Eastern prelate: Latin Rite should consider married priests

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Eastern prelate: Latin Rite should consider married priests
A Melkite Greek Catholic prelate says that the Latin Rite should learn from the experience of Eastern Catholic Churches and consider ordaining married men to the priesthood.

“We always propose this to the Latin church because you are Catholic and we are Catholic, but we always feel a lot of reticence when we mention this issue to the Roman Catholic Church,” said Archbishop Georges Bacaouni of Tyr, Lebanon. “I don’t know, but I think it could be helpful to allow a married person to be a priest.”
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That would mean an end to daily mass. I don’t see that happening.
 
1holycatholic said:
That would mean an end to daily mass. I don’t see that happening.
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I don’t think that would have to mean the end of daily Mass. I think some guidelines could be established to say that if you’re a married priest you must share in the duties of celebrating Mass during the week (I oversimplified this, I know). Either way, I do agree that I don’t see married priests being the norm anytime soon. I’d be all for married priests if that’s what the Church needs and she feels appropriate, but until then I do trust in her judgment about the current rules for ordaining priests.
 
I’ve got a feeling the Archbishop would be greatly offended if it was suggested to him that the Melkites adopt a policy of ordaining celibates only.
 
It makes sense that priest should not be married. They dedicate their lives to the church; married men dedicate their lives to their families and attend church. Both groups serve God, but in different ways.

However, I can understand considering married priests in some cases. If a man is separated from his wife and his children are grown, and he wants to serve the chuch. I don’t think a man with a young family should be considered for priesthood unless there is a serious shortage in the coming years.
 
BusterMartin said:
I don’t think that would have to mean the end of daily Mass. I think some guidelines could be established to say that if you’re a married priest you must share in the duties of celebrating Mass during the week (I oversimplified this, I know). Either way, I do agree that I don’t see married priests being the norm anytime soon. I’d be all for married priests if that’s what the Church needs and she feels appropriate, but until then I do trust in her judgment about the current rules for ordaining priests.
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Since married priests have to abstain from marital relations before celebrating the Eucharist, daily mass would be a huge problem for married priests. That’s why the Eastern Catholic Churches which permit the ordination of married men don’t celebrate the divine liturgy daily.

I’m not sure how the handful of married Latin rite priests deal with this issue.
 
1holycatholic said:
Since married priests have to abstain from marital relations before celebrating the Eucharist, daily mass would be a huge problem for married priests. That’s why the Eastern Catholic Churches which permit the ordination of married men don’t celebrate the divine liturgy daily.
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This is a tradition. It is not spelt out in the Code of Canons for Oriential Churches.

There are many Eastern Catholic Chruches that have daily Divine Liturgy even with a married priest.
 
ByzCath said:
This is a tradition. It is not spelt out in the Code of Canons for Oriential Churches.

There are many Eastern Catholic Chruches that have daily Divine Liturgy even with a married priest.
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Thanks. I found an English translation of the Oriental Canon Law online once but I couldn’t find it again to check.

The local Melkite parish has vespers on Thursdays and the divine liturgy on Sunday. There are two priests, one is a married convert from one of the various Eastern Orthodox, the other was a Latin rite priest who switched rites.

The local Ruthenian Byzantine parish has vespers on Saturday and the divine liturgy on Sunday. They’ve got one priest. I doubt he’s married. They have a permanent deacon.
 
We’ll your first pope and the early church didn’t have any problem with being married…In fact those being elders were limited to be a husband of just one wife…Paul said you can remain unmarried if led to be so, but it was a personal decision…
 
1holycatholic said:
Thanks. I found an English translation of the Oriental Canon Law online once but I couldn’t find it again to check.

The local Melkite parish has vespers on Thursdays and the divine liturgy on Sunday. There are two priests, one is a married convert from one of the various Eastern Orthodox, the other was a Latin rite priest who switched rites.

The local Ruthenian Byzantine parish has vespers on Saturday and the divine liturgy on Sunday. They’ve got one priest. I doubt he’s married. They have a permanent deacon.
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That is because daily Divine Liturgy is not part of our tradition. We may discuss why it is not which could be the tradition of abstanice of the married priests. But that is not Canonically established.

My current parish (Ruthenian) usually has the Divine Liturgy on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Along with a Saturday Evening and a Sunday Liturgy. My “home” parish (Melkite) has no daily Liturgy and no Saturday Liturgy. They have Vespers during the week (I think it is Wednesdays) before a bible study meeting.
 
