It's been that way from the beginning. St. Paul's letter to Timothy and his letter to Titus are witness to the apostolic tradition of ordaining married men to Holy Orders.
It works for the eastern Catholic churches.
It has worked fine in the Latin Rite as well. From the early centuries onward. The Latin Rite chose mandatory celibacy much later on.
One size doesn't need to fit all.
True! Yet I wonder how many married men have been called to the priesthood but cannot answer the call because they are members of the wrong rite.
"It's been that way from the beginning. St. Paul's letter to Timothy and his letter to Titus are witness to the apostolic tradition of ordaining married men to Holy Orders."
There's some debate on that. From my perspective, it doesn't really matter. The organic tradition of the eastern churches is a married preisthood, the organic tradition of the west is a celibate one.
I wonder how many men cannot answer the call as well, but I think that in the future, that will be less of a factor. First, I think the eastern churches will grow relative to the western church and there will be a need for more eastern Catholic priests. I think the days of eastern Catholic churches in the U.S. refraining from ordaining married men are numbered. The one exception I see is the Maronites.
The second factor I see coming into play is the ability to change rites. It used to be just about impossible to formally change rites (churches), but it's easier now. It of course depends on the specific churches involved, but changing rites is no longer the onerous burden it once was.
That's a long way of saying that married priests will be a reality in the U.S. It might not be in the western church, but there will be an avenue for those married men who are qualified, who are patient, and who really want to be priests.