Married Priests in US

[RhetorTheo]

I had a conversation with somebody at my parish re: the ordination of married men as priests in the Eastern churches. There is debate among canon lawyers whether, in the US, bishops can ordain married men. After the first was done in 1996, the group of bishops that oversee the Eastern churches (I don't recall the name, but Oriental was part of it) told them not to do it again. So, the one in 1996 was the first in 70 years, and the last.

When Eastern churches want to ordain a married priest, they fly the priest overseas, ordain them, then fly them back to the US. I was told that this is how it was done for the pastor of my parish. So, technically speaking, married men are no longer ordained as Eastern Catholic priests in the US.

 

[Irenaeus]

There's nothing sacramentally wrong with having married men becoming Priests, I suppose its just something in Canon Law or whatnot.

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

That is not true-- my brother was ordained at the same time as a man who was married. (a former Epicopalian minister)

 

[Acceptance]

I'm not sure what I think about this. I think the vow of celibacy (sp?) is one that is almost an untouchable commitment to God. On the other hand I think there are so many more men who would become priests if they could be married and do it. There's probably a lot of great leaders out there who did not become priests solely for that reason.

 

[Michelina]

When Eastern churches want to ordain a married priest, they fly the priest overseas, ordain them, then fly them back to the US. I was told that this is how it was done for the pastor of my parish. So, technically speaking, married men are no longer ordained as Catholic priests in the US.

This has been the rule, RT, and it is not likely to change. The Holy See recognizes the customs of the Eastern Rites but does not allow a married Eastern Rite clergy in a Latin Rite country as a general rule. That was why I was curious about your pastor a coupla months ago.

 

[sculpturegirl]

What is the reason behind a prohibition of marriage for a priest?

 

[Dream]

What is the reason behind a prohibition of marriage for a priest?

Many reasons.

One of them being, a celibate Priest is essentially "married" to the parish. He will have full dedication to the Church.

 

[QuagDabPeg]

Have there been problems in the Easter Rite or Orthodox church with the married priest. For those who are members, do you find your priests are less attentive to your spiritual needs? Do you feel he is conflicted between his family and his flock? Is your priest a bad father/husband or unable to complete all his duties?

Thanks!

 

[Anthony]

Also remember in early church history Priests and Popes were able to marry.

Popes who were married
St. Peter, Apostle
St. Felix III 483-492 (2 children)
St. Hormidas 514-523 (1 son)
St. Silverus (Antonia) 536-537
Hadrian II 867-872 (1 daughter)
Clement IV 1265-1268 (2 daughters)
Felix V 1439-1449 (1 son)

 

[Maximus]

Well, of course, as has been said many many times before, clerical celibacy is a discipline of the Latin Rite, not an unchangeable dogma. It is a solid discipline with a good grounding in antiquity.

RhetorTheo was speaking of the Eastern Catholic churches, where celibacy is voluntary (you know what I mean) for priests. Priests who want to marry must do so before they are ordained. Bishops must be celibate.

I attend a Byzantine Catholic parish. One of our priests, Fr. Francis, is married and has one child and another on the way. He is a wonderful priest. He was, however, ordained in Slovakia and not in the U.S.

 

[TexasCatholic]

I think the real problem would be the additional strain it could put in the parishes... especially small ones. A priest with a wife and 5 kids is not going to be able to support them on a priest's salary... and if they have multiple priests, they'd have to have multiple rectory's, rather than have them shared by multiple priests (my parish has 3 full time priests who share the rectory). Their rectory (house) is in the range of 150-175,000 dollar home...(Sugarland/First Colony, TX) they'd have to multiply that by 3 if they had to buy a separate one for each priest.... in addition to higher salaries for priests to support a family.

-Michael

 

[Anthony]

I think the real problem would be the additional strain it could put in the parishes... especially small ones. A priest with a wife and 5 kids is not going to be able to support them on a priest's salary... and if they have multiple priests, they'd have to have multiple rectory's, rather than have them shared by multiple priests (my parish has 3 full time priests who share the rectory). Their rectory (house) is in the range of 150-175,000 dollar home...(Sugarland/First Colony, TX) they'd have to multiply that by 3 if they had to buy a separate one for each priest.... in addition to higher salaries for priests to support a family.

