Why is celibacy required of Eastern Catholic priests?

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We have seen recently that married Anglican priests will be accepted into the Roman Catholic Church. According to the following article, Pope Pius X required celibacy for Eastern Catholic priests, but according to an agreement of 1646, the Greek Catholic clergy had been granted the right to marry:
time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758558,00.html
Why would not the Orthodox Chruch see this as a serious obstacle to any thought of reunion with the Roman Catholic Church. On the one hand, the Vatican allows the Anglican priests to be married, but it will not allow it for the Eastern rite priests in the USA?
 
I rather think that the salient question here should be why the Roman catholic Church should insist on celibacy for all clergy, when the ancient Church did not?

I do appreciate that there is some advantage in this rule - but it is abundantly clear that the disadvantages of it are harming the Church, and turning many away from the Church in modern times… Surely, celibacy should be the decision of the individual - and should not preclude anyone from Priestly office.

The Catholic Church - allow married Priests within many Rites. Why not for all?
 
Andrew_Phillip said:
I rather think that the salient question here should be why the Roman catholic Church should insist on celibacy for all clergy, when the ancient Church did not?

I do appreciate that there is some advantage in this rule - but it is abundantly clear that the disadvantages of it are harming the Church, and turning many away from the Church in modern times… Surely, celibacy should be the decision of the individual - and should not preclude anyone from Priestly office.

The Catholic Church - allow married Priests within many Rites. Why not for all?
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I’ve heard that it is more of a cultural difference between Western & Eastern societies. In the East, the priest’s wife & family have more support from extended family & the community. In Western countries, not so much. Married priests in the West face many more difficulties that can impact family life. Just being married, period, in Western society is an iffy proposition, much less being a married priest.
It’s a discipline, though, not dogma Perhaps one day things might change. It just sounds a whole lot more difficult to me. And more pressure & responsibility.
 
Celibacy is a discipline, not a tenet, doctrine or dogma. The basic reason for celibacy in the Western Church is that in the early church, when priests were married, they were more concerned with personal and family matters than spiritual matters. Also, many times the priest’s family would annex church property and claim it as theirs. And many times there would be a myriad of legal problems with priests having concubines and illegitimate children. There had to be a stop put to all this, so celibacy became the rule.

It should be noted that celibacy is also practiced, but not the rule, in the Eastern Churches ( including Orthodox ). It may come to pass in the future that the rule of celibacy may be relaxed and allow Roman priests to be celibate as an option.

PAX DOMINI :signofcross:

Shalom Aleichem
 
sidbrown said:
We have seen recently that married Anglican priests will be accepted into the Roman Catholic Church. According to the following article, Pope Pius X required celibacy for Eastern Catholic priests, but according to an agreement of 1646, the Greek Catholic clergy had been granted the right to marry:
time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758558,00.html
Why would not the Orthodox Chruch see this as a serious obstacle to any thought of reunion with the Roman Catholic Church. On the one hand, the Vatican allows the Anglican priests to be married, but it will not allow it for the Eastern rite priests in the USA?
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If I remember correctly, the Pius X requirement of celibacy for Eastern priests only applied to countries where the Latin Rite was the dominant Rite. It was merely to avoid confusion amongst the Western faithful. I could be remembering incorrectly but I think it was only a regional issue.
 
There have been a number of threads in this forum where the issue of celibacy has been discussed. One such is this [thread=336524]thread[/thread], which contains this [post=5184759]post[/post] among others that should help clarify matters.
 
\but according to an agreement of 1646, the Greek Catholic clergy had been granted the right to marry:\

**No priests have ever been allowed to marry without being deposed from their orders.

In the Eastern Catholic Churches (as well as other Eastern Churches), married men may be ordained deacons and priests AFTER they are married.

One may not be married after ordination.**
 
Patchunky said:
This may help…

archeparchy.org/page/history/recognition.htm
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According to the article: "Additionally, the decree stated all Greek Catholic priests functioning in America should be celibate. All married priests, according to the decree, should be recalled to Europe.

