Married Priests

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I will leave the spiritual reasons for a celibate priesthood up to the experts. However, the argument that we need a married priesthood to solve the priest shortage just doesn’t make sense to me. The practical disadvantages seem to outweigh whatever increase in numbers may occur. Married men would not be more available to their flock, due to family obligations. And oh, the financial nightmare! I can just hear the parishioners scrutinizing where the priests wife and kids go shopping, how many cars they have, how their house is furnished, the salary…yeesh! After taking a real look at the lifestyle of a priest, I wonder how many men and their wives would flock to embrace it.

…Musings of an ex-teenage-rectory-phoneanddoorbell answerer who saw enough to know she would not want to be the wife of a priest.
 
As St. Paul tells us those who are married will be concerned with the things of this world, i.e., their spouse, etc., while those who do not marry are free to be concerned with God. It would be both a disservice to the Church and to the priest’s family if he were to marry.
 
I know you all don’t want to hear this but I am putting it out there just as a clarification.

Married priests would not make the church more protestant, nothing could do that.

I think a totally celibate priesthood is fine for the western church. But if we are serious about it we should get rid of all of those married convert priests! They should be suspended from their duties as not in keeping with the tradition of the Western Catholic church. There are at least 100 of them in the United States alone.

Not doing so is rank hypocrisy.

Michael, that sinner

PS There was a comment that there were married priests during the middle ages. That is a historical fact, that’s why there were so many local councils that addressed the issue. There were still married priests in parts of northern Gaul around 800, and their type nurtured the church in it’s early fragile years there. The western married priesthood was finally suppressed in a piecemeal fashion through a series of reforms, but one has to wonder at the stubbornness of the practice, only bishops can ordain priests.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
 
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Hesychios:
PS There was a comment that there were married priests during the middle ages. That is a historical fact, that’s why there were so many local councils that addressed the issue. There were still married priests in parts of northern Gaul around 800, and their type nurtured the church in it’s early fragile years there. The western married priesthood was finally suppressed in a piecemeal fashion through a series of reforms, but one has to wonder at the stubbornness of the practice, only bishops can ordain priests.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
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I don’t think anyone questions the existence of priests who are also married (I know I didn’t).

I questioned someone’s assertion that priests were allowed to become married (ie ordained men becoming married, which AFAIK is not routine; unlike married men becoming ordained, which is permissible to this day)
 
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tee_eff_em:
I don’t think anyone questions the existence of priests who are also married (I know I didn’t).

I questioned someone’s assertion that priests were allowed to become married (ie ordained men becoming married, which AFAIK is not routine; unlike married men becoming ordained, which is permissible to this day)
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Oh, well we are in full agreement there.

It’s possible that the original poster did not even mean what was said.

I agree that there is a difference between allowing married priests, priests to be married and allowing priests to get married. One might say any one of these things and not realize that the only option would be to marry before ordination.

In Christ,
Michael, that sinner
 
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blondeone:
It might happen after the death (God-Forbid) of Pope JPII. There is a dire need for priests. Other demonations have married clergy, why can’t Catholicism? It is already happening to a point. The church is accepting former Lutheran and Episcopal pastors as priests and they are allowing them to stay married.

Blondeone
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There is nothing to suggest that allowinf priests to marry would help the “crisis of vocations.”

Many Protestant sects (that actually require come seminary formation) and the Orthodox have horrible clerical shortages as well…
 
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condan:
No. It is not possible.

A priest is an icon of Christ who we know was male.
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There is no dogmatic reason that male priests cannot marry within the Latin Rite…
 
I wonder if everyone is aware that NO male who becomes a bishop in the Catholic or Orthodox Churches may be married?

Yes, that includes the Eastern side of the Catholic Church…
 
I voted No. :eek: There should be one more category - “NO and it should not even be thought of!” It has nothing to do with the Pope, current, past, or future. If Jesus wanted a married priesthood, I think He would have married. But He didn’t, so we don’t!

Peace and all good,

Thomas2
 
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Crusader:
I wonder if everyone is aware that NO male who becomes a bishop in the Catholic or Orthodox Churches may be married?

