Must be the husband of one wife = must be a married man.
another good example of how when someone doesn’t like what Scripture says, they *interpret* it to mean something else.
So the Catholic church interprets *must be the husband of one wife* into *doesn’t mean married.*
Single priests have no idea how to deal with the interpersonal relationships that marriage and family provide and are not qualified to counsel others in how to successfully do it.
Besides, many of the apostles and disciples were married men. Where does the church get off demanding it of their priests?
That excludes both Jesus and Paul, then.
"Apostles and disciples"? Apples and oranges. Of course many "disciples" were "married men". Not only that, many disciples were women! The disciples include the whole body of Christian believers! The Church never taught that all believers are to be single. It took heretical groups like the Shakers to make such a weird rule. And they didn't have much of a future.
That's a supposition of yours, though, that many of the Apostles were married. Many? Six of the 12? Or even one? You can't name one wife of one of the twelve Apostles.
Even though we know Peter "had been" married --- because he had a mother-in-law who was cured of a fever by Christ--- it is never explained whether Peter was at that time a married man or a widower. I notice no wife is mentioned as being present or alive at the time of the mother-n-law's illness.
From the standpoint of history (defined as "Stuff that actually happened") you'd have to delve into the Apostles' successors to find wives if you can. Got any names for Mrs. Matthias, Mrs. Timothy or Mrs. Titus? Mrs. Barnabas, Silas? Mrs. Clement of Rome, Mrs. Ignatius of Antioch, Mrs. Polycarp of Smyrna? Mrs. Bishop Linus, Cletus (Anacletus), Clement, Sixtus?
(You might want to mention "Junia(s)," but --- aside from the fact that the sex of "Junia(s)" is unknown or at least debatable--- if you included this name as a "wife" of Anndornicus, you'd be proving more than you'd want to, I think, since you'd be proving her an Apostle or successor to the Apostles, and Paul excluded women from leadership in the Church. As I think you know.) Anyhow, interesting topic. Do get back to us when you find somebody.
It would also cut off the 15,000 married deacons (all of whom are ordained Catholic clergy) in the USA alone--- I don't know what the number would be worldwide.
So I have not been making an argument against married clergy here per se. I AM saying that celibacy is a legit. holy way of total consecration as recommended and exemplified by Christ and Paul, and that marriage is not a requirement for all, as you seem to think.