Son and wife of Saint Peter?

[Ignatius]

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy 4:1-3)

Many contend that the Catholic Church has "depart[ed] from the faith’. Forbidding to marry is but one item in this passage that is reminicent of what the Catholic Church became.

Problem with that argument is that St. Paul was speaking of the Gnostics who actually forbad anyone to marry. In the Catholic Church no one is forbidden to marry. There are married priest in the Catholic Church to this very day. I went to DL at the Melkite parish that has a married priest and deacon. There are even a number of Latin Rite married clergy. Marriage is not forbidden.

Also, you should remember that the very one you are quoting, St. Paul himself was celebate and suggested that was a better route if “one can bear it”. Those who choose to follow the order of Paul do so at his advice.

 

[Jerry-Jet]

Was Peter the only pope who have been married?

Are there any Cardinals or Bishops in the Catholic Church alive and serving today that were previously married–I know that there are priests whose wives died and later on they became priests.

Has that ever happened and the person later on became a Bishop or Cardinal now or ever in the past?

 

[BCPoulsen]

My thanks to Mintaka and Ignatius for responding to my post and for the education. I must say that after I posted that and the subsequent comment and read them again, I realized that they were perhaps a bit harsh. It was just an observation and I’ve wondered how a Catholic would respond. From my perspective as I’ve read that passage I’ve thought of Catholic Priests, Nuns. and Monks. Your explanations were very useful to me in understanding the Catholic viewpoint.

To Mintaka, I have no desire to improve my “argument techniques” I just enjoy discussing religion. I am curious, what wholesome things does my church forbid? You stated that my faith “forbids all manner of things that most would consider ‘wholesome’”. I’ve racked my brain and can’t think of a single wholsome thing forbidden by my church. Perhaps you refer to what is know as the Word of Wisdom which was given “not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom”(D&C 89:2). Even at that, I see nothing discouraged by the Word of Wisdom that would be considered as wholesome; Tobbaco? Alcohol? Coffee? Tea? perhaps - if you’re talking about herb tea, but herb tea is allowed. Illegal drugs were not specified in the Word of Wisdom but were subsequently considered to be of the same nature, Again, I don’t know of anyone who considers Illegal drugs as wholesome. The Word of Wisdom goes on to list things that are wholesome and encourages their appropriate use. D&C 89: 1-21

 

[patrick457]

Was Peter the only pope who have been married?

No. There were Popes who were married, but there are none who married AFTER they became Pope.

Examples include:

1. St. Peter (?-c. 64)
2. St. Siricius (c.334-November 26, 399). It is said he left his wife and children in order to become Pope.
3. St. Felix III (II) (?-March 1, 492) He was already a widower when he got elected Pope. His two children ware said to be the ancestors of Agapitus I and Gregory I also known as St. Gregory the Great.
4. St. Hormisdas (?-August 6, 523) He married before being ordained; his wife was already dead when he became Pope. His son became Pope St. Silverius.
5. St. Silverius (?-December 2, 537) He was supposedly married to a woman named Antonia, though this is debated.
6. St. Agatho (c. 577-January 10, 681) He was originally a businessman married for 20 years before becoming a monk. He had one daughter.
7. Hadrian II (792-972) married a woman named Stephania and had a daughter before he became a priest. His wife and daughter were still living when he was selected to be pope and resided with him in the Lateran Palace. His daughter and wife was later killed by former antipope Anastasius’s brother, Eleutherius.
8. Boniface X (c. 1350-1404) It was said he dispensed himself from celibacy in order to marry. He was not one good pope, though since he was accused of shameless nepotism and simony.
9. Clement IV (November 23, c. 1195-November 29, 1268) Originally a Soldier, lawyer, lay jurist and a secretary to Louis IX of France, he took Holy Orders when his wife died. He had two daughters.
10. Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy (December 4, 1383-January 7, 1451) is married to Maria of Burgundy and had a son named Ludwig. At his wife’s death, he became a hermit.
    Elected by the Council of Basel as an alternative Pope in opposition to Pope Eugene IV, Amadeus served as Felix V from November 1439 to April 1449, was then regarded as an antipope
    (the last historical Antipope), and stepped down and became a Cardinal instead.

There are also other Popes who were children of clergy (not necessarily Popes) such as Pope Damasus I (son of the priest Antonius and Laurentia).

 

[patrick457]

Are there any Cardinals or Bishops in the Catholic Church alive and serving today that were previously married–I know that there are priests whose wives died and later on they became priests.

Has that ever happened and the person later on became a Bishop or Cardinal now or ever in the past?

