Should Priests be able to marry?

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Deo_Gratias42 said:
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.
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Being a Business Analyst is a 9-5 job, I’m married. When I was a programmer it was a 12-14 hour workday, plus maybe 4-6 on a Saturday. I wasn’t married then but I had collegues who were. Doctors get called in all the time. My wife’s doctor (family docotor + obgyn) does an 8-5 clinic plus gets called to the hospital whenever one of her patients are giving birth. And often she would even extend her clinic hours if there are women there for checkup and she had to leave to do a delivery.

In terms of hours dedicated by a priest to his work, there is nothing special that they do that cannot be compared to other professions that has no such restriction on marriage life. And being a parish priest mostly means you are just there in your parish and your parish’s territory. That’s a sweeter deal than those of us who has to drive 1 hour or more one way to work every day.
 
I am not sure we should weigh in on this. Does not affect the laity directly in a sense, and priests along with their Bishops are the ones to make this decision, since the Pope is also a Bishop. There have been lots of opinions on this, and some quite good studies and recommendations. We already have an ordained married (for the most part) ministry in the diaconate. I suspect some priests, if given the choice, would elect to remain celibate, There is no good reason to trust a married versus celibate priest. Most have a pretty good idea of marriage from their own families,
 
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?
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While this idea has been floated of late, it’s false, and has no support from either Scripture or Tradition. The Church is the Bride of Christ, but He was certainly not married during His life on earth.
 
My answer is yes, or if you want to be pedantic about it, married men should be allowed to become priests. After all its ok if your’e a protestant minister ‘crossing the tiber’ or an eastern rite man becoming a priest in an eastern catholic church, or in holy orthodoxy for that matter.
 

In terms of hours dedicated by a priest to his work, there is nothing special that they do that cannot be compared to other professions that has no such restriction on marriage life. And being a parish priest mostly means you are just there in your parish and your parish’s territory. That’s a sweeter deal than those of us who has to drive 1 hour or more one way to work every day.​

Most Catholic priests live in the rectory which is typically on the property that the Church is on. It is usually very humble and usually not suitable for a family and other priests live there as well. Most priests say mass every day, visit the sick in their parish every day and some hear 20 hours of confession a week.
 
KP3243 said:
Most Catholic priests live in the rectory which is typically on the property that the Church is on. It is usually very humble and usually not suitable for a family and other priests live there as well. Most priests say mass every day, visit the sick in their parish every day and some hear 20 hours of confession a week.
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I’ve been to a number of living spaces for priests and I would say they are more than capable of housing a family. Of course unless the priest has 5 or more kids. But then again, even most secular folk would have problems finding suitable living space. It is not a unique problem. And parishes can always renovate, its not as if they can’t fix or upgrade the housing.

Mind you I am Eastern Catholic and a number of our priests are married. We experience none of the theoretical problems posted on this thread. I also know very well an Orthodox priest and he has no problems having a family and tending to his flock. In fact his family is very involved in his ministry. The wife is sort of like the usher, she welcomes people and welcomes guests, attends to any issues in the congregation while Father does the Liturgy. His daughter is married to the cantor (so the cantor is his son-in-law).
 
A man who is already married can become a priest - currently only Eastern Catholic priests and men who were married before converting and are then allowed to become Catholic priests (Anglicans and some other protestant ministers).

A man who is already ordained cannot marry and that rule should not change. Do we really want the parish priest dating? :eek:

A man who is both married and ordained cannot become a bishop and than rule should not change.

@ConstantineTG - the way you describe the priest’s wife is very similar to how many protestant minister’s wives also act. They often lead the women’s/mom ministries in the church, assist with counseling and similar things.
 
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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If you are in the UK, you certainly see a lot of married Anglican priests. Has this helped the Anglican church somehow?

The fact is that the Anglican church has departed radically from orthodox Christianity. I am not suggesting that the married clergy is the cause of this apostasy but it is certainly true that married clergy has not benefited that church.
 
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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First, Priests are not abducted and forced into the Lord’s service - they willingly seek it, knowing the requirements. Why impose such a burden upon a Priest, who scarcely has time to breathe? Saint Paul says extremely clearly in scripture that it is best for the servant of God to remain single, as he did. The married man is divided, Saint Paul teaches us, whereas the unmarried man may devote 100% of his energy and attention to God.

There is a funny aspect of human behavior that enters into circumstances such as this. Those who are not affected by some situation can be much more upset over it than those who actually are affected. If you find yourself concerned about some condition that others live under, why not ask them about it? You might be surprised.
 
Mrs_Sally said:
@ConstantineTG - the way you describe the priest’s wife is very similar to how many protestant minister’s wives also act. They often lead the women’s/mom ministries in the church, assist with counseling and similar things.
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The priest’s wife in my current parish helps with other things like singing.

