Belgium Bishop plans to ordain married men by 2028 despite Catholic rules

A Catholic bishop in Belgium has announced plans to ordain married men to the priesthood by 2028, despite the Roman Catholic Church’s requirement of clerical celibacy.

Bishop