Could Catholic priests could benifit from being married?

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Blessed Pope Pius…

Your last post is most adequate.

The answer is in Christ Himself…and it reflects as well the primacy of Peter…as also Christ intended…a voice representing Him and us … together.
 
😃
Birdpreacher said:
Yes! Let them get married! We would actually have priests from AMerica Again! I love the Indian priest at my Church but there is definitely some cultural disconnect.

Would you be a priest if it was your best ticket out of a 3rd world Country/ poverty?
THats what Tom Cruise did, but he didn’t stick around. Imagine if he were as passionate about being a priest as he was about scientology, he would’ve been Pope!
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No I would not be a priest if it was my meal ticket out of a 3rd world country. Why? Because I would rather die poor then take an OATH before God to do his work and then LIE. Because I believe there is true life after death and we will pay for every sin we commit.

Next if it was our call to decide if Priests should get married we would hold the keys to the kingdom and we would have the Authority to do so.

But God did not give us the keys to the Kindom he gave them to the Pope. And the Pope said NOPE!!

So I think it is better that we trust in the Lord and obey his Church. And if the Popes call is No it is his right to exercise it, and it is our duty to obey him.

You don’t have to agree with everything the Pope says, you don’t even have to like it. But for us Roman Catholics we must obey. And if we are true RC we will.😃
 
JamestheOlder said:
This can go on and on ad infinitum, with no resolution.

The American part of the Roman Catholic Church cannot support married priests. Has anyone considered this? Evidently not, as the reasons given for married priests are all over the place. Married priests are not the answer to this shortage of priests, they will simply be an added liability on to each diocese, as they are now. Yes we have married priests, former Epicopalian ones whom I know. The parishes cannot support them (all you who are yearning for married priests will evidently have to come up with a lot more change in the Offertory basket), so the diocese has to step in and contribute to their support. IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE FAMILIES. As if you didn’t know already, it costs MONEY to send kids to school. And no, you don’t get an extra half-person in the priest’s wife, because she is a mother, first.
Forget it!
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For the audience, I must say your logic is quite faulty
  • by believing the church cannot support married priests, you have given up. The trend will continue and your parishes will be without a shepard.
  • blaming money is a red herring. How can even relatively small Protestant churches support married Ministers? I would argue a good shepard will lead to adequate tithing to support the church.
  • I think you have no experience with married ministers. In my real world experience, the wife does contribute time and add an element to the church community that the husband can’t bring, married or single.
  • Do you have any stats on how the small number of married RCC priests are doing? It’s worth exploring not dismissing.
In summary, shame on you for chastising us for sharing our opinions in a forum explicitly set up for non-RCCs to contribute
 
"pious:
Clerical marriage has no place in the LATIN RITE, and will never have a place in the LATIN RITE. especially not under the reign of Benedict XVI.
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rinnie said:
😃

No I would not be a priest if it was my meal ticket out of a 3rd world country. Why? Because I would rather die poor then take an OATH before God to do his work and then LIE. Because I believe there is true life after death and we will pay for every sin we commit.

Next if it was our call to decide if Priests should get married we would hold the keys to the kingdom and we would have the Authority to do so.

But God did not give us the keys to the Kindom he gave them to the Pope. And the Pope said NOPE!!
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Your pope is a great man. I think a visionary man. If he calls for a change in the policy, to allow priests to marry, I hope that you will support him without anger.
 
Cowboy_Pete said:
Your pope is a great man. I think a visionary man. If he calls for a change in the policy, to allow priests to marry, I hope that you will support him without anger.
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I most certainly would. I will obey him and accept whatever truth he has to offer me.

Just like I accept the truth he teaches today.

The Pope has authority to do what he feels is best for us. I trust him, and I trust the Holy Spirit to continue to guide him.

We have not always had the greatest of Popes I do not argue that. But they still taught us the true word of God. And thats what counts.😉

But may I add the Good Lord has sure blessed us with the Last 2 Popes that is for sure. And I pray he continues to do so.
 
