Married Priests

[JeffreyLloyd]

Why was marriage no longer allowed in the priesthood in the RC? What is the reason?

No offense to chanterhanson, can a Catholic answer the question?

 

[MariaRegina]

Of course! I am a Catholic too -- your Eastern Orthodox Catholic sister in Christ!

 

[Credo]

Here's a bit from an article called Celibacy by Raymond Arroyo. The full article is here:
Celibacy

If you believe the folks on TV, celibacy was something "imposed on the priesthood" during the Middle Ages to keep the children of clerics from inheriting Church property. If I had a dime for every time I've heard this.… Actually, the real history is far more interesting, and complex.

To begin with, Christ himself was a celibate so it is no surprise that the early Church and the Scripture itself salutes and commends the practice. In Matthew's Gospel, Christ lauds those who "make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." In his first letter to the Corinthians St. Paul, another celibate, writes: "the unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord....but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided."

From the time of Christ forward celibacy was the Catholic norm for priests — married clergy were merely tolerated. Certainly by the 4th century there is little doubt where the Church stood on the matter. In 385, Pope Siricius issued the first papal decree on priestly celibacy. Five years later, the Council of Carthage announced: "Previous councils have decreed that bishops, priests, and deacons must be continent and perfectly chaste, as becomes ministers of God...as the Apostles taught." By the Council of Toledo in 633, a bishop's permission was needed for a priest to marry. Finally in 1139, Pope Gregory VII declared celibacy mandatory for all priests; formalizing in law what was already the general practice for centuries.

And the canard that protecting Church land rights drove the papacy to the discipline of celibacy just isn't true. But there is a spiritual explanation. Starting in the third century married priests were required to abstain from sex the night before offering Mass. The notion being: Separate yourselves from the worldly and focus on the transcendent. As the demand for the sacraments increased, these men were abstaining from sex all the time. Thus, like all things in the Church, a practice rooted in tradition evolved over time and eventually was codified into law.

Hope this is the type of answer you're looking for...I'm trying to find anything else that might be helpful...

God Bless!

 

[CopticOrthodox]

I know I'm not Catholic but I hope you don't mind. In the earliest days there was different thinking on this area between the East & West, which is ok since it's a dicipline, not a doctrine. At Nicea the West raised the issue of priestly celebacy, arguing that it's better, but a saintly celebate bishop from the East refuted the idea saying that the marriage bed is chaste, and it's enough for the bishops to be celebates. So it was settled at Nicea that it wouldn't be a dicipline of the universal Church, but in the Western Church a local dicipline requiring that only celebates were selected for the priesthood did develop and strengthen over time, starting very early on. The idea in the West being that celebacy is better (which is true), and so the priests who hold the Body and Blood should certainly be celebate. The idea in the East being that marriage, celebacy, and the priesthood are all callings, and if God calls married men to serve as priests we should listen. Dr. Dragoni at EWTN has often said that in the East the monks are held up as the idea, and in the West the priests are held up as the ideal. To what degree that's true/relavent I don't know, but it seems to have something to do with it. So in the East we have select preists from monks to serve the monks (who become monkpriests) and we select laymen, married or celebate to become preists and serve the priest (who become married priests or celebate priests). Once a priest is ordained of coures they can never marry. In the west it's the same except that dicipline (not doctrine) has bared the election of married men to the preisthood.

 

[JeffreyLloyd]

Of course! I am a Catholic too -- your Eastern Orthodox Catholic sister in Christ!

 

[JeffreyLloyd]

Thanks Credo & CopticOrthodox
.

 

[Benedicta00]

Jefferey,

Even St. Paul recognized that if your going to be a priest that it's best not to marry. I guess the church took him up on that suggestion.

I don’t think a priest can be a good husband and a good priest all at the same time. Both require the whole person to be devoted to his commitment and it can’t be done, he can’t give himself to both 100%, one would have to suffer, his spouse or the church IMMHO.

 

[JeffreyLloyd]

Jefferey,

Even St. Paul recognized that if your going to be a priest that it's best not to marry. I guess the church took him up on that suggestion.

I don’t think a priest can be a good husband and a good priest all at the same time. Both require the whole person to be devoted to his commitment and it can’t be done, he can’t give himself to both 100%, one would have to suffer, his spouse or the church IMMHO.

Yeah I agree.

It's just everytime I attend Mass and I see Father up there, I really picture myself in his position. I have a strong feeling if I was brought up in the Church I would have became a priest.

Oh well, who am I to question God's calling in my life. I'm excited to be a part of the diaconate when I'm ready.

 

[Benedicta00]

Jeffery,

I also feel as you believe it or not. I sometimes think that if I would have been brought up in the catholic faith the way I should have been, (my dad left the church and raised us protestant and my mom does not practice) I would have choose the consecrated life but not only do I have a husband but 5 kids as well so I know what my job here is to do.