Rather than resolving the situation, the Vatican’s decree only served to exacerbate the relationship between the bishops, the Greek Catholic clergy and faithful. Inevitably, these differences between the American Catholic hierarchy and the Greek Catholic clergy and faithful ended in a schism.

At a meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Father Alexis Toth was harshly rebuffed by the Roman Catholic Bishop John Ireland. The parish had no services that paschal season. Later that year Father Toth and his parish of 361 souls petitioned the Russian Orthodox bishop, residing at that time in San Francisco, to accept them under his jurisdiction. After investigations and exchanges of visits, this was accomplished. "
So some of the Greek Catholics joined with the Orthodox becasue of the requirement that they all be celibate?
Now there has been talk concerning a rapprochement or sorts between Catholic and Orthodox. But would not a situation such as this give the Orthodox Church pause and suspicion that if they do agree to join with the Catholics, they would be subject to Latinsation as has occured with the Greek Catholics in the past?
 
I’ve been told that one of the Orthodox churches in my city was founded or joined by alot of Ruthenian Catholics. They left over the married priest issue. I don’t think it’s the big issue it was in the early 20th century…I think alot of people are more accepting of it and aren’t up in arms about it anymore…especially since the Latin Church has allowed married clergy from former protestant ministers. In fact, are there not more married Latin Catholic priest here in the USA than married Eastern Catholic priests?
 
Angel_Gabriel said:
I’ve been told that one of the Orthodox churches in my city was founded or joined by alot of Ruthenian Catholics. They left over the married priest issue. I don’t think it’s the big issue it was in the early 20th century…I think alot of people are more accepting of it and aren’t up in arms about it anymore…especially since the Latin Church has allowed married clergy from former protestant ministers. In fact, are there not more married Latin Catholic priest here in the USA than married Eastern Catholic priests?
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It is an issue because the Vatican does not allow married men to be ordained as Greek Catholic priests in the USA. Is this going back on the agreement signed several centuries ago?
 
Greek Catholic married men are ordain priests today, the Vatican has not made an issue of it one way or the other. The only ones who prevent Byzantine Rite bishops from ordaining married men TODAY are themselves - the Melkites and Ukrainians do so openly, I think it’s mainly the Ruthenians that are still hesitant.
 
sidbrown said:
It is an issue because the Vatican does not allow married men to be ordained as Greek Catholic priests in the USA. Is this going back on the agreement signed several centuries ago?
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This is false. Married men are indeed ordained as priests today in the U.S. in the Ukrainian and Melkite Churches. You’re talking about an outdated issue that, while it did cause many problems in its day, is no longer in effect. This thread would have been pertinant a hundred years ago, but it’s a little behind the times. 😛

It should be noted that the prohibition was made at the request of American Latin bishops; it wasn’t a unilateral action by the Pope.

Peace and God bless!
 
as far as I know there are several married Ukrainian catholic priests here in the US and in Canada. The Latin church shouldn’t be so preachy about it if they also allow married protestant converts to be ordained into the Latin Church…I call that hypocrisy…
 
SyroMalankara said:
Greek Catholic married men are ordain priests today, the Vatican has not made an issue of it one way or the other. The only ones who prevent Byzantine Rite bishops from ordaining married men TODAY are themselves - the Melkites and Ukrainians do so openly, I think it’s mainly the Ruthenians that are still hesitant.
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Since 1999, Metropolitan Judson allowed for ordination of married men to the priesthood. Since then, there have still not been even one ordination of a married man to the priesthood from within the Pittsburgh Metropolia. There have been married priests from outside the Metropolia who came in. The closest so far, is within the Parma Eparchy, if Bishop John chooses.

The issue of married priests is but one of many sore points that the Eastern Catholic has endured from Rome. The Ruthenians have historically elected weak bishops to guide their church. The stronger bishops and priests went the Orthodox route rather than suffer under Rome’s control of their church.
 