I have only read the first few responses to this thread so I’m not sure if this has already been discussed.

This is my view on the issue of priests getting married. It is my understanding that priests take at least three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. If priests were permitted to get married two of these three would automatically be a nullity, specifically: poverty and chastity. The third obedience would also be on very shaky ground.

A vow of poverty could not be entered since a married priest would absolutely positively be required to welcome children. There is absolutely no way that the Catholic Church could burden a child with the child’s parents being impoverished. That would be assinine.

A vow of chastity could not be entered due to the responsibility of a spouse to a spouse.

So the priesthood would instantaneously and irreparably be changed. What we’d have is what protestants have, which I will let speak for itself, (IMHO some good, some bad, some horrible). We’d also have free agency where wealthy parrishes would pay for “better” priests leaving poorer parrishes with the leftovers.
 
Miriam1947 said:
Perhaps there are not more priests because per family Catholics are having fewer children.

Do you think, maybe it’s because of birth control? And the fact that just because there are more numbers does not mean more truly practicing Catholics.

How many Catholic families today are even talking to their children about religious life or the priesthood?
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I believe that the exposure of the past decade/decade and one-half is preciesly the reason. The Holy Spirit has acted to safeguard and protect men from the priesthood. The scandal is a terrible evil and in response the Holy Spirit has chastised the Church by preventing the growth in the number of priests.

It is clear that several generations of men have not heard the call to the priesthood. I cannot fathom that had the Holy Spirit wanted his call to be heard, that these generations would have followed that call.
 
Tighty_Whitey said:
This is my view on the issue of priests getting married. It is my understanding that priests take at least three vows: poverty, chastity and obedience. If priests were permitted to get married two of these three would automatically be a nullity, specifically: poverty and chastity. The third obedience would also be on very shaky ground.
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Religious priests do take those vows; however, diocesan priests promise only celibacy and obedience.
 
Tighty_Whitey said:
I believe that the exposure of the past decade/decade and one-half is preciesly the reason. The Holy Spirit has acted to safeguard and protect men from the priesthood. The scandal is a terrible evil and in response the Holy Spirit has chastised the Church by preventing the growth in the number of priests.

It is clear that several generations of men have not heard the call to the priesthood. I cannot fathom that had the Holy Spirit wanted his call to be heard, that these generations would have followed that call.
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Vocations to the priesthood are not down everywhere. Vocations are up worldwide.

zenit.org/rssenglish-31768

-Tim-
 
forums.catholic-questions.org/images/avatars/cross_celtic.gif Bl Pope Pius IX,
It has become quite clear to me that you react very smartly with anyone that has a differet perspective. If you plan to become a priest in the future, you might want to practice speaking with people that think different than you, particularly when it comes to discipline, not doctrine. I’m sorry that you seem to feel so hostile towards me. But if you can’t engage in intellectual discourse without reacting this way, then maybe you should consider a break from the forums. This is no place for faint hearts. I will offer prayers for you today.

PAX tecum
 
Protestant_Me said:
Does anyone think that Catholic priests could benifit from being married? With all the pedophelia controversy on the news I wondered if this would be a reasonable suggestion to help the problem.
Thanks for reading and answering,
Protestant Me:)
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Hello PM;

I would say that celibacy is a gift to the priests who feel called to live the consecrated life. Jesus Himself praised those who gave up sexual relations for the sake of the Kingdom. Mt. 19:12. The Church sees the same wisdom that St. Paul talks about in 1 Cor 7:32-35, and which led to St. Paul’s decision to be celibate as well. 1 Cor. 7:8. Could some priests benefit from marriage? Perhaps. But I think that they would also lose something special when they give up the gift that both Jesus Christ and St. Paul praised so clearly in the bible.

Pedophilia is not present just within the celibate priesthood. It occurs with much more frequency in the public school system; so I do not think that the rule of celibacy has much to do with turning people to pedophilia. That’s not to say that some priests are not tempted to break their vows. But my educated guess is that if they break that vow with a child, there are deeper issues than the discipline of celibacy at work in that man.

