I had intended to review that and see if I’d come on stronger than I wanted to. One reason I post so little is this happens all the time. I probably need a new modem )

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

Not for the secular priests and deacons. Though the bishops of the Eastern Churches are required to be celibate. And of course the religious.

Why? ** Because celibacy is inherently superior to the married state**.

Wow. This means every single pope we’ve ever had came from a home where his parents chose an inferior state of life. How sad.