Married/Female priests?

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Any culture that has a hard time keeping their marriage vows, does not have the understanding to make a good decision on these issues. The idea that we should start having married priest might be something to consider. The problem I have with it, is that the reason is to consider it is because of a shortage of numbers.

Now if the family was strong, people kept their marraige vows that’d be one thing. But we cause enough harm when we think that divorce is a decent option. I think the only thing more devasting than to find out a parent is in an adulturas relationship, than to find out that your priest is in an adulturas ralationship. I had a fun two year run at this parish, but now I have different ideas. Instead of hurting just the spouse and kids, you hurt many families in the parish.

I’m sorry I just don’t think that people here in the US understand that a priest is a lifetime sacrifice and not a simple job. I just don’t think we are responsiable. If you want more numbers try to add deacons. The layiety can take on more responsibility, they are smart enough. (Not that that doesn’t have problems with it) Marriages and baptisims don’t happen all the time. Communion can be given by the deacon. One sacrament that might be needed to be open everyday of the week is confession. But chances are if there are so many people who want to go to confession that there needs to be a priest at a parish everyday, I doubt we’d actually have a problem with numbers of priest.
 
Neither are gonna happen in the western rite catholic faith.
 
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romano:
No man can serve two masters.
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that’s what I thought–hub was considering priesthood when I met him but soon gave up on that idea, but I still haven’t convinced him that I should be the master, and after 36 years I doubt if I will.
 
I personally cannot believe what is being typed in this thread. The Eastern Church has allowed married priests since their beginning. There are currently married priests in the western rite.

You all have given supposed excuses as to why it would be a bad idea to allow married priests, but for every example you give, it can easily be refuted by the history of the Eastern Rite.

Can anyone give a legitimate reason why married priests should not be considered by Rome? The ones given above are baseless.
 
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Angainor:
If he wasn’t a widower, would that have disqualified him? Or did they make him get rid of her?
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According to tradition of St. Clement of Alexandria, Peter’s wife suffered matrydom. Other than that, I don’t think we have any mention of her in either Scripture or ecclesiastical history.
 
I think married and female preist are impossible because a married priest can not do everything for the church at all times when he is married, but when he isn’t married, he can help the church at all times. How would it be if a priest couldn’t make it to the nursing home when someone is dying because his kid is graduating. And women priest is not an option because Jesus didn’t ordane women, he ordaned men. And why would we change 2000 years of tradition to make a few people happy. I don’t think God wants it and neither do the majority of people.
 
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gelsbern:
I personally cannot believe what is being typed in this thread. The Eastern Church has allowed married priests since their beginning. There are currently married priests in the western rite.

You all have given supposed excuses as to why it would be a bad idea to allow married priests, but for every example you give, it can easily be refuted by the history of the Eastern Rite.

Can anyone give a legitimate reason why married priests should not be considered by Rome? The ones given above are baseless.
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I just don’t think it’s wise to change the overall stance on married priests in the US and among other places. Not that it is impossible or anything. I say this due to the lack of reverance given to marriage vows. I see it being abused way too much. Besides I think we have a vocation crisis and the one in marriage is much worse than the one for the priesthood. Making this change to increase numbers vocations, I think is foolish. Atleast come up with a better reason to make the change.
 
How is the general ungodly population of this world and it’s lack of reverence to marriage vows have any relation to a man who is a man of God and his sincerity in his vows?

Are you saying that men, who are desiring priesthood would not be reverent and sincere if they took marriage vows before they were ordained?

I am confused.

And to Alterserver: There must be an awful lot of poorly run Eastern churches if what you said had any hint of truth to it.
 
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bogeyjlg:
Where’s the neither button
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In the Episcopalian version of this poll.

As has been said above, female priests are as possible as male mothers. As far as married priests go, it has always been understood in both East and West that it was preferable for a priest to be celibate. Even today, Eastern bishops are chosen from among the ranks of the celibate.
 
Married priests is not only possible, it actually exists in the Latin Rite. Anglican and other protestant ministers who convert to Catholicism and desire to become a priest, can remain married.

A married priesthood is far more widespread among the Eastern Rites.
 
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gelsbern:
How is the general ungodly population of this world and it’s lack of reverence to marriage vows have any relation to a man who is a man of God and his sincerity in his vows?

Are you saying that men, who are desiring priesthood would not be reverent and sincere if they took marriage vows before they were ordained?

