Speaking on behalf of the Maronite Catholic Church, this statement is especially true. While the Maronites do allow married men to become priests, the process is quite lengthy and the applicant and his family is subjected to great scrutiny. The first process is to be accepted as a deacon. To become a priest, again requires a lengthy period of investigation.
The Maronites value celibacy and only celibate priests are assigned outside of Lebanon.
Thanks for posting this. A very good article and excellent answer to the question posed.
The Byzantine rite churches (Ukranian, Ruthenian, Melkite, Romanian, etc.) all seem to handle the question of celebrate priesthood a bit differently in the U.S. The Melkites have ordained married priests in the U.S. I'm fairly certain that the Romanians do as well. The Ruthenians do not, and I'm not sure about the Ukranian Catholic Church. All the churches have married priests in their countries of origin.
In my personal opinion, the Melkites have been the quickest to return to their traditions in this sense. They've been openly ordaining married priests in the U.S. for I think about 5 years now.
That bit about "respect" is quite funny, and I'm not sure whether Fr. McNamara is intentionally being ironic or not.
NYer: As for the Maronites, you might want to check on how that decision was made, historically.
I'm RC, but I frequently hang out with Ukrainian Catholics, and know that the first Byzantine Catholic priest to enter the USA in the 19th century was a Ukie priest.
He, of course, was married. The American Catholics were scandalized. They had spent a lot of time and money trying to explain to their fellow American Protestants that all Catholic priests were celibate, and now this Ukrainian priest shows up with a wife!!! (I forget whether he had any children or not.)
The American Catholic Bishops met and voted that all Byzantine Catholic priests on U.S. soil must be unmarried. And to my knowledge, that ruling is still in force today. (I say that on the basis of observation. I have never heard of a married Byz. priest at any American parish. I've met married Ukrainian priests in Canada, though. OTOH, my circle of acquaintances is not very wide in these matters.)
So the fact that all the Maronite priests in the USA are unmarried may not really be their own decision.
BTW, if you find anything out, please let me know. Thanks in advance.