I have 4 boys and I told God already if he wants them all he has them, he can even have the girl to.

I think it's natural to feel they way you do. Let his plan for you unfold. You have a lot of years ahead of you to find out what God has in store. Just tell yourself that where he puts you is your path to holiness, which is how he has ordained you to achieve holiness in this world.

Mother Angelica said, “We are all called to be great saints, don’t miss the oppurituniy.”

 

[geocajun]

Within Orthodoxy as in the Eastern Catholic Church. . .

The entire Catholic Church is Orthodox as in "right thinking" - but if you are suggesting that Eastern Catholics are the same as Eastern Orthodox, that is incorrect.

 

[MariaRegina]

Dearest Geo:

You are taking my quote out of context. Please reprint the whole thing or let me know to which post you are referring.

 

[geocajun]

post #39 hanson. it isn't out of context, its a direct quote where I removed text to focus on your statement that "Orthodox" is the same as "Catholic" which it is not.

 

[MariaRegina]

My dearest Geo,

Whenever you remove text, you take it out of context. That is what the term means. Context = with text. Out of context = removed from the text.

Within Orthodoxy as in the Eastern Catholic Church, a celibate priest can not marry.

The married man is ordained to the diaconate and then to the Priesthood.

I will clarify this:

Within the Orthodox Church, the Eastern Catholic Church, and the Roman Catholic Church, a celibate priest is forbidden to marry, because he has taken a vow of celibacy.

However, a married man can be ordained to the diaconate and then to the priesthood. If that married man loses his wife by death or divorce, he cannot remarry. He is to be the husband of only one wife. No annulments. If he obtains an annulment, then he has to remain celibate.

Hope this helps.

Elizabeth

 

[JeffreyLloyd]

Jeffery,

I also feel as you believe it or not. I sometimes think that if I would have been brought up in the catholic faith the way I should have been, (my dad left the church and raised us protestant and my mom does not practice) I would have choose the consecrated life but not only do I have a husband but 5 kids as well so I know what my job here is to do.

I have 4 boys and I told God already if he wants them all he has them, he can even have the girl to.

I think it's natural to feel they way you do. Let his plan for you unfold. You have a lot of years ahead of you to find out what God has in store. Just tell yourself that where he puts you is your path to holiness, which is how he has ordained you to achieve holiness in this world.

Mother Angelica said, “We are all called to be great saints, don’t miss the oppurituniy.”

Thanks

 

[geocajun]

My dearest Geo,

Whenever you remove text, you take it out of context. That is what the term means. Context = with text. Out of context = removed from the text.

the portion of your statement was complete - the following text (which was removed) added nothing to your misstatment that Orthodox is the same as Catholic.

 

[throughhiseyes]

Here are some reasons why marriage was prohibited within the Roman Catholic Church.

Inheritance of Church property is probably the primary reason why bishops are required to be celibate, since they hold the title to the diocesan churches. Nepotism is also a factor as the sons of the Bishops could be appointed to the most wealthy and prestigious parishes.

Jealousy However, I also heard that the bishops were jealous that priests could be happily married while the lonely bishop had to live a celibate life. You probably are aware that rich families wanted their sons to be promoted to a bishopric. It was a powerful political position. Sadly, even today, not all bishops are saintly. This is true in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Anyway, around 800 AD the Vatican tried to promote priestly celibacy but it was not enforced universally until sometime between the 13th to 15th century. In 1054 AD, priestly celibacy was listed as one of the reasons for the schism between the East and the West.

more time to devote to the ministry

less expense for the church

freedom to travel to missions

Hope this helps.

Thanks hon, it did help. God bless you.

 

[Credo]

Yeah I agree.

It's just everytime I attend Mass and I see Father up there, I really picture myself in his position. I have a strong feeling if I was brought up in the Church I would have became a priest.

Oh well, who am I to question God's calling in my life. I'm excited to be a part of the diaconate when I'm ready.

Jeffrey,

When I was first feeling the call to the priesthood, my biggest hang-up was the marriage issue. I would love nothing more than to raise a huge Catholic family. Then, I attend Mass and feel the pull to help shepherd God's people. I discussed this with a friend, and she told me that maybe God wants me to bring 2 or 3 priests to Him (referring to future children) rather than just myself. What a blessing that would be!!!

I've taken much time since then, and believe that I'm being called to a priestly vocation - just have to figure out if it's diocesan or in community. And I'm glad that celibacy is the discipline. I have a friend with 8 children and number 9 on the way. I try to picture him serving God as a priest and came, rather quickly, to the conclusion that it just wouldn't work out. There is no way he could foster a parish and care for his wife and 9 children at the same time.

God Bless!