**In the early centuries of Christianity, it was common for priests to be married, though churches in both the East and West have always valued celibacy.**
Whatever happened to that tradition?
One paragraph to be clarified (from the article):
Over time it became the norm for priests in the West to remain unmarried, though that tradition never took hold in Eastern churches. Catholic bishops, whether part of the Eastern or Latin rite, however, have always been expected to remain celibate, as are unmarried men who already serve as priests.
(pinging NYer, who worships in a Maronite parish, for validation of the following)
Married people are allowed to be clergy, but clergy must not be married after their ordination (that holds true for both Eastern Churches and Latin Churches, where married permanent deacons are allowed).
Although a married presbyteriate and diaconate are allowed in Eastern Churches, the episcopate must all be celibate. (The following is the part that I want to get verified by NYer) To my understanding, the reason for this is that taking monastic vows, including celibacy, is a requirement for being elected to the episcopate.
If my understanding of that requirement of the episcopate in the Eastern Churches is correct, I'm honestly not sure about the background of that (as I do not claim to be any kind of a subject matter expert on Eastern Christianity). Perhaps NYer can expound some on the background and rationale of that.
No. Not even close. Someone must have missed that part of the Bible where homosexuality is condemned as sin. To my recollection, marriage is not.
Catholics are always hypocritically accusing non-Catholics of having a profusion of differing theologies and denominations, when the Catholic Church is no different.
In 1990`s the Bishop of the Oakland Diocese let a married Episcopalian priest become a Catholic priest to serve in the suburbs. He was married at the time with children.
They’ve always been able to be married and become a Maronite priest. Nothing to see here, move along.