Do Eastern Catholic Priests marry?

[Joab_Anias]

I know the discipline for Roman Catholics is celibacy but got wondering about this and figured that discipline may not have been not extended to the Culture of the Eastern Churches because it probably wasn’t in force in the East at the time of reunification.

Any correction to my assumption or other info that could be offered by the residents here would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Rolltide]

You are, for the most part, correct. Married men may become Eastern Catholic deacons and priests. That said, Eastern Catholic deacons and priests may NOT get married once ordained. This is an important difference. Likewise, because it is only a discipline for Latin Catholics, exceptions can be made for converts from other denominations. For example, there are a very few married Latin branch priests in the US, mostly converts from Anglicanism and Lutheranism.

 

[Patchunky]

I know the discipline for Roman Catholics is celibacy but got wondering about this and figured that discipline may not have been not extended to the Culture of the Eastern Churches because it probably wasn’t in force in the East at the time of reunification.

Any correction to my assumption or other info that could be offered by the residents here would be appreciated.

Thanks.

No, Eastern Catholic priests do not marry, married men are ordained to the Holy Priesthood.

 

[Joab_Anias]

Thanks for the answer everyone.

Does anyone have any history?

Such as when the disciplines changed, etc.

 

[puzzleannie]

perhaps a more helpful question would be, does anyone have historical cites for when, if ever, priests were allowed to marry after ordination.

 

[Rolltide]

There IS one exception which is SO rare, it’s hardly ever been used. IF a priest who is already married suffers the loss of his wife, and IF he has very small children, he can petition the pope directly for permission to seek out and marry a new wife, for the sake of the family. I cannot recall this ever happening in recent times, but it IS allowed. Perhaps an Eastern Catholic may know of a recent exception.

 

[Diak]

As far as history, we know St. Peter was married.

The Eastern Churches have maintained a disclipline of optional clerical celibacy from ancient times. Some Eastern Catholic Churches have been slow to restore the practice, especially the Catholic Churches of the Syrian tradition (Maronites, Syro-Malabar, etc.).

There are times when it has been temporarily suppressed, such as in North America in the late 19th and much of the 20th century, but this is contrary to the received and established tradition of the Eastern Churches. The last two decades of the 20th century the Ukrainian and Melkite Greek Catholics in particular in the US reinstated the practice of ordaining married men to the priesthood, which had never been suppressed in the homelands of these Churches. In my own particular Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy we are somewhere at about 2/3 married parochial clergy.

In the Latin Church one can find married parochial clergy mentioned into the Middle Ages. But as we have seen in the last several decades, clerical celibacy is not an indispensible Even now certain former Lutherans and Episcopalians have been dispensed from mandatory celibacy to become Latin-rite Catholic priests, most of these cases having been handled by then-Cardinal Ratzinger.

 

[mardukm]

It seems non-Easterns and non-Orientals OFTEN come here to ask about this question. What do you think about making a reference thread for this topic?

Blessings

 

[malphono]

In case anyone is interested, the practice of married clergy among the Maronites was never abandoned. Actually, it was actually quite common prior to the past 50 years, when became less so. Even at that, it was still not abandoned.

 

[Patchunky]

There IS one exception which is SO rare, it’s hardly ever been used. IF a priest who is already married suffers the loss of his wife, and IF he has very small children, he can petition the pope directly for permission to seek out and marry a new wife, for the sake of the family. I cannot recall this ever happening in recent times, but it IS allowed. Perhaps an Eastern Catholic may know of a recent exception.

There was a case a 2-3 years ago where a young married priest was on sick-call to parishoners in the hospital and his house burned down killing his wife and small children. He priestly orders were suspended so that he could look for a new wife and remarry.

If I’m no mistaken, he was Orthodox though…

 

[Cluny]

There was a case a 2-3 years ago where a young married priest was on sick-call to parishoners in the hospital and his house burned down killing his wife and small children. He priestly orders were suspended so that he could look for a new wife and remarry.

If I’m no mistaken, he was Orthodox though…

I know of several Orthodox priests who were left widowers (or divorced) with small children.

They were all deposed at their request.

 

[Aramis]

There IS one exception which is SO rare, it’s hardly ever been used. IF a priest who is already married suffers the loss of his wife, and IF he has very small children, he can petition the pope directly for permission to seek out and marry a new wife, for the sake of the family. I cannot recall this ever happening in recent times, but it IS allowed. Perhaps an Eastern Catholic may know of a recent exception.

A roman deacon received permission a decade ago, IIRC. Had a young child.

 

[guanophore]

Thanks for the answer everyone.

Does anyone have any history?

Such as when the disciplines changed, etc.

The preference in the West of celibate priests came out of the monastic movement in the Church in the fourth century. The Latin Bishops preferred to call those who were experienced in the monastic disciplines because they made more effective priests. There has been such a need for the gift of celibacy for the Church that this preference has never abated. One must also be mindful that even priests in the Eastern Rites refrain from relations during the fasts and other liturgical times.

