But the Orthodox allow married Clergy don't they? Wouldn't that perhaps make a married Bishopric more palatable to them than to Rome?
Dear Flavius Josephus,
The Orthodox ordain married men to the priesthood, but bishops may not come from the ranks of married priests.
Keep in mind that in the Eastern Catholic Churches (in commuion with the pope), married men may also be ordained. Thus, married clergy are acceptable to the Catholic Church, as well. However, it is the very ancient tradition of the Latin Church to maintain celibacy within the Latin Church.
Anyway, in that consecrating married men to the episcopacy would violate traditions that go back a millenium and a half or more, I think that the Orthodox would look on such a move by the Catholic Church as negatively as the Catholic Church would see it, internally (maybe even more so).
Perhaps it might be possible that the Orthodox could come to accept married bishops, but I imagine it would have to occur through the process of something like an Ecumenical Council, or at least with some prior consultation by the Catholic Church with the Orthodox, and approval by the latter.
My own opinion is that if the Catholic Church unilaterally established communion with a group with married bishops without the express prior acceptance of the Orthodox, reunion with the Orthodox (if it is even possible) would be set back for a very long time.
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