Should the Church allow married Priests?

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The first thing the so-called reformers did on breaking with the Roman Catholic Church was to remove celibacy. It is also the same unwillingness in our day that is mainly responsible for the massive exodus of priests from their priestly ministry. Before and during the Second Vatican Council, there was extreme agitation, some in high quarters, to have celibacy for priests in the Western Church made, as they said, optional. But as has happened more than once in previous centuries, the Council held firm.

If anyone asks me, and I have been asked more than once, what positive good has come from the Second Council of the Vatican, I could give a dozen answers. But somewhere near the top is its unmistakable support for priestly celibacy. As the following statement of the Council makes clear:
Based on the mystery of Christ and its mission, celibacy, which at first was recommended to priests, was afterwards on the Latin Church imposed by law on all who were to be promoted to Holy Orders. This Sacred Council approves and confirms this legislation. (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 16).

therealpresence.org/arch…esthood_010.htm
 
That is fine but some seem to think that it is superior. It is not, it is different.

Some here denigrate the married priesthood. They belittle it and the families who have grown up in them. That is wrong.

No, restoring a married priesthood to the Latin secluar priesthood will not fix the vocation “crisis”. I place that in quotes because I do not think we have a crisis.

As fix said, we get the number and quality of priests we deserve.

There are other issues that cause men not to enter the priesthood.

The failure of the family in the western word. The way they see the laity treating religious and priests. I see parents bad mouth a priest infront of their children. The western worlds emphasis on material goods as a measure of success.

I have told some people about my vocation. I have been asked many times, “Why throw away your life like that?” I have been told, “You won’t make much money.” or “You just got a raise, why throw that away?” I have also been told, “Only homosexuals would want to be a priest.” Most of these statements, if not all, have come from Catholics.

There is no easy answer, no quick fix.

I am for upholding traditions, in the Byzantine Churchs that is a married secular priesthood, in the Latin Church that is a celibate secular priesthood.

Until such a time as we get a resonable argument for changing things, other than the priest shortage, it should stay the way it is.

Sorry for my rant.
 
Yes I think there should be married priest. Well it depends on the priest themelves if they want to make that kind of commitment. I guess.
 
The early church stopped allowing priests to marry because they wanted to put a stop the the scandals that were being committed at that time. Now we are thinking of having married priests again to stop scandal and to up the number of priests? Doesn’t make sense.

Vocations come from parishes where a very devote and orthodox Catholic faith is alive and growing and specifically from families who model the virtues. They don’t come from lowering the bar. Vocations come from high expectations and deep faith, in an atmosphere where a young man will recognize he is called by the Holy Spirit and respond.

As my Bishop says,“I want my priest to be someone who gave up something dear to him to answer the call to be a priest”. They make the best kind. Obedience to the Lord always comes first.

Be very careful what you wish for.
 
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bellesjoy:
The early church stopped allowing priests to marry because they wanted to put a stop the the scandals that were being committed at that time. Now we are thinking of having married priests again to stop scandal and to up the number of priests? Doesn’t make sense.

Vocations come from parishes where a very devote and orthodox Catholic faith is alive and growing and specifically from families who model the virtues. They don’t come from lowering the bar. Vocations come from high expectations and deep faith, in an atmosphere where a young man will recognize he is called by the Holy Spirit and respond.

As my Bishop says,“I want my priest to be someone who gave up something dear to him to answer the call to be a priest”. They make the best kind. Obedience to the Lord always comes first.

Be very careful what you wish for.
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You are aware that there are married priests in the Catholic Church today.

The celibate secular priesthood was only mandated in the Latin Church, the Eastern Churchs have always had a married secular priesthood.

And the Latin Church today has granted many dispensations for protestant clergy that are married to be ordained to the priesthood.
 