Yes, that includes the Eastern side of the Catholic Church…
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Yes, we know that
 
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Crusader:
Many Protestant sects (that actually require come seminary formation) and the Orthodox have horrible clerical shortages as well…
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This is true! Although I am not sure what qualifies as horrible to you.

The clergy are not paid very well, anywhere.

It is actually a horrible choice for a career, if one considers all of the education required.

And then there is the fact that they have to listen to people like us unburden ourselves, when they have problems of their own.

But saying this does not change the fact that the vocations problem in Catholicism is worse than elsewhere. This has been true for many, many years.

We are faithful people, aren’t we? Don’t we deserve to have more clergy than everyone else? Isn’t the office of priest more important than some minister? Aren’t we the ones who have Christ Jesus in the Eucharist, not just some symbolic gesture, but the True body and Blood of Our Lord and Saviour?!? Why do we have less men of the cloth than everyone else?

Why do I have to rely on someone else’s family to provide a priest for my parish? Why won’t my sons step forward and embrace the priesthood? Why didn’t I?

Michael, that sinner
 
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Hesychios:
But saying this does not change the fact that the vocations problem in Catholicism is worse than elsewhere. This has been true for many, many years.
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I could be wrong, but, from what I’ve heard, the “vocations problem” in Catholicism is really a problem in the United States and Western Europe. If you check some of the third world countries, I understand that they have enough priests to actually export them to the U.S.

John
 
There are already married priests in the Roman rite, but mostly they are former Anglican or Episcopalian clergymen who have converted to Catholicism and been allowed to be ordained.

In any case, I think that will continue, but will always be an exception, with celibacy as the general rule. We have one married priest in our parish. I recall his wife telling a group that she would never recommend a married clergy as a general rule.

JimG
 
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Hesychios:
The clergy are not paid very well, anywhere. It is actually a horrible choice for a career, if one considers all of the education required.
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I mentioned this earlier…but I believe the priesthood is a calling rather than a “career choice”…and it certainly shouldn’t be about the money. My two cents, anyway. :twocents: Peace.
 
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DrCat:
I could be wrong, but, from what I’ve heard, the “vocations problem” in Catholicism is really a problem in the United States and Western Europe. If you check some of the third world countries, I understand that they have enough priests to actually export them to the U.S.

John
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Youre right. Its the result of too many liberals in the Church. In the 70s, if you thought homosexuality was a gravely objective disorder, theyd often tell you not to be a priest. This happened to a priest I know. Secular psychologists were doing exams on the candidates. The Church got lukewarm. With the return to orthodoxy that JPII is bringing I think we will have more vocations, and the seminaries will be cleaned up. Read a book called “Goodbye, good men” for more info. Warning: you may need a bucket to vomit in while reading this.
 
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SwissGuard:
I mentioned this earlier…but I believe the priesthood is a calling rather than a “career choice”…and it certainly shouldn’t be about the money. My two cents, anyway. :twocents: Peace.
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I don’t disagree, but let’s face it. We are discussing the shortage of clergy, and this is definately a factor whether or not you and I think it should be.

Michael
 
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DrCat:
I could be wrong, but, from what I’ve heard, the “vocations problem” in Catholicism is really a problem in the United States and Western Europe. If you check some of the third world countries, I understand that they have enough priests to actually export them to the U.S.

John
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The answer to that is a big “it depends”. the proper way to look a the clergy supply is the see the ratio between the number of faithful and the number of clergy.

I agree that in many areas people are on fire for the faith, and their homes are mission country so they may generating a lot of vocations. I would have a hard time knowing which areas though.

Does anyone know how many priests there are in Brazil?

Check out your sources and report back here with the answer. I am sure everyone is curious. 😉

In Christ Jesus Always,
Michael, that sinner
 
I have probably see a married man who becomes a priest. It is clear also that there are people that cannot overcome temptation. Even a little temptation can make them fall. If such people become a priest, there is a chance they will fall on the way .
 
I have probably see a married man ordained as a priest. However, there are people that cannot overcome temptation. Even a little temptation can make them fall. If such people become a priest, there is a chance that they will fall on the way. One thing you will know is that not everybody can overcome temptation. Whether a priest or not. We all have a weak body nature.

NB: There is a grammar error in the frist post
 
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