 

[sskyking]

I would refer those interested in this topic to a good church history book such as “Pilgrim Church” by William J. Bausch. You will find that the issue of celibacy vs. married priests and the differences between the Roman and Eastern rites is a bit more complicated, and evolved slowly over time.

In about the 4th century, both the Roman and Eastern churches began to restrict priests from marrying, or re-marrying AFTER ordination, but it wasn’t until about the 11th century (after the split with the Eastern Church), that celibacy began to be both mandated, and enforced in the Roman Church with it being canonized in the second Lateran Council of 1139. As another poster had pointed out, this movement was largely driven by the fact that monastic priests were growing in numbers and made up a much larger proportion of the ordained.

From a strictly personal perspective, having grown up in a Protestant denomination… in the nearly 25 years since I became a Catholic, I have frequently observed what a blessing it is for us to have unmarried priests. I encourage all Catholics to stop and notice the amount of time and energy our priests devote to serving the needs of our parishes! Take it from someone who experienced a number of married ministers over the first 25 years of my life. You rarely get that kind of availability from a man with a family!

We might attract more priests by eliminating celibacy, but I suspect it wouldn’t come close to making up for the time their families would take away from the parishes. Oh, and you would also have to then choose between paying more for your priest, or accepting that they will have to take a job outside the parish to support their families!

 

[ramona101]

It is surprising the issue of Catholic priest celibacy is so “popular” these days. I guess I am surprised by the interest in general but then again our society sometimes appears to be obsessed with “sex.” Maybe this is why television ads have to have sexual inuendo in their ads for burgers and everything from toothpaste to toilet paper has to have a little sex to sell. The advertisers simply follow the response from the public.

Our society pokes fun at virginity and celibacy and the priesthood is one of the vocations that requires celibacy so it is intriguing in society. After all, it is not normal and how can any man do without sex his entire adult life? These are the comments and questions often made by people of all faiths.

In my opinion, being a priest is not like deciding to be an accountant or zookeeper. It is a vocation (calling) not a job. Not everyone is called by God and many who are called find they cannot successfully fulfill their responsibility as a priest for various reasons - sex is just one of the reasons. Fr. Cutie has a choice to make and only he can make the decision on whether or not to remain in the priesthood. If he decides to remain he must realize he cannot continue his sexual relationship with the woman and he did break his vow or promise to God. His choice is personal between him and God.

No one ever talks about the priests who are successful in their vocation and have not broken their vows for five years, twenty-five years or longer. These men are not weird, not gay and not pedophiles - they are true priests who are true to their vows to the Church.

Society is sometimes intrigued by the “forbidden fruit” and what some cannot understand they simply revolt against and want to change.

The men who have broken their vows and refuse to accept the responsibility for doing so do not belong in the priesthood and will have to answer to God one day. The men who are pedophiles have no place in the priesthood nor in normal society because they are threats to innocent victims.

God bless the men who are good priests and sacrifice so much for the sake of the faithful. God bless those who seek to destroy what is pure and innocent. God please provide us with the wisdom to know the difference.

 

[Expat_Barbara]

In about the 4th century, both the Roman and Eastern churches began to restrict priests from marrying, or re-marrying AFTER ordination, but it wasn’t until about the 11th century (after the split with the Eastern Church), that celibacy began to be both mandated, and enforced in the Roman Church with it being canonized in the second Lateran Council of 1139. As another poster had pointed out, this movement was largely driven by the fact that monastic priests were growing in numbers and made up a much larger proportion of the ordained.

As I am tired pointing out, “a man made law”.

 

[schulze43]

If someone could clarify for me what different rites allow married men to become priests that would be great…this all is confusing to me because I am just starting to learn more about the different rites within the Catholic Church…also is the Latin Rite and the Roman Catholic Church the same thing? all these different title are confusing me

thanks and God bless

 

[Aramis]

If someone could clarify for me what different rites allow married men to become priests that would be great…this all is confusing to me because I am just starting to learn more about the different rites within the Catholic Church…also is the Latin Rite and the Roman Catholic Church the same thing? all these different title are confusing me

thanks and God bless

It’s not by rite, but by Church Sui Iuris.

Most of the Byzantines do.

 

[Diak]

Since Chaucer mentions married priests, we know the practice was far from eradicated in the Latin Church in some places well into the Middle Ages.

 

[sskyking]

Since Chaucer mentions married priests, we know the practice was far from eradicated in the Latin Church in some places well into the Middle Ages.

Ah, possibly, but not necessarily.

I haven’t looked at the relevant dates but using popular writing as history is dodgy… there are many modern fiction writers who include dragons and dinosaurs in their stories, but if someone 500 years from now assumes that means they still existed in 2009 they will be sorely mistaken!

That was tongue in cheek, but seriously, we have to be careful to get our “history” from non-fiction sources only. As an aside, “Canterbury Tales” was allegedly intended to support the reformation movement.