Should Priests be able to marry?

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Should Priests be able to marry?

My answer is yes, they should. If they did i think it would be a massive improvement in the trust they would get from the world as a whole.

What do you guys think?
 
koolpc said:
Should Priests be able to marry?

My answer is yes, they should. If they did i think it would be a massive improvement in the trust they would get from the world as a whole.

What do you guys think?
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I think no, they shouldn’t. Priests are called to be spiritual fathers of their flock, which is not a 9-5 job. Being a priest is a life of sacrifice. It is a commitment which I think requires them to be able to completely dedicated to the souls entrusted into their care, and I think a family would hamper priests from being able to do so to the degree which they are required.

I think the lack of trust or whatever they receive from the world is the result of the world wanting priests to validate them in their sinful ways, and will use priestly celibacy as tool against priests stating that they don’t know what they’re talking about and don’t know what it’s like to be married therefore whatever they say is irrelevant.
 
NO Already ordained priest should not be permitted to marry .

Though the Eastern Churches , both Catholic and Orthodox have a tradition of married priests - they have to marry before ordination as deacons .

Once they have been ordained then they must remain in the marital state they were before ordination ie married or celibate.

Yes occasionally a priest or deacon is permitted to remarry after their spouse has died - but this is on a ccase to case basis and usually because there are young children involved
 
I think that Jesus may very well have been married as was the norm for most men in his day. Isnt it right that catholic priests used to be married several hundred years ago?
 
koolpc said:
Should Priests be able to marry?

My answer is yes, they should. If they did i think it would be a massive improvement in the trust they would get from the world as a whole.
Click to expand...
This would mean that;
  1. Anyone not married cannot be trusted.
  2. Those married can always be trusted.
Yet we see crimes involving married men and women all the time.

As a married man who does youth ministry, it’s hard to balance my married life and ministry stuff, and I don’t even do it full time!
 
koolpc said:
Should Priests be able to marry?

My answer is yes, they should. If they did i think it would be a massive improvement in the trust they would get from the world as a whole.

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Do I think they should get married? (or rather, the question should be “Should married Catholic priests be expanded, since Eastern Catholic priests and converting ministers from other faiths MAY be married Catholic priests already, albeit rare”) My answer would be yes. While I think there are many benefits to celibacy, the church allowed married priests for the first 1,000 years of its existence, and I think it would be fine to do so again.

Now, would it create a “massive improvement in trust” like you claim? Almost certainly not. It is ironic that one of the reasons that celibacy was imposed during the Cluny Reform Movement was as a reform, because married priests were considered so much more corrupt than celibate ones. Many had families that lived a high lifestyle, and they often engaged in simony, using their positions to obtain good jobs for their sons, sometimes even within the church. This, combined with the demands on their time from the job, caused celibacy to be imposed universally. All it demonstrates is that whether celibate or married, there will be corruption in the church due to our sinful nature, and that we must always be on guard for it.
 
We have a Catholic Priest in Greenville, SC who is married. I believe they are married in the Eastern Rite. We will probably see more with new Anglican ordinariate (is that the right word?)

However, the question you are asking pertains to a custom that these men individually volunteer to participate. I believe that it would be difficult to change this custom since it has such a rich history, tradition, and reason.

I don’t think we will ever see priests “allowed” to marry and I think most priests will tell you they prefer it that way. Who are we to tell them they don’t know their custom or it’s reason as well as they do.
 
The_Idiot said:
Yes occasionally a priest or deacon is permitted to remarry after their spouse has died - but this is on a ccase to case basis and usually because there are young children involved
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This has always been an extremely rare thing, but even so, on those rare occasions when such dispensation has been granted it has always always because there are young children involved. 🙂
 
With the need for priests getting greater every day and the number of priests, last I heard, decreasing I can understand the celibacy. It allows the priest to be where the Church needs them.

Strong reasons I believe they should be: Like you said the world would trust them more because a modern humans view of a celibate human is that they are right for fornicating and the celibate is probably the pervert. The enemy attacked the Church in an effort to reinforce this idea. My concern is it does leave an opening for the enemy to attack the Church. A wife can be a very powerful ally to a priest. There are some married priests but I’m unclear on how this happens and why it is allowed sometimes but not most of the time. I haven’t been involved in the Church enough recently.

I don’t know the right answer but if you consider both sides of it I would think the answer would be
  1. allow priests to be married
  2. get more priests! there are ways to accomplish this that haven’t been tried. More are called than answer the call. Break down the barriers.
This would allow the Church to have all angles covered. Of course, I don’t know better than the Church! This is, however, the best direction I can see to go in.
 
koolpc said:
I think that Jesus may very well have been married as was the norm for most men in his day. Isnt it right that catholic priests used to be married several hundred years ago?
Click to expand...
I’m curious about what might have led you to the conclusion that Jesus may have been married. Do you have anything to support that he was, or are you just saying that it is plausible?
 
Rolltide said:
Do I think they should get married? (or rather, the question should be “Should married Catholic priests be expanded, since Eastern Catholic priests and converting ministers from other faiths MAY be married Catholic priests already, albeit rare”) My answer would be yes. While I think there are many benefits to celibacy, the church allowed married priests for the first 1,000 years of its existence, and I think it would be fine to do so again.