I see no reason why a married priest would function any differently than a celibate priest. Nor am I aware of any reason why a married priest having sexual relations with his spouse would thereby be disqualified from celebrating the mass, for example. Having sex with your spouse is in no way sinful.

I’ve gotten to know a fair number of married clergy from other denominations they work long, hard hours and do a good job. They seem no less dedicated to their service of God and their congregations that Catholic priests that I know.
 
I think the Eastern rites should consider having a celibate clergy.
 
What would we do with priests who divorce (with no grounds for annulment) and then decide to remarry?:confused:
 
rmartensjr said:
What would we do with priests who divorce (with no grounds for annulment) and then decide to remarry?:confused:
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They would not be allowed to remarry, regardless of whether they could annul the marriage. Married men can become priests, but single priests are not allowed to get married. This is true for widowers, as well.
 
I do not see how married Priests would help anything. Think it through.
 
Hiskid1973 said:
We’ll your first pope and the early church didn’t have any problem with being married…In fact those being elders were limited to be a husband of just one wife…Paul said you can remain unmarried if led to be so, but it was a personal decision…
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The Church doesn’t have a problem with marriage.
 
1holycatholic said:
Eastern prelate: Latin Rite should consider married priests
A Melkite Greek Catholic prelate says that the Latin Rite should learn from the experience of Eastern Catholic Churches and consider ordaining married men to the priesthood.

“We always propose this to the Latin church because you are Catholic and we are Catholic, but we always feel a lot of reticence when we mention this issue to the Roman Catholic Church,” said Archbishop Georges Bacaouni of Tyr, Lebanon. “I don’t know, but I think it could be helpful to allow a married person to be a priest.”
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That would mean an end to daily mass. I don’t see that happening.
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He is entitled to his opinion. I happen to agree with him.

He’s in no way being rude or disrespectful, or even dissenting.

Most people in favor of a married priesthood in the US are dissenters. Ugh.
 
I have no problem with married priests as long as they have the faculties to administer the sacraments. It’s true that Protestant clergy are very busy. I have many in my family. But, all of them draw lines in the sand. People, like teachers, for example, just have to learn to say no at times. They can refer someone to a priest on call for example.

The problem is that this should be approached cautiously for the right reasons, which are what? Assuming that the existing celibate priests will remain the same or decline at a steady rate, whichever it is, a married priesthood could supplement the needs. What are divorces currently like in the Eastern rites? I never hear anything about it. so I thing that’s a red herring (?). It’s like the boy that cried “WOLF!” people already deal very well with Anglican converts with families.

The problem is that pay would have to be increased for a married priest to actually support his family. That problems exists too among Protestants. My BIL, was making $60K just 10 years ago. He’s at retirement age now, and is now an elder. But the other one, the oldest still works and does not have a retirement like the other. It just depends. I do believe the Catholic Church would treat their married clergy much better than my BIL are and were treated in the past. They could be “tent makers”. but then they’d be limited to weekend or something along that line.

I don’t see how a man can become very spiritual with all of the noise in our lives at work and home. So that is a huge problem. I do NOT mean to demean anyone that is a married priest. I am pretty spiritual, but I do see a major difference. And I try really hard. When I was single it was much easier. Besides, its not even on the ballet, ;)…as if we vote for it.
 
1holycatholic said:
Eastern prelate: Latin Rite should consider married priests
A Melkite Greek Catholic prelate says that the Latin Rite should learn from the experience of Eastern Catholic Churches and consider ordaining married men to the priesthood.

“We always propose this to the Latin church because you are Catholic and we are Catholic, but we always feel a lot of reticence when we mention this issue to the Roman Catholic Church,” said Archbishop Georges Bacaouni of Tyr, Lebanon. “I don’t know, but I think it could be helpful to allow a married person to be a priest.”
…
That would mean an end to daily mass. I don’t see that happening.
Click to expand...
I attended a Latin Rite parish where the pastor was a married priest, and they had daily mass. And yes he was the only priest.
 
countertenor said:
I attended a Latin Rite parish where the pastor was a married priest, and they had daily mass. And yes he was the only priest.
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Come to think of it we have a parish right down the street with a married priest that has daily mass. He’s a grandpa too. Assuming the lady I saw with him with last is his wife, he married up, look wise.
 
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