I am very aware of the few married priests that are in the RC today. I personally know Fr. Shilder that was mentioned eariler, and he is a good priest. They have been carefully vetted. And we thank God for their conversion and ordination.
The excepton should not, however, become the rule. I agree with the Holy Father, my Bishop and the magisterium on this issue. The Church is guided by the Holy Spirit. It is not up to you or me. And this is simply not something that is going to change, accept it or not.
 
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tigerlilly:
Notice one thing: you say they are well, not their children or their wives… I kown a protestant priest who is quite well and his wife is exausted, because a lot of the work of the church falls on her shoulders. Is that the christian thing to do? “Marry me, dear, and do half my work!”
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On the whole they are well too.
 
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fix:
I think we get the number and quality of priests we deserve. IMO, if we want more priests we should reform out lives. I am not offended in the least. The Church says celibacy is the discipline in the Latin rite, we few exceptions. What I find curious is that so many who want a married priesthood seem to disregard the fact that the vocation to married lfe is in a shambles in our society. More men will answer the call when we married people started living out our faith as we should. It is not about getting more men to answer the call by changing the standard. Just allowing married men to be ordained will not solve the crisis in the Church.
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Who is proposing that we are going to solve any crises? I certainly am not.
 
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fix:
The first thing the so-called reformers did on breaking with the Roman Catholic Church was to remove celibacy. It is also the same unwillingness in our day that is mainly responsible for the massive exodus of priests from their priestly ministry. Before and during the Second Vatican Council, there was extreme agitation, some in high quarters, to have celibacy for priests in the Western Church made, as they said, optional. But as has happened more than once in previous centuries, the Council held firm.

If anyone asks me, and I have been asked more than once, what positive good has come from the Second Council of the Vatican, I could give a dozen answers. But somewhere near the top is its unmistakable support for priestly celibacy. As the following statement of the Council makes clear:
Based on the mystery of Christ and its mission, celibacy, which at first was recommended to priests, was afterwards on the Latin Church imposed by law on all who were to be promoted to Holy Orders. This Sacred Council approves and confirms this legislation. (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 16).

therealpresence.org/arch…esthood_010.htm
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This perhaps is closer to what I would submit, and that is that celibacy can be supported, promoted, recommended, lauded and praised, lived grace - fully without being imposed. Lack of impostion is seen as overturning, or denying, or giving short shrift to, or destroying celibacy. Nonsense. If it is truly a charism, then in should be eeminently capable of standing on its own two legs. It is in no way intrinsic to the priesthood (neither is marriage), and if it is the better way, then it sohould be promoted as the better way. But promoting it as the better way is light years from imposing it.

I think at the base of this is a fear among the clergy that should it be made optional, no one would take the option; and i suspect (and have for a very long time) that there are ample numbers of clergy who might be less vocal of singing its praises to the heaves should it not be imposed. That is to say, I think there are people - clergy - who have carried a very heavy cross, and whether through anger, or fear, or jealousy, or whatever emotion we ascribe it to, have an attitude that “I had to carry this cross, and you’ re going to carry it too”. And others would be forthright about what their calling was, and how much of that calling involved the charism of celibacy, and how much of it was just the imposed cross of celibacy.
 
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bellesjoy:
Vocations come from parishes where a very devote and orthodox Catholic faith is alive and growing and specifically from families who model the virtues. They don’t come from lowering the bar.
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And you, whether you realize it or not, have just slammed evey one of the Catholic married clergy - whether Eastern or Roman rite. Lowering the bar? Are you implying some sort of impurity that marriage brings? Or they are just not “strong enough to resist the temptaions”?
bellsjoy:
Vocations come from high expectations and deep faith, in an atmosphere where a young man will recognize he is called by the Holy Spirit and respond.?QUOTE]Exactly. And that has nothing to do with celibacy.
bellsjoy:
As my Bishop says,“I want my priest to be someone who gave up something dear to him to answer the call to be a priest”. They make the best kind. Obedience to the Lord always comes first.
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And celibacy is giving something up? Or is it choosing something? And is marriage giving something up? I know a lot of married people who would be the first to say that it is giving up freedom. And becoming a married priest is not giving up anything? Like a career, for starters?
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bellesjoy:
I am very aware of the few married priests that are in the RC today. I personally know Fr. Shilder that was mentioned eariler, and he is a good priest. They have been carefully vetted. And we thank God for their conversion and ordination.
The excepton should not, however, become the rule. I agree with the Holy Father, my Bishop and the magisterium on this issue. The Church is guided by the Holy Spirit. It is not up to you or me. And this is simply not something that is going to change, accept it or not.
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If celibacy is the better choice, and if it is promoted for what it is - a charism of witness - there should be no reason that it should not be the rule - that is, the norm.