My question back to you is; if both St. Paul and Jesus Christ recommended and praised those who gave up the good of sex within marriage for the greater good, where are the numbers of celibate Protestant pastors?

Peace,
Robert
 
Bezant said:
As a solution to the pedophilia problem, definitely not. A legitimate sexual outlet is not enough to stop pedophilia, otherwise we’d make sure all pedophiles had wives and great sex lives.

That said, the celibacy tradition is definitely respectable, but coming from a Protestant background where our minister’s family was involved in the church, I think married priests could benefit parishes.
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I certainly agree - speaking hypothetically - that married priests could offer benefits that celibate priests might not be able to provide, although I cannot think of any specific ones off the top of my head. But my other thought is, … at what cost would those benefits be provided? And I’m not speaking of monetary costs. I’m thinking of the loss of a 100% full time devoted pastor without entanglements with wife and family? Yes, a married pastor with kids means a pastor that “looks” more like the laity. But is that really a net benefit to the parish, or a net loss, when all other things are considered.

Peace,
Robert
 
KathleenGee said:
If there are indeed Catholic seminarians, most faithful Catholics know in the Holy Spirit that the Latin rite has been and always will be celibate."

That the Latin rite has alwys required celibacy of its priests is incorrect. That it will always require celibacy is your fervent wish, which I respect, and but an opinion which many including myself question.

"Practically all celibate priests are very happy with their lives, QUOTE]

Most probably true but what this does not address is is the possibility ( I would say probability) that the Church would benefit greatly from the service ordained and happily married men who would willing function side by side with their celibate brethren.
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To clarify more…yes there have been married clergy at the beginning…but there were also celibate presbyters and growing voice that the bishop not be married to avoid appearing playing favorites among his own. Not only that, but it was the practice of married ancient Christians to use sex primarily for procreation as well. Early Christians could not openly live out their faith in various places, and this new life in Christ was what they held most dear.

There were movements in the 200’s calling for the celibate priesthood within the Church.
 
Protestant_Me said:
Does anyone think that Catholic priests could benifit from being married? With all the pedophelia controversy on the news I wondered if this would be a reasonable suggestion to help the problem.
Thanks for reading and answering,
Protestant Me:)
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This article is primarily about the sexual interest in prepubescent children. For the sexual act, see Child sexual abuse. For the primary sexual interest in 11–14 year old pubescents, see Hebephilia. For mid-to-late adolescents (15-19), see Ephebophilia.
Pedophilia
Classification and external resources
ICD-10
F65.4
ICD-9
302.2
MeSH
D010378
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia (or paedophilia) is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents (persons age 16 or older) typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children (generally age 13 years or younger, though onset of puberty may vary). The child must be at least five years younger in the case of adolescent pedophiles (16 or older) to be termed pedophilia.[1][2][3][4] The term has a range of definitions, as found in psychiatry, psychology, the vernacular, and law enforcement.

ask.com/wiki/Pedophilia

homosexual |ˌhōməˈsek sh oōəl|
adjective
(of a person) sexually attracted to people of one’s own sex.
• involving or characterized by sexual attraction between people of the same sex : homosexual desire.
noun
a person who is sexually attracted to people of their own sex.
DERIVATIVES
homosexuality |-ˌsek sh oōˈalitē| noun
homosexually adverb
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from homo- ‘same’ + sexual .

The problem for the most part was homosexuality not pedophilia. If you recall most of the victims were male and they were not necessarily prepubescent male children but young teens. And that has nothing to do with a married priesthood but by who was allowed to become a priest.
 
If Rome would allow married priests, I would be a priest.

I have felt a call to the priesthood for awhile, but I am a married man and I cannot be one.
 
Stereotypes are often based a lot of people meeting the description. So here is a reason for priests not getting married and having children

PK’S :eek:
 
Preacher’s Kids. They tend to have a reputation for being a little wild.
 
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