Do you think priests should be allowed to marry?

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whoa sorry…didn’t mean to post that 3X. I kept losing the site. New neighborhood, we often have connection problems. Guys get carried away with the trenchers I guess. :rolleyes:
 
BSHoop96 said:
whoa sorry…didn’t mean to post that 3X. I kept losing the site. New neighborhood, we often have connection problems. Guys get carried away with the trenchers I guess. :rolleyes:
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No - there was a glitch here, too. Probably a hiccup in the CA servers.
 
i started out thinking maybe priests (some) should be allowed to marry… Well, i don’t know what i think about it at this point… I guess i still think that priests who have “served” for 20 yrs or so and want to marry, well, it shouldn’t be that big a deal… i know it takes a long time for a priest to be laicized, or so i have heard… I am wondering if there are any books about this?? or any good websites…
 
Most confusing - this is threads of Non Catolics. Perhaps this question is better asked to Catolics. For me most priests are married. Only monk priests are not married in Orthodoxy. This is true of almost all non Roman Catolic churches that priests can be married. Therefore, yes I beieve it should be so and it is so.

Perhaps question is better asked of Catolics - 450 of them have already responded but more at Traditional site.
 
I think this is best left for the church concerned to decide for itself, in a general synod or by its heirarchy.
 
I’m about to see a good friend that I haven’t seen in years at the seminary. I will ask this question in a way that is respectful of his office. I refuse to call him just by his name even though he has given me the okay. I know that they do it with each other behind closed doors. It’s only natural for even them. They too have needs. But keeping busy is what helps them get through it. It’s part of the office of being a priest or deacon. The clerical office should never be taken lightly. There is an enormous expected from you…and that’s the married clergy. Could you immagine how overwhelming it must be to top it off with a spouse?

But for me it’s just a discipline with good intensions. It’s wonder the Church hasn’t lifted it yet, if ever. We love our holy bishops, priests and deacons.
 
Dear Distracted:

I wanted to offer some insights into your June 1 post.
  1. Sacred Scripture states “do not swear and oath you do not intend to keep” and “let your yes mean yes and your no mean no” and “when one swears an oath on the altar he swear it by who is present upon the altar (God)”, etc. If we, who by an act of free will not only make a vow but do so upon the altar of God, are we not required to keep our promise to God? Why then should He who is the Creator exercise fidelity to us as his beloved? Ordination is not a “right” but rather a calling to self-sacrifice. And the Church always (as the spouse and bride of Christ) may accept or reject anyone requesting to receive the sacrament. Unlike Protestantism, one is eternally binding themselves to the bride of Christ under her authority, the Church. This is a voluntary submission…no one is drafted.
  2. Ordination is not only an oath but a Sacrament bound by the grace of one’s annointing and the bond of the Holy Spirit…it is an outward sign of inward grace: not just a ceremony…it binds one as does marriage.
Yes, the Aposolic Church and the Pope (as stated in MT 16 and MT 18) has the authority to bind and loose on earth and in heaven. The Pope may release a priest from vows but he is still a priest. This usually occurs when a priest (soon after ordination) realizes that he has enterred the priesthood in error. I know one such man who did so and his leaving had nothing to do with a romatic interest. But he will be a priest forever even when released from his vows.
  1. Deacons, priests, and bishops are not allowed to marry in any Catholic Rite or Orthodox Rite…this is a misnomer and needs to be emphasized.
Once a man is a deacon, priest, or bishop he may never marry if he is not already married previous to his ordination…“you are a priest forever” as stated in Sacred Scripture so there is no “Golf Mulligan or Re-do”. Many apostolic rites, both Catholic and Orthodox, though, do permit married men to become priests, but a priest can never marry or remarry no matter what rite (Catholic or Orthodox). Even the Roman Church has permitted many Protestant ministers that convert to continue into the priesthood since their particular faith tradition of the past led them down this path without their full understanding. If they are married, the sacrament of their marriage (taking place first before ordination) takes precedent over their entry into the priesthood (as with Catholics & non-Catholics). But if they feel called to the priesthood after their conversion the Church may offer a dispensation for their circumstance.

