why can't catholic priests marry

Roman), the practice is for priests not to marry or be married. To answer this question I am posting a discussion I had in the comments section of Priesthood of all Believers . He cannot be validly married after ordination unless he receives a dispensation from the Holy See (CIC 1078 §2, 1). Perhaps we need to look in part to ourselves and the surrounding culture as the problem. Examples include the length of fast before communion (now it is 1 hour, not too long ago, it started at midnight on Saturday), and abstaining from meat on Friday. They are given for the pastoral good of the faithful, and are not "optional", but must be faithfully observed. His website is here. Barr added that priests can also request to marry a couple in a non-church wedding, as long as one is a confirmed Catholic and resides in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. As is clear from Scripture, Christ was not married (except in a mystical sense, to the Church). If celibacy were at the root of things, we would expect the opposite. There is spiritual wisdom at work here — and infinite practicality. "Why can't Roman Catholic priests marry?" Within the Catholic Church, clerical celibacy is mandated for all clergy in the Latin Church except in the permanent diaconate. But for example, in Eastern Rite churches like the Byzantine Rite, married men can be ordained to the Priesthood. First, priests who belong to religious orders take vows of celibacy. This distinction is possible because there is nothing in the Deposit of the Faith that prohibits priests from being married. Catholic men in one of the Eastern rites (Byzantine, Maronite, Coptic, etc.) I know this is not Biblical because Peter had a wife and nowhere are we told in the Bible that a man cant marry. Priests Cannot Marry . This sure would solve many of the Catholic molesting problems. www.catholic.com How do you explain to Protestants why Catholic priests can't get married? There are many "Rites" or ethnic churches within the Catholic Church — think of them along the lines of cultural divisions within the universal Church — but in truth, they are much more profound than that. Ancient Druid priests were thought to have been celibate and Aztec temple priests were expected to remain sexually abstinent. And do we all truly ask the master of the harvest to send more laborers for the harvest, as Jesus has told us to do in Luke 10:2? Peter’s style in the comments section was casual/IM…thus, without punctuation or capitalizations. Ever wonder why Roman Catholic Priests can't get married? This discipline was formally instituted in the early 300's, but recent evidence suggests that it may actually be of Apostolic origin. First of all, the Church relies on the Holy Spirit to discern such decisions, and so we trust the Holy Spirit to guide the Church in these matters, just as Jesus promised in John 14 through 16. Roman Catholic Deacons are also allowed to be married at the time they are ordained. There is no reason to think He has stopped this in our time. In fact, this is part of the spiritual dimension of priestly celibacy. Now what about the sexual abuse scandals in the Church? It can; it has chosen not to do so in the major rite (except for married Protestant ministers who convert and become Catholic priests.) Many that I've talked to and read about admit that it is tough, and their time and loyalties can be torn. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife", St Paul would write in 1 Corinthians 7:32-33. Recall, "Some.... have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Jimmy Akin explains. The hope of Stump the Priest was to … The reasons Latin rite priests can’t marry is both theological and canonical. Note that St Paul refers to celibacy here as a "gift"! According to Pew Research, 60 percent of Catholics believe priests should be allowed to be married. A distinction must be made from the outset: some Catholic priests can be married and some can’t. Second, while diocesan priests do not take vows, they do make a promise of celibacy. Why all the variability on what seems to be a key area of discussion these days? But there are exceptions to the rule of celibacy. As community property laws were adopted as part of marriage, the church could not risk losing property on wealth to a divorce; they forbade priests from marrying. Theologically, it may be pointed out that priests serve in the place of Christ and therefore, their ministry specially configures them to Christ. When we examine the research (and space permits only a cursory overview here), in fact, it shows that sexual abuse has a much higher percentage of occurrence in Protestant churches than within celibate Catholic clergy — and this according to Protestant research! In the Eastern rites of the Church it is common for married men to be ordained to the priesthood. Included in this is following Jesus' example of taking up a celibate life that more closely and perfectly parallels the heavenly life we are preparing for while on Earth. This, however, is not common. There is a long-standing practice, though, to require celibacy of Latin (or Roman) rite priests. It is also possible for married Anglican clergy that convert to the Roman Catholic Church to also be ordained as Catholic priests. Priestly celibacy is rooted in tradition, not Catholic … Married men have been and still are allowed to become priests, provided that they belong to a tradition within the Church that allows for married clergy. Secondly, God has been calling men to priestly celibacy by the thousands for centuries now. Originally they were allowed to marry, even popes: Alexander VI, (Rodrigo Borjia) was married and had