None that I know of (personally), yet there might be some clerics who were widowers when they took the clerical state.

 

[Ikenna_Caesar]

But wasn’tSt. Peter the first Pope? How could he be married with children?

St Peter actually got married before his apostleship. From the little I know, I think clerical celibacy came up as a sign of sacrifice and total surrender before it became a doctrine(if at all). We are also told that a married man can still decide to join the priesthood provided he accepts to live celibate life afterwards.

 

[memphisbob]

IIRC any Catholic man is eligible to be Pope regardless of martial status

“Eligible” and “electable” are two different things. For the College of Cardinals to elect a married man to the papacy, they would have to ignore their own celebacy and dig down to the diaconate for a viable candidate while at the same time challenging and changing the discipline of the Church. Not a likely scenario. By the way, there are no qualified electors who are married.

 

[Joyful_1]

My thanks to Mintaka and Ignatius for responding to my post and for the education. I must say that after I posted that and the subsequent comment and read them again, I realized that they were perhaps a bit harsh. It was just an observation and I’ve wondered how a Catholic would respond. From my perspective as I’ve read that passage I’ve thought of Catholic Priests, Nuns. and Monks. Your explanations were very useful to me in understanding the Catholic viewpoint.

Regarding monks and nuns. I am currently discerning my possible vocation to the religious life as a nun. Just let me say that I have never felt like I would be coerced into celibacy were I to become a nun. On the contrary, celibacy seems to me like one of the main reasons to become a nun. You are free to focus all of your attention on God without worrying about a family and all the distractions that come with marriage.

Just my :twocents:

God Bless
Joyful_1

 

[Ne_OrangeKnight]

Early on married men could become clerics (deacons, priests, and bishops), but they were expected to refrain from relations with their wives after they were ordained.

You mean refrain completely? Are you sure about this? I know that in Eastern Rites, a married priest is to refrain from sex the day before he says Mass (counted from sundown, I think), but I’ve never heard of anything this extreme.

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight

 

[Ikenna_Caesar]

No. There were Popes who were married, but there are none who married AFTER they became Pope.

Examples include:

1. St. Peter (?-c. 64)
2. St. Siricius (c.334-November 26, 399). It is said he left his wife and children in order to become Pope.
3. St. Felix III (II) (?-March 1, 492) He was already a widower when he got elected Pope. His two children ware said to be the ancestors of Agapitus I and Gregory I also known as St. Gregory the Great.
4. St. Hormisdas (?-August 6, 523) He married before being ordained; his wife was already dead when he became Pope. His son became Pope St. Silverius.
5. St. Silverius (?-December 2, 537) He was supposedly married to a woman named Antonia, though this is debated.
6. St. Agatho (c. 577-January 10, 681) He was originally a businessman married for 20 years before becoming a monk. He had one daughter.
7. Hadrian II (792-972) married a woman named Stephania and had a daughter before he became a priest. His wife and daughter were still living when he was selected to be pope and resided with him in the Lateran Palace. His daughter and wife was later killed by former antipope Anastasius’s brother, Eleutherius.
8. Boniface X (c. 1350-1404) It was said he dispensed himself from celibacy in order to marry. He was not one good pope, though since he was accused of shameless nepotism and simony.
9. Clement IV (November 23, c. 1195-November 29, 1268) Originally a Soldier, lawyer, lay jurist and a secretary to Louis IX of France, he took Holy Orders when his wife died. He had two daughters.
10. Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy (December 4, 1383-January 7, 1451) is married to Maria of Burgundy and had a son named Ludwig. At his wife’s death, he became a hermit.
    Elected by the Council of Basel as an alternative Pope in opposition to Pope Eugene IV, Amadeus served as Felix V from November 1439 to April 1449, was then regarded as an antipope
    (the last historical Antipope), and stepped down and became a Cardinal instead.

There are also other Popes who were children of clergy (not necessarily Popes) such as Pope Damasus I (son of the priest Antonius and Laurentia).

Thank you Patrick457. Your post has leared a lot of ambuguities. Thanks a million.

 

[CapaxDei]

“Eligible” and “electable” are two different things For the College of Cardinals to elect a married man to the papacy, they would have to ignore their own celebacy and dig down to the diaconate for a viable candidate while at the same time challenging and changing the discipline of the Church. Not a likely scenario.

He was referring to minimum canon law requirements. The legal requirements for being elected President of the United States are minimal also, but most people are not electable.

By the way, there are no qualified electors who are married.

That’s because they’re all either archbishops or priests.