Yet, if a man is married and later becomes ordained but is later widowed he must remain chaste and celibate for the rest of his life (in all rites Catholic & Orthodox).
  1. Why is the Roman Church different in this matter? This is because each Apostolic Church has a patriarch that is a clergical descendent of the laying on of hands and ordination from the actual Apostles…one continuous lineage. Each patriarch has certain authority over his Rite or particular church (there are 23 in the Catholic faith all united under the Supreme Pastor of the Church,the Bishop of Rome,successor to Peter). Within each particular church there are different disciplines that are not necessarily binding to all Catholics (sometimes more strict and sometimes less strict). But they are all united in their understanding and administration of the Sacraments including ordination. This is what permits inter-rite or bi-ritual priests serving both the eastern and wester church with equal faculties.
The Roman Rite of the Catholic Church holds a stricter discipline to the teachings of St. Paul and even Chirst in this matter in that “if one can live this way one should”. What did Jesus tell the rich young man? "‘What must I do to gain salvation?’ asked the young man. Jesus said, ‘Keep all of the Commandments of God.’ The young man continued, ‘I have done this since I was a child, but what else must I do?’ Jesus said, “Go and sell everything you possess giving it to the poor and follow me.’ The man went away sad because he had much wealth.” Thus, the Roman view is more strict as a discipline only in that it does not typically (under normal circumstance) accept those to the priesthood who are married at the time of their petition to the Church for ordination. It asks what Christ asked of the rich young man.

We must also understand that Sacred Scripture states “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Do all speak in tongues?”. No, we are not. We all have our own specific calling & gifts…this is why ordination is not a right…it is rather a privelege of self-sacrifice. A priest acts “in personal Christi” (in the person of Christ…administering the sacraments) thus, His bride (the Church) has the right to accept or reject any man in his place (sacramentally speaking, of course).

Yours in Chirst,

Veritashunter
 
Volodymyr said:
Most confusing - this is threads of Non Catolics. Perhaps this question is better asked to Catolics. For me most priests are married. Only monk priests are not married in Orthodoxy. This is true of almost all non Roman Catolic churches that priests can be married. Therefore, yes I beieve it should be so and it is so.

Perhaps question is better asked of Catolics - 450 of them have already responded but more at Traditional site.
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i don’t understand this… :confused:
 
distracted said:
i don’t understand this… :confused:
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I believe Volodymyr is Orhtodox. most Orthodox priests are married… Priest Monk is a monk who is a priest. They are not allowed to be married. That is their discipline. They have that right. The same is true for Eastern Catholics…depending on which country they live in. Read the history of the development or growth and presence of Eastern Catholics in American. Most Eastern Catholic priests are married… Volodymyr probably doesn’t understand why you would post this in a non-Catholic forum on CAF. He’s right. Protestants …or clealy non-Catholics have no say so at all on this matter. Catholics only have opinions that tend to be more useful as rhetoric. Nothing is accomplished by continuing to whine about such a subject. And by the way if I’ve read you post correctly, you out of all people are too close to this problem and should not draw others in a subject that is only appropriate for Catholics just to start…

That’s my interpretation…I tend to agree… This would be like Jewish people asking us Catholics on a non-Jewish thread what we think should change in the Jewish faith traditions.
 
Why would they want to - they are already married to Christ?

Peace,

Gail
 
GailMac said:
Why would they want to - they are already married to Christ?

Peace,

Gail
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Metaphorically speaking they are married to the church… that’s all. The reason for it is reality not made up. I’ve heard many that would like to married men become priests. I’m one of those. However, until that happens, if ever, we are to remain faithful and avoid dissent. Wanting priests to be able to marry are understandably our tendencies to wish them well and the same happiness of raising children. I certainly understand that. The history behind it is rooted in ancient times with not only danger but also inheritance of possessions. I read that some of the property left behind was often confusing to decifer who receive what, the Church or the spouse or children. There is a practical part of this, but the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics seem to be doing okay… But I’ve heard many scandals dealing with this even recently in Dallas for example. I’ve hears so many problems with it. However, the Orhtodox priests are not eligible for ordination to the episcopacy. [to lazy to edit]
 
The priests’ bride is our Mother the Church. He stands in the perssona of Christ. So it’s not as an earlier poster suggested that this is wrongful union.
 
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