Catholic Priests and Marriage

[Millz]

I don't know what religions do allows their priests or ministers to get married so maybe someone can enlighten me but something I've thought about for along time now is that I think all Catholic Priests should be allowed to get married. There is actually a priest at my old grade school who is married. He used to be a Lutheran priest and I guess they are allowed to be married in that Church and he then transferred to the Catholic side and the Church doesn't make him get divorced (obviously...although it wouldn't have surprised me if they did try that haha).

I thought this mentality was a younger generation way of thinking but my grandma (who is 91), and my parents who are both 59 agree that they should be allowed to get married. We don't see the Catholic Church doing that anytime soon but wonder if when they run out of Priests maybe they will be forced to change their minds. The fact that they cannot get married is an archaic way of thinking IMO. I think if you allow them to get married you'd see more men become priests.

I've heard the argument that if you allowed them to get married you'd have less of them molesting kids as a result but I don't really agree with that. I don't think that goes hand in hand with why that has happened.

Thoughts?

 

[Hilander]

I think they should be allowed to get married. I really don't see why they don't and don't see it as something that should be against the church.

I wonder if priests were never allowed to get married or if that is something that started in the last few hundred years.

No getting married probably isn't going to do much to stop the abuse of children. People that abuse children sexually are pedophiles. Being married isn't going to help that, there's something wrong with someone mentally that abuses kids or is attracted to them sexually, that's why most pedophiles never change.

 

[CaptainObvious]

We see in Mathew 8:14 "Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him" so we know St. Peter was married, however the argument is he was married prior to his encounter with Jesus and the start of the Church.

The Church bases it's issue of celibacy on several passages in Scripture. In 1 Cor. 11:1 St. Paul writes "Be imitators of me, as I am Christ", Jesus' chosen state of life is the role model for Roman Catholic clergy. In Mark 10 28:30 "Peter began to say to him 'We have given up everything and followed you.' Jesus said 'Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come'". The Church's position is a Roman Catholic priest, an imitator of Christ himself, should give up all those things He gave up.

In Mathew 22:30 in regards to questions about the Resurrection, "Jesus said to them in reply, 'You are misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God. At the Resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven". So again, priests are called to be imitators of him.

If we are going to adhere to scripture and the Word of God, then no, they should not be allowed to marry. The Church must continue to bring in more of the faithful, not changed according to current social mores and customs. If we find less and less priests because of it, so be it. That speaks towards the change in society, not the Church itself.

As a sidenote, and I don't mean this against anyone here as I don't know what anyone's religious affiliation is, I've always found it interesting when non-Catholics opine on the matter. I have a coworker who is a nondenominational Christian, or a fundamentalist if you will, and he has argued that Catholic priests should get married and I've always wondered why he cared. I certainly don't care what other denominations do as I don't worship in the churches and don't follow their dogmas. Just something that has always struck me as odd.

 

[dDave]

I think CO had a lot of good points.

I would further add that we shouldn't adapt what we believe about God to the times we live in. We can't change the way we believe about something when scripture is clear on a matter. We want to keep our beliefs Biblical, we don't aim to satisfy what society wants. Rather, we aim to satisfy what God wants.

 

[Millz]

Maybe God had since changed his mind on the subject. I don't see why we as people adapt but God never adapts to the times.

Although it would be mean of him if he's changed his mind and hasn't told us yet. It seems unfair he was so active in the public eye when Jesus was alive but 2,000 years later and he hasn't spoken up since. I guess we can only assume he's steadfast in his mind set.

I apologize for the ridiculous sarcasm but I truly believe they should be able to get married if they want too. I realize there are people (and the Church for that matter) who are going to believe and trust every single little detail that the Bible says...as if we know all of that stuff is legit. And I'm probably going to hell for saying all of this but that's how I feel.

At the end of the day I don't care that much either way. I just think it would make a whole lot of sense to change the ideology but I've come to find out over the years the Catholic Church and making sense do not go hand in hand.

 

[ALonelyTemplar]

Coming from an Orthodox family I must say that the Orthodox priest are indeed allowed to get married. So really, I think only the Catholic Church does not allow priest to get married, do children and build a family.

On the other hand though, I must write, since I am a Greek Catholic with tendencies towards the Latin rite, that on some occassions maybe the Catholic Church should be a bit more easy-going about this matter. For example priests in Eastern Catholic Churchs I think they are allowed to get married. And it really makes sense because these peope are get used in the image of the Eastern Orthodox married priests. Can't the Vatican then, allow Western priests to build a family as well? I do not think their faith in Our Lord would be affected in a bad way if they had a woman and children to take care of.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Maybe God had since changed his mind on the subject. I don't see why we as people adapt but God never adapts to the times.

Although it would be mean of him if he's changed his mind and hasn't told us yet. It seems unfair he was so active in the public eye when Jesus was alive but 2,000 years later and he hasn't spoken up since. I guess we can only assume he's steadfast in his mind set.

I apologize for the ridiculous sarcasm but I truly believe they should be able to get married if they want too. I realize there are people (and the Church for that matter) who are going to believe and trust every single little detail that the Bible says...as if we know all of that stuff is legit. And I'm probably going to hell for saying all of this but that's how I feel.

At the end of the day I don't care that much either way. I just think it would make a whole lot of sense to change the ideology but I've come to find out over the years the Catholic Church and making sense do not go hand in hand.

But why does it make sense for the Catholic Church to change it's mind? Why is priests getting married now more sensible if you will now as opposed to 500 years ago? What is it about marriage that makes it more now to be married than then? What is it about that prohibition that is more sensible?
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Coming from an Orthodox family I must say that the Orthodox priest are indeed allowed to get married. So really, I think only the Catholic Church does not allow priest to get married, do children and build a family.

On the other hand though, I must write, since I am a Greek Catholic with tendencies towards the Latin rite, that on some occassions maybe the Catholic Church should be a bit more easy-going about this matter. For example priests in Eastern Catholic Churchs I think they are allowed to get married. And it really makes sense because these peope are get used in the image of the Eastern Orthodox married priests. Can't the Vatican then, allow Western priests to build a family as well? I do not think their faith in Our Lord would be affected in a bad way if they had a woman and children to take care of.

In Latin rite priests are not allowed to get married while in eastern rite they are. While they are in communion with the Varican they are allowed to because celibacy is a discipline, not a doctrine. It's always interesting to look at the differences between the Latin and the Eastern rites, in my opinion.