Is it a sin to date a priest?

[binnylu]

I met this wonderful man while he was on LOA from his ministry. He did not intend to return to his ministry. Prior to he and I meeting, he had been married and was since divorced. It was clear at the begining of our relationship that he would have to be laicized and his marriage annulled for our relationship to have a future. A year into our dating relationship, he petitioned for laicization and despinsation. (I did not pressure him to do so.) We had been waiting the past 2 years for decision on his request for laicization. However, recently, he has had thoughts of returning to the priesthood. No matter how difficult this has been, we have had to end our relationship so he can properly discern his return to his priestly duties. My question is: Have I committed a sin for dating him these past 3 years and looking forward to a marriage vocation with him since he had not been properly laicized? I feel like a jezabel.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear friend,

Would you date a married man? I would hope not. To date a man who is committed through his vocation to a wife or to God is a serious sin. By serious I mean mortal. The Church teaches us that for an act to be a mortal sin, it must be objectively sinful, the person must know that it is sinful and the person must freely choose to act. Only you know if all three conditions have been present in your situation.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.