-Michael

Also the issue of welfare for the wife and kids, when the father dies, from age, cancer, accident etc. It would have been a large burden on the church over the years and centuries.

 

[RhetorTheo]

My pastor has a pension from his prior civilian employment. They don't live solely on the priest's salary. A wife can work, too.

 

[Irish Melkite]

I had a conversation with somebody at my parish re: the ordination of married men as priests in the Eastern churches. ... So, the one in 1996 was the first in 70 years, and the last.

When Eastern churches want to ordain a married priest, they fly the priest overseas, ordain them, then fly them back to the US. I was told that this is how it was done for the pastor of my parish. So, technically speaking, married men are no longer ordained as Eastern Catholic priests in the US.

Theo,

Actually, the ordination of Father Archimandrite Andre St. Germaine by Sayednha John Elya in 1996 was not the last ordination of a married priest for the Eastern Catholic Churches in the US. Priests have been ordained for Eastern Catholic Churches by every US Eparch except those of the Pittsburgh Metropolia of the Byzantine Ruthanians and its suffragn Eparchies.

Many years,

Neil

 

[RhetorTheo]

Neil,

Were they ordained in the US, or flown outside the US to be ordained? And if in the US, it would have been quickly after the ordination of St. Germaine, since the bishops in charge of the Eastern churches ordered the practice to be stopped.

 

[Irish Melkite]

Were they ordained in the US, or flown outside the US to be ordained? And if in the US, it would have been quickly after the ordination of St. Germaine, since the bishops in charge of the Eastern churches ordered the practice to be stopped.

Theo,

The Congregation has given no recent order that the practice be stopped. it has simply stopped commenting on the practice - effectively ignoring the decisions of the Eastern hierarchs to do so. The last formal statement with respect to ordination of married priests was issued in a document titled Ea Semper in response to ordinations of married priests by the Ruthenian and Ukrainian hierarchs in the early 20th century, although until the late 1970s Rome was still reacting to attempts at these being done, to the fiction of overseas ordinations and "loaning back" clergy, and even to the importation of married clergy from ancestral homelands.

The Melkites, Romanians, and Ukrainians, three of the four Byzantine Catholic Churches in the US have all ordained married clergy on US soil. As I said, the Byzantine Ruthenians have not. I do not believe that any of the Oriental Catholic hierarchs in the US (Armenian, Syriac, Chaldean, or Syro-Malabarese) have done so. In Canada, I believe the Slovacks, who do not have a canonical presence in the US, have also done so, although I am not certain of that.

The other Eastern and Oriental Catholic Churches represented in the US (Italo-Grieco-Albanians, Russians, Copts, Ethiopian/Eritrean Ge'ez, and Syro-Malankarese) do not have resident hierarchs here and, so, are dependent on others for their ordinations or on importation of clergy from their native lands.

Many years,

Neil

 

[Kripost]

According to this, Statutes - The Eparchy of SS. Peter and Paul of Melbourne for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, in section 3.1.2, for Ukrainian Catholic in Australia, the ordinations are performed in Australia. Should it be any different in the US?

 

[sculpturegirl]

It seems that a wife might be able to offer the hard-worked priest comfort and minister to his needs as a man. Families are challenging, but they also offer tremendous support and joy.

I think I understand many of the points, but I think that the church would have more priests, and perhaps happier ones, if they were offered voluntary celibacy. It is a gift from God and not all, no matter how faithful, men are given that gift.

 

[Irish Melkite]

According to this, in section 3.1.2, for Ukrainian Catholic in Australia, the ordinations are performed in Australia. Should it be any different in the US?

Kripost,

No it shouldn't. Rome has attempted/intended to apply the same restrictions in Australia, but at the time that Ea Semper was issued, there was no real Eastern Catholic presence in Australia, so the document didn't consider that.

I am not certain to what extent ordinations of married priests have been performed in Australia, except that I am aware of a married Russian Byzantine priest there, Father Lawrence Cross. He was ordained by the Melkite Eparch of Australia, under whose omophor the Russians function there. I do know that the Latin hierarchy there has been very negative toward the usage by the Byzantines, including the Ukrainians.

Many years,

Neil

 

[RhetorTheo]

I don't want to reveal who said it, but I have it on good authority that Bishop Elya was told not to do it again. And that's the reason the second priest in the parish was ordained overseas, rather than in the US as St. Germain was.