I don’t get it why people think that a priest’s family would get in the way. They in fact add and support to the priest’s ministry. That is why they have to be married prior to ordination, they as a family would be part of the ministry. Oh, and if the wife does not give her ascent to the bishop, the bishop will not ordain the man. That is important too. The ministry to the priesthood must be accepted by both husband and wife, as one flesh, even though physically it is only the husband at the altar.
 
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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A priest CANNOT marry. I think what you are asking is should married men be ordained; which is possible.
 
:eek:
Mrs_Sally said:
A man who is already married can become a priest - currently only Eastern Catholic priests and men who were married before converting and are then allowed to become Catholic priests (Anglicans and some other protestant ministers).

A man who is already ordained cannot marry and that rule should not change. Do we really want the parish priest dating? :eek:

A man who is both married and ordained cannot become a bishop and than rule should not change.

@ConstantineTG - the way you describe the priest’s wife is very similar to how many protestant minister’s wives also act. They often lead the women’s/mom ministries in the church, assist with counseling and similar things.
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If my memery is right, in some of the EO Churchs the Bishops are generly a Monk because they can not be ordained if they are married (only parish priests are allowed to be married before ordaination). :):knight1:

Parish priest dating. :bigyikes: :eek:
 
Absolutely yes…

No biblical reason why they should not be.The Eastern Caholic church allows it and it was allowed until the 12th century. Technically speaking Priests have been allowed to get married in the CC longer than they have been allowed not to.

It will increase vocations because then the question that faces every man contemplating priesthood will be - Do i want to serve God for the rest of my life(which is how it should be) v/s
Do i want to be celibate by being a priest or get married?(which it is now)

Don’t allow married priests to become Bishops to keep things uncomplicated.

I can only see benefits to this
 
ChrisRedfield47 said:
No. Their life is offered for Christ and his Church.
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If this is so then can you explain the fact that there are married men who have been ordained?

Marriage is not an impediment to the reception of Holy Orders. In the western Church the requirement that a man be unmarried to be ordained can and has been dispensed in many cases. Just look at the Anglican Ordinate.

In the Byzantine Churches no dispensation is necessary as this is fully allowed and in the recent past was the norm for the secular priesthood.
 
JSAD said:
Don’t allow married priests to become Bishops to keep things uncomplicated.

I can only see benefits to this
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What happens when a diocese has no unmarried priests? The problem with this thread is we are thinking as men do, not as God does. There is a biblical reason. Jesus was celibate and single. A priest acts in Persona Christi. Therefore he should be single as well. After a period of decline vocations have increased recently. I would rather be at a parish with 2 unmarried priests who wanted to give their lives to God, than 10 who decided that since they can be married they want to be priests.
 
onceablasphemer said:
What happens when a diocese has no unmarried priests? The problem with this thread is we are thinking as men do, not as God does. There is a biblical reason. Jesus was celibate and single. A priest acts in Persona Christi. Therefore he should be single as well. After a period of decline vocations have increased recently. I would rather be at a parish with 2 unmarried priests who wanted to give their lives to God, than 10 who decided that since they can be married they want to be priests.
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Look to the East for the answer.

Religious, monks, will always be unmarried as that is part of the charism of religious life and the evangelical counsels. Select bishops from the religious.

Not all bishops are selected from the secular priesthood.
 
I think we have to stop looking at this with an American or from completely free society prospective. Priests don’t get persecuted in the US but that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting persecuted in other countries around the world. Just a few months ago a priest in the Sudan was crucified with ropes not nails but he was hung on a cross. The clergy were persecuted in Sierra Leone, who knows what is happening to Catholic Clergy in China, let’s not forget during World War II priests, bishops, cardinals from all over Europe were sent to concentration camps. The priesthood is a dangerous job and it has been since our High Priest, Jesus was killed. All of the Popes for the first 300 years of the Church were martyred. Jesus even said in John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. Inviting priests to have families invites them to this same threat.
 
Whereas there are certain Rites of the church, that are “equal dignity, so that none of them is superior to the others as regards rite” (as is stated in the Vatican II council) I don’t see why, if someone was married and felt called to the priesthood, he couldn’t join the Byzantine Rite, for example?

Isn’t it just the Latin Rite of priests that are celibate? I figure if there were more married men drawn to the priesthood ,that those Rites of the church that allow marriage, would be growing rapidly.

I imagine the Latin Rite is such a big Rite because the priests are not married and missionary work is much easier. It is hard to re-locate a family as opposed to a single male. Therefore, the Latin Rite tends to be the more dominant (more available/present) Rite.

Some one correct me if I am wrong in any fashion, please.
 
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