I am confused.
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I’m not against changing the discipline to open to all married clergy. I’d rather keep it as it is now, but if there is a decent case that can be made for doing it and the Pope wanted the changed, I’d be for it. I’m against it for the reason to increase numbers, because I don’t think it’s going to help. You going to have a clergy that is not going to be able to work as often and for more money, unless you want the priest to neglect his family. You also open the priesthood up to more scandal with the case of divorce. With the deacon you can wait and make sure the marriage is good and stable. Sure the problems can be delt with, but they are still problems to deal with. Dealing with problems will demand more resources.

If the person is a man of god then hopefully he will keep his vows. But the problem is we have plenty people of God that realize later that this wasn’t quite the vocation for them. While opening the priesthood to married men may increase the numbers, that doesn’t mean its going to be equal quality across the board. If it can be a challange for even a person who thinks they are of God, how much more so for a person a little less than this. Will they get weeded out? Hopefully so. But the more you put in, the more that will slip through.

Yes it is an ungodly world that doesn’t seem to want to respect a vow, but isn’t it different for a person that wants to be a preist. Well, I think there is a big differance between swimming against a current than swimming with it. You better be determined to swim against it if its going against you, otherwise it’d be easy enought to let go and let it take you where it goes. If you have your parents get a divorce and all your friends paying no mind, you’d have to fight to keep that vow. If you have parents who stress that you must keep that vow and friends who respect the boundries of marriage and such, keeping a vow would be much more ingrained in you.

If you ask me it seems the US public want priesthood open to marriage for not very noble reasons. I think most think of the priesthood as a job. It’s a lifetime sacrifice and committment. Then again, I get the feeling they seem to the marriage and parenthood to be the same way too. Which to me is very sad.
 
Fr John Corapi had a really good answer to the question of married male priests and female priests being possible in the future (on his conversion story CD). According to him, married priests could be possible in the future, but female priests never. A lifetime of being taught the liberal feminist point of view clouds the issue in my mind, but ultimately it comes down to me saying to the Lord “not my will but thine be done” and I plan to stand by church teaching in the matter of the role of women in the Catholic Chruch.
 
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km112482:
I just dont think either should be. I dont agree with it at all. As for married priests I dont get it. They are supposed to be married to the church. I would think a wife would complicate things. Our parish priest already never has enough time for his parishoners, I can only imagine if he had a wife and a family. And what happens if a priest gets divorced and has no grounds for annulment, etc. Then you are going into a whole other problem. I just think it would be too much to allow something like that.

God Bless, Kerri
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You took the words out of my mouth!

👍
 
Sgt Sweaters:
regardless of how we “feel” about it, priests remaining celibate is simply a discipline, not a doctrine.
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Besides “doctrine” there’s also something known as “common sense”. If women are not to be allowed to become priests then they shouldn’t be allowed to become the bosses of priests either. There are very good reasons for both of these practices.
 
Dear friends

After alot of thought as to whether Priests should marry and chat between Catholic friends I would say that it should be optional for the Priest whether they marry or not.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
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romano:
Besides “doctrine” there’s also something known as “common sense”. If women are not to be allowed to become priests then they shouldn’t be allowed to become the bosses of priests either. There are very good reasons for both of these practices.
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So now a wife is the boss of her husband? Don’t know much about Catholic Teaching do you?

As married priests were the norm in the whole Church at one time and still are the norm in Eastern Catholic Churches.
 
Brain said:
(you know priests wouldn’t use ABC so they would have big families). and a priest is on call and willing go anywhwrere for any reason the church needs, that would be quite the chaos for children.
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Sorry to veer off-topic, but Brian I don’t agree with what you
wrote.

First of all, I don’t agree with your conclusion in your first
statement: No ABC implies big families. This dismisses the
exercise of will of the individuals and also the fact that not
every single conjugal act results in God-given life.
And what of NFP? Since it is not ABC, i guess that NFP
implies big families, right?

Secondly, in the case of a married priest, don’t you think that
*maybe *God might grant special graces to a priest’s family to
help them overcome the alleged choas that you say would
result?

Back on topic – I think there will **never **be female priests.
Like someone wrote earlier – the Church simply does not
have the authority to ordain women. Personally, I’d like to
see a American bishop or cardinal clearly admonish the
liberal feminists on this and squash this heresy once and
for all.

Jeff
 
Originally Posted by Brain
(you know priests wouldn’t use ABC so they would have big families). and a priest is on call and willing go anywhwrere for any reason the church needs, that would be quite the chaos for children.
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I don’t use ABC, and I only have two children. :rolleyes:
 
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