“So if you’re going to do away with priestly celibacy simply as a way to remove a “sexual stumbling block”, then you’re on very shaky ground, from a moral theology point of view.”
You are correct that every single unmarried individual should be celibate but that’s not what I’m talking about. No one is suggesting that a Priest sleep around with whomever. I’m talking specifically about the option to take a wife.
Regarding the “hierarchical Church,” why is it that Eastern RCC allows for married Priests? I’m not being snarky... I’m really just curious :)
I can’t speak for the Eastern Catholic churches, but in Orthodoxy, the rule of thumb is that a married man can receive ordination, but an ordained man cannot get married. For this reason, MANY Orthodox seminarians delay their ordinations until they find wives.
Celibacy amongst the general priesthood in the Latin Rite church has not always been a strictly enforced norm. I’m no expert on Roman Catholicism, but I THINK it’s only been an absolute requirement since the 11th century.
In Orthodoxy, married priests are not eligible for elevation to the Episcopacy (they can’t be bishops).
You ask “Regarding the “hierarchical Church,” why is it that Eastern RCC allows for married Priests? I’m not being snarky... I’m really just curious :)”
Frankly, I don’t know. I certainly have no issue with it. I suspect it has a lot to do with their culture and different theological perspective, but I couldnt say with any degree of certainty.
The historical reasoning for this was sound -- just as we see now amongst Anglican pastors, it is difficult to have a "dynasty" and be a pastor at the same time (difficult, not impossible).
At the very least there's always gossip about the Vicar's wife and what she's wearing or the amount of money they have.
in the 8th to the 10th century most parish priests were married and the gossip of course was widespread. At the same time, monks were highly respected -- these were men who dedicated their lives to prayer. So it really began like "why can't the priest be more like the monk? perhaps celibacy is the key?"
Among the Eastern churches this history didn't occur - perhaps because the East until the 15th century was a lot more urbanized than the west.
Why they have different disciplines now is because each rite has it's own administration -- on doctrinal and dogmatic matters all the 22 churches of the Catholic Church are one. but on matters of discipline they can diverge. The Syro-Malabar Church for instance has services in syriac and has married men who become priests. They have their own administrative head who is the Patriarch and is a Cardinal-level in the overall Catholic Church