Now, would it create a “massive improvement in trust” like you claim? Almost certainly not. It is ironic that one of the reasons that celibacy was imposed during the Cluny Reform Movement was as a reform, because married priests were considered so much more corrupt than celibate ones. Many had families that lived a high lifestyle, and they often engaged in simony, using their positions to obtain good jobs for their sons, sometimes even within the church. This, combined with the demands on their time from the job, caused celibacy to be imposed universally. All it demonstrates is that whether celibate or married, there will be corruption in the church due to our sinful nature, and that we must always be on guard for it.
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This is chess game. There is more than one way to devour a soul. I really like what you said at the end though. The best thing to do is to be vigilant regardless of the policy.
 
koolpc said:
I think that Jesus may very well have been married as was the norm for most men in his day. Isnt it right that catholic priests used to be married several hundred years ago?
Click to expand...
The norm for any man in any day does not apply to Jesus the Christ. God on earth… think about that. Son of Man and Son of God. This is not figurative this is literal.
 
I wouldn’t be totally against it. I think there should be two categories, however.
  1. Those priests who stay celibate - these priests are the only ones who are allowed to achieve rank of bishop.
  2. Those priests who marry - these priests are the only allows to become priests at a local parish level.
I believe, correct me if I’m wrong, that this is how the Eastern Church does it.

However, none of us knows what the future holds. We may eventually see society swing back around and men will enter the priesthood in high numbers.
 
GangGreen said:
I wouldn’t be totally against it. I think there should be two categories, however.
  1. Those priests who stay celibate - these priests are the only ones who are allowed to achieve rank of bishop.
  2. Those priests who marry - these priests are the only allows to become priests at a local parish level.
I believe, correct me if I’m wrong, that this is how the Eastern Church does it.

However, none of us knows what the future holds. We may eventually see society swing back around and men will enter the priesthood in high numbers.
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Please support your statements. If that is how you think the Eastern Church does it, that is not reason to think that way. The reasons the Eastern Church may or may not have for being against it would be though.
 
My answer is yes because am certain its far healthier for those who want to marry.

They will then have a ‘home’ to go to rather than an empty house. Their wife and children will provide them with reason to be beyond the church.

They will have a far better understanding of marital issues through their own experience.

And am sure and I say this as sensitively as I can because I know its not only unmarried males that commit this crime but am certain there would be fewer sexual assult cases on children if priests could marry and have a heathily sexual relationship with their wives if they are not Oblates thats if
 
Rolltide said:
Do I think they should get married? (or rather, the question should be “Should married Catholic priests be expanded, since Eastern Catholic priests and converting ministers from other faiths MAY be married Catholic priests already, albeit rare”) My answer would be yes. While I think there are many benefits to celibacy, the church allowed married priests for the first 1,000 years of its existence, and I think it would be fine to do so again.

Now, would it create a “massive improvement in trust” like you claim? Almost certainly not. It is ironic that one of the reasons that celibacy was imposed during the Cluny Reform Movement was as a reform, because married priests were considered so much more corrupt than celibate ones. Many had families that lived a high lifestyle, and they often engaged in simony, using their positions to obtain good jobs for their sons, sometimes even within the church. This, combined with the demands on their time from the job, caused celibacy to be imposed universally. All it demonstrates is that whether celibate or married, there will be corruption in the church due to our sinful nature, and that we must always be on guard for it.
Click to expand...
Actually in the Eastern/Byzantine church married men can be and are ordained, and it is not rare at all.

But no one once ordianed can get married. I think that is quite sensible.
 
The_Idiot said:
NO Already ordained priest should not be permitted to marry .

Though the Eastern Churches , both Catholic and Orthodox have a tradition of married priests - they have to marry before ordination as deacons .

Once they have been ordained then they must remain in the marital state they were before ordination ie married or celibate.

Yes occasionally a priest or deacon is permitted to remarry after their spouse has died - but this is on a ccase to case basis and usually because there are young children involved
Click to expand...
As per the canons of the Eastern Churches from the First Millennium, they must be married before ordination to be a Subdeacon.

Also as per the Eastern canons, a priest or deacon cannot remarry. If they do, they are deposed.
 
I think it is a conflict of interest to be married and have children. What happens if you get a great priest but his kids are in trouble with the law. What happens if the Mrs. wears expensive clothing when you are supposed to be humble are we supposed to pay for a priest and his whole family’s home. Look what happened to the Schullers in Orange County with the Crystal Cathedral they all lived in these expensive houses in Laguna Beach and then their church went bankrupt.
 
FaithInTheSon said:
Please support your statements. If that is how you think the Eastern Church does it, that is not reason to think that way. The reasons the Eastern Church may or may not have for being against it would be though.
Click to expand...
I know wikipedia isn’t the greatest source in the world
Most Eastern Churches distinguish between “monastic” and “non-monastic” clergy. Monastics do not necessarily live as monks or in monasteries, but have spent at least part of their period of training in such a context. Their monastic vows include a vow of celibate chastity.
Bishops are normally selected from the monastic clergy, and in most Eastern Catholic Churches a large percentage of priests and deacons also are celibate, while a portion of the clergy (typically, parish priests) may be married. If someone preparing for the diaconate or priesthood wishes to marry, this must happen before ordination.
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I’m fine with the way it is now and prefer the current way, but if they would allow priests to marry I think this would be a logical way of doing it. You need more priests than you need bishops. Plus a bishop should be someone who doesn’t have to also dedicate a lot of his time to a family. Priests are already busy as it is, imagine how busy bishops are. However, as long as there is money available, you can technically have an infinite amount of priests in one parish whereas you can only have one bishop per diocese. The more priests you have in a parish, I’m assuming that the workload would decrease. That’s if “allowing priests to marry = more priests”
 
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