several mistresses. Graham Osborne. This discipline was formally instituted in the early 300's, but recent evidence suggests that it … The Roman Catholic Church's position today is derived from the C… It's just the discipline in the Latin rite of the Church that they don't. But very early on, the Church was keenly aware of the wisdom of this discipline of priestly celibacy. Why can't priests get married? So is it possible that some day this discipline of priestly celibacy might change? When we look to the secular world, again, research shows that the percentage of abuse is much higher among non-celibates than among celibate Catholic clergy. This impediment remains as long as the priest has not been dispensed from it, even if he were to attempt a civil marriage, even if he left the Church and joined a non-Catholic sect, and even if he apostatized from the Christian faith altogether. Canonically, priests cannot marry for a number of reasons. Many contend that it is largely the result of this discipline of celibacy. "Why can't Catholic (Roman Orthodox) priests marry?" In a sense, they marry the Church — "the Bride of Christ". Theologically, it may be pointed out that priests serve in the place of Christ and therefore, their ministry specially configures them to Christ. However, there is much scriptural and historical evidence supporting a celibate priesthood. … He recommends celibacy to all (1 Cor 7:7) but especially to ministers, who as soldiers of Christ he urges to abstain from “civilian affairs” (2 Tm 2:3–4). I am often asked, “Why can’t Catholic priests marry?” This is certainly a long-standing debate and one that rages throughout history. So there are a number of married Catholic priests, especially in Eastern Catholic rites. Graham makes his home in Wynndel, B.C. If you’ve appreciated, Christian Conscience in the Secularist State. Another approach is to simply delay the formal ordination of the subdeacon, if, for example, a likely candidate for the subdiaconate has stated an intention to marry but has not yet done so. Let's start by explaining exactly what the Church teaches on this. It is true that in the early Church, some of the Apostles and priests were married. More likely, the onslaught of secular, worldly influences is muffling God's call, and the faithful, devout family life that can be so helpful in nurturing this vocation seems to be in the minority these days. In the Latin-Rite Church (i.e. Reprinted with permission of Graham Osborne. It has been modified in recent times, and only applies to Catholic men of the Roman Rite (Latin Rite). So what gives here? A fair question, especially given the times we live in. Pope Francis Won't Allow Married Men As Priests, Women As Deacons Bishops from the Amazon region had sought the changes to address a shortage of clergy. In 1139, the Second Lateran Council officially imposed mandatory celibacy on all priests. But this cannot be. They have given up something "good" (marriage), for something even better — total devotion to Jesus and His Church. Priests and bishops can be married, and some Catholic priests and bishops have been and are married. In Mark 12:24-25, Jesus would also confirm that in heaven, people would not actually be "married" as we know it. Catholic (2011). Priests are "conformed to Christ" in many ways. By remaining celibate and devoting themselves to the service of the Church, priests more closely model, configure themselves to, and consecrate themselves to Christ. Presently, there is discussion that the Catholic Church may consider an additional exception to the rule of priestly celibacy. Other pre-Christian sects mandated that the people chosen for their sacrificial offerings must be pure, meaning that they had never engaged in sex. "I want you to be free from anxieties. By Tia Ghose, Staff Writer. Also, Eastern Catholic churches in union with Rome often admit married men to the priesthood. Some say that it places celibacy on a pedestal and therefore denigrates marriage while others simply point out that the early clerics of the Church were married and this is being ignored. But each has his own special gift from God.... he who marries his betrothed does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better." Third, the Church has established impediments that block the validity of marriages attempted by those who have been ordained. Ask any married clergy whether it is difficult to have two "families", his natural family and his congregation. Numbers have been dropping: between 1970 and 2014 the world’s Catholic population grew from 654m to 1.23bn, while the number of priests declined from 420,000 to 414,000. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.". (cf Christian Ministry Resource's 9 year U.S. study; also "Pedophiles and Priests", Philip Jenkins). And we also saw earlier how St Paul, celibate himself, appeals strongly for the same (1 Corinthians 7:7-38). Check out highlights of that discussion from Stump the Priest! Most Latin Rite priests come from those that have vowed celibacy to God. As is clear from Scripture, Christ … But very early on, the Church was keenly aware of the wisdom of this discipline of priestly celibacy. While priests are allowed to marry in the Eastern tradition, bishops remain celibate. It is a choice and a … Apparently there is nothing saying priests (or bishops and other ministers of the church) to be married to the opposite sex (same-sex marriage, unfortunately, is.a whole different story).While the Anglican Church under Henry VIII had to remain unmarried and certainly celibate, Edward VI did away with this restriction when he became King of England in 1547. 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