However, it is one thing to have a norm and another to have the norm imposed as an absolute.

There is no reason at all to assume that the exception would become the rule - that is, that married clergy would become the rule. In fact, I would seriously doubt there would be any flood of candidates already married seeking ordination. Some, but the Rule? Who is proposing that?
 
Then again, the comparison with the married priests of some Oriental Churches does not seem to be a valid one, for here we have an ancient institution and not one established for reasons of expediency. It must also be said that, actually in those Churches, be they Catholic or Orthodox, the law of celibacy for the priesthood is recommended and held in high regard. This, for example is what a Russian Orthodox bishop of the Patriarcliate of Moscow had to say on the subject in the immediate post-conciliar period: «For us Orthodox, the priesthood is a sacred function. For this reason we are convinced that you, Westerners, you Latins, are not on the right path where you allow the question of ecclesiastical celibacy to be debated in public, in the forum of public opinion. In our Oriental tradition, it has been possible to authorize the ordination of a handful of married men, as in any case you have done and go on doing in certain regions. But take care: in the West, *if you separate the priesthood from celibacy, a very swift decadence will set in. *The West is not mystical enough to tolerate the marriage of its clergy without degenerating. The Church of Rome (and this is to her glory) has preserved this ecclesiastical *ascesis *for a whole millennium. Beware of compromising it…»

The relevance of priestly
Code: 
celibacy today
Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_01011993_revel_en.html
 
David,

As a fellow BC I agree with you. However, I think it is something the Latin Church must work out for themselves. After many years of being intimidated into not allow married priests ourselves we are finally beginning slowly to move out of our fear in this area. The Ukranians have had married priests for a few years and we have two or three in preparation. Celibacy can be a wonderful gift but if a person doesn’t have this gift but has a vocation why not allow it?

But that is for Eastern Catholics to be sure. I think the West must look at it for themselves and I personally hope they do.

Dan L
 
I think it helps to have both priests and religious who are celibate.

But it is important for them to understand, and communicate back to us, that celibacy is not something “special” that is reserved only for those who take religious vows.

Rather, it is intended to be the normal state of life for anyone who is not married. Unmarried Catholics, or those who are divorced or separated, could really benefit from the strong witness of a celibate priesthood, if its meaning is made clear.
 
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otm:
And you, whether you realize it or not, have just slammed evey one of the Catholic married clergy - whether Eastern or Roman rite. Lowering the bar? Are you implying some sort of impurity that marriage brings? Or they are just not “strong enough to resist the temptaions”?

And celibacy is giving something up? Or is it choosing something? And is marriage giving something up? I know a lot of married people who would be the first to say that it is giving up freedom. And becoming a married priest is not giving up anything? Like a career, for starters?
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It would be lowering the bar from the standard and “rule” that presently says priests in the RCC are not allowed to marry.(with exception as noted for previously married priests) Any time you take away options or remove rules(which are inforced by Rome) you are lowering the bar. The expression “lowering the bar” means removing obstacles for admission. You can argue sematics, but that is what it is. That is not an insult to anyone and trying to frame it as one is pointless to this discussion.

