[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Sometime in the 700AD to 900AD period the Priesthood because essentially hereditary IIRC. The answer was to require celibacy.

Priests, marrying. Well, you can if you are Eastern Rite Catholic or if you are an Anglican Priest and convert to Catholicism.

If Pope Francis wants to do it and be a dictator, just tell everyone that you have decided as Pope to collapse the Roman Rite into the Eastern Rite where priests can be married. A Modern Corporate managerial approach to the question! (My totally Dubious comment...this will NOT happen.)

I am not Catholic. I think that my first 2 comments are substantially correct. The third will not happen, but happy to hear a Catholic viewpoint on this!

[Chicory]

>> Priests, marrying. Well, you can if you are Eastern Rite Catholic or if you are an Anglican Priest and convert to Catholicism. <<

Just to clarify, a married man under the above circumstances may be ordained, but once ordained, a priest may never marry, even if his wife dies.