[mike182d]

The Church already ordains married men.

The Latin Rite of the Catholic Church has not "ordained" any married men, at least to my recollection. It does allow for Byzantine Rite priests to marry and if a married man was ordained in another tradition prior to conversion, the Church acknowledge his priestly status, but it doesn't ordain married people as priests.

Your argument is based on a statement that pertains to faith and morals. Celibacy is a discipline.

Yes, but a priest takes a vow of obedience which means that in order for any man to become priest in the Latin Rite, they must, by necessity, be competely obedient to the will of the Magesterium. This type of discline is not on the same level as, say, not eating fish on Friday's.

Christ, through the Church and the Church only, confers upon a man the office of priest. Thus, if Christ truly desired for married men to be priests in the Latin Rite, would He not first make changes to that through which He makes men priests in the first place?

I knew a girl who, through much prayer, thought at one time that she was being called to be ordained a priest. What's the best way to "test the spirits" of one's discernment? By what Christ allows through the Church - that is why He gave it to us, as a guide.

My point is that if Christ wanted married men in the Latin Rite to become priests, He would tell the Church before He told the would-be Seminarian. That's the whole reason we have a hierarchy to begin with.

[nanetteclaret]

This is not entirely true. Priests of the Anglican Use, which is part of the Latin Rite, can be ordained if they had been Episcopal/Anglican priests before converting and go through the instruction process afterwards - even if they are married. The priest at my church is such an example.

[ThomasMore]

The Latin Rite of the Catholic Church has not "ordained" any married men

There are plenty of ex-lutheran and ex-anglican/episcopal men that are married and are priests in the Latin Rite. And yes, these have to be ordained because they have no valid orders.

priest takes a vow of obedience

I am a married Deacon who has taken the same vow of obedience. Not sure what this has to do with being married? It certainly doesn't ill effect either of my vocations.

I knew a girl who, through much prayer, thought at one time that she was being called to be ordained a priest.

Married men were in the Latin Rite since the beginning, absent for the last 1000 years but only in the Latin Rite. But women have never been, nor can they ever be ordained simply because the priest serves In Persona Christi and women are not men.

I know several married priests, either ex-lutheran or ex-anglican, and they are all superb priests, very loyal to the Magisterium. As protestants they were married and later ordained as ministers. Years later when they converted to Catholicism they were ordained to the priesthood through a dispensation. They had a call to the priesthood. Unfortunately the same doesn't hold true for a man raised in the Catholic faith in the Latin Rite.

When all is said and done, my friend, it is not marriage or celibacy that makes a good priest, but rather how the man's heart is configured to the Lord. I know too many good priests, both celibate and married, to say any different.