Celibacy is giving something up! And it is also choosing something, but don’t be so foolish as to think that these things are easy for priests. Ask the priests you know. I just was on retreat with several priests from our diocese, 2 of which are just 40. They both spoke of the loss they feel of not having a family. That is just a simple fact. They are wonderful priests and love the priesthood, and would never give it up for a family, but also experience loss the same as any of us would. They have given up something of importance to them to answers God’s call. The sacrament of Holy Orders provides grace to deal with these loses, but that does not mean that they don’t experience the loss.

I’m not discussing the decision to marry or not in general…that is not the topic of this thread.

I stand by my remark and continue to agree with my Bishop on this issue. God bless the men who make this sacrifice for service to Him and all of us.
 
An unmarried priest is a stronger one. He is able to perform the will of God at a moments notice.

This is a journey that can not be experienced if married. A preist must learn to become one with himself with the help of God. He must learn to look forward to his life with christ. His life is totaly based on faith. In fact, he turns to his faith for everything.

A preist can’t walk two paths at the same time. His religion will get in the way of his family or his family in the way of God.

Priests should not be allowed to get married for their own protection and for the protection of others. This is done to prevent the wicked from taking advantage of him.

As a priest you have to be willing to die for Christ. You have to be willing to be nailed to a cross in the same way that jesus was. Jesus never got married or had childern for this very reason. Imagine what would of happened to his wife and his childern. They could of been taken hostage or worse. You can bet that satan would of forced jesus to make a choice between God and his family. We would not remember him in the same way…

he would be
a) the man who gave up god for his family
or
b) the man who let the romans ravage his wife and kill his childern

The message of Christ would of been lost!.

We often forget that there are still some countries in the world where a priest can be killed for speaking the Gospel. We would all be fools to think that the wicked would not dare use his woman and childern to keep him silent.

Self sacrifice very important to Jesus.
Don’t forget that jesus told the rich man to give up all he owned to the poor and follow him. Today jesus asks men to give up the love for a woman. Any man who can’t do this should never become a priest. This is a wonderfull mechanism to help a man make up their mind. It takes a very strong man to resist the desires of this world. It takes an even strong man to give up the love of a woman for the love of Christ and his Church.

We should all respect a man who gives up his human heart for the love of christ and his Church. We should all look up to them as leaders and admire them for their inner strength.
 
If in the future there is only 1 man who is strong enough to be a priest then so be it!

If there is only one man left who is willing to give up all his riches or the love of a woman for christ then so be it!

How quickly you all forget that it only took 1 man to change the world.

How can you then claim there is a crisis?
 
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kev7:
An unmarried priest is a stronger one. He is able to perform the will of God at a moments notice.
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Its statements like this that would make me laugh if it wasn’t so said.

There is no way to know this.

An unmarried priest still has a family. I know of one who dropped everything because his mother was ill.

Please rejoin the real world instead of this fantasy one.
 
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ByzCath:
Its statements like this that would make me laugh if it wasn’t so said.

There is no way to know this.

An unmarried priest still has a family. I know of one who dropped everything because his mother was ill.

Please rejoin the real world instead of this fantasy one.
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I’m not even sure what your argument is. Perhaps you are too caught up in this world and not the next

An unmarried priest is stronger because he does not have a wife and childern to worry about. The will of God is at the center of his life at all times. When he speeks the truth (that people often don’t want to hear) he does not have to worry about puting his family at risk.
 
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kev7:
I’m not even sure what your argument is. Perhaps you are too caught up in this world and not the next

An unmarried priest is stronger because he does not have a wife and childern to worry about. The will of God is at the center of his life at all times. When he speeks the truth (that people often don’t want to hear) he does not have to worry about puting his family at risk.
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This statement of yours is where my argument lies.

There is no way to prove this statement as true.

It is also very offensive to all those married priests out there and to the rest of the Church that has the ancient tradition of ordaining married men to the priesthood.

And as for your slam agsinst me in the first sentance, how christian and charitable of you.
 
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