SyroMalankara said:
Greek Catholic married men are ordain priests today, the Vatican has not made an issue of it one way or the other. The only ones who prevent Byzantine Rite bishops from ordaining married men TODAY are themselves - the Melkites and Ukrainians do so openly, I think it’s mainly the Ruthenians that are still hesitant.
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I am speaking of Byzantine Ruthenian Greek Catholics in the USA. The issue came up in the Vatican about two years ago and the Vatican said No, in the USA, the Ruthenian Greek Catholic priests are supposed to be celibate as a general rule. Was this not going back on an agreement signed a few hundred years ago? If the Vatican is going back on an agreement signed with Greek Catholics, would an Orthodox Chriistian be justified in being wary of any agreements signed with the Vatican?
 
sidbrown said:
I am speaking of Byzantine Ruthenian Greek Catholics in the USA. The issue came up in the Vatican about two years ago and the Vatican said No, in the USA, the Ruthenian Greek Catholic priests are supposed to be celibate as a general rule. Was this not going back on an agreement signed a few hundred years ago? If the Vatican is going back on an agreement signed with Greek Catholics, would an Orthodox Chriistian be justified in being wary of any agreements signed with the Vatican?
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As a general rule, perhaps.

If the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church is allowed, or even encouraged, to return to it’s roots, both celibate and married priests are to be allowed. :rolleyes:

Only Bishops are required to be celibate, and usually monastics.
 
sidbrown said:
I am speaking of Byzantine Ruthenian Greek Catholics in the USA. The issue came up in the Vatican about two years ago and the Vatican said No, in the USA, the Ruthenian Greek Catholic priests are supposed to be celibate as a general rule. Was this not going back on an agreement signed a few hundred years ago? If the Vatican is going back on an agreement signed with Greek Catholics, would an Orthodox Chriistian be justified in being wary of any agreements signed with the Vatican?
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how are Eastern Catholics suppose to return to their roots if their traditions are suppressed by the very thing that is urging the return? I find this puzzling…
 
sidbrown said:
I am speaking of Byzantine Ruthenian Greek Catholics in the USA. The issue came up in the Vatican about two years ago and the Vatican said No, in the USA, the Ruthenian Greek Catholic priests are supposed to be celibate as a general rule. Was this not going back on an agreement signed a few hundred years ago? If the Vatican is going back on an agreement signed with Greek Catholics, would an Orthodox Chriistian be justified in being wary of any agreements signed with the Vatican?
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Documentation, please?

We know of several married Ruthenian priests in this forum; some of the Ruthenian posters here have married pastors.

Peace and God bless!
 
sidbrown said:
On the one hand, the Vatican allows the Anglican priests to be married
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Correction: it allows married men who previously served as Anglican priests to be ordained in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church does not allow men already ordained to marry.
sidbrown said:
but it will not allow it for the Eastern rite priests in the USA?
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Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches:
Canon 373 - Clerical celibacy chosen for the sake of the kingdom of heaven and suited to the priesthood is to be greatly esteemed everywhere, as supported by the tradition of the whole Church; likewise, the hallowed practice of married clerics in the primitive Church and in the tradition of the Eastern Churches throughout the ages is to be held in honor.
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Canon 374 - Clerics, celibate or married, are to excel in the virtue of chastity; it is for the particular law to establish suitable means for pursuing this end.
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Canon 375 - In leading family life and in educating children married clergy are to show an outstanding example to other Christian faithful.
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Older rules allowing only celibate men to be ordained in Eastern Catholic Churches in the United States have been abolished and married Eastern Catholic men have been ordained to the priesthood in the United States.
SyroMalankara said:
The only ones who prevent Byzantine Rite bishops from ordaining married men TODAY are themselves - the Melkites and Ukrainians do so openly, I think it’s mainly the Ruthenians that are still hesitant.
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Yes, American Melkites and Ukrainians do. Even among the Ruthenians, married men can be ordained.
 
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