[nmh]

Once upon a time Catholic priests were allowed to marry. Then someone came up with the brilliant idea that they shouldn't because it was a distraction.

Yup, even Peter was married.

Matt.8:14

[14] And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.

[DallasMike]

Yup, even Peter was married.

Er, but his wife had died. No wait -- he left her behind when he travelled. No, I've got it -- they stopped having marital relations because it was a naughty thing to do. Yeah, that's the ticket.

The list of excuses I've seen to get around this plainly stated fact is simply amazing!

[ninenot]

The operative term in your sentence is "Was."

Yes, Peter had a wife. We don't know with certainty that she was alive when JC called Peter. We ALSO don't know whether (if she was alive) Peter and his wife vowed continence...but Tradition would suggest that that was the case, if she were alive.

[gcruse]

What it boils down to for me is that Jesus didn't feel it necesary to surround himself with celibates, nor did the church for the first three hundred years. We have all been treading very lightly around the actual reason, ie real estate, for celibacy in an attempt to find scriptural justification for a very pragmatic rule that just happened to ensure that church officers, who might be expected to produce dynasties of leaders, could do no more than have illegimate offspring. What a wasted potential. What wonderful children some of these Popes might have produced.

[BlackElk]

Peter's mother-in-law, fever or not, got up from her sickbed to serve Peter and Christ and their companions.

Pop quiz: Peter's mother-in-law did this because:

a) Peter's wife was away on business, marketing the latest catch to fine Roman restaurants;

b) Peter's wife was a lazy bum who didn't like Jesus or wanted to make a fool out of Peter and thought so little of her fever-ridden mom that she let her take care of the guests; or

c) Peter was a widower.

EXTRA CREDIT: Name, with Scriptural citation, the wife of any other apostle. Five points for each. Take as much time as you like.

[HonorInPa]

The actual reason the Church pushed for celibacy was (see Second Lateran Council of 1139) that the church and thusly the priest was one of the wealthiest institutions in each town. To the detriment of the church, married priests were leaving their assets (the church's assets?) to their heirs instead of the church.

Like most issues in life -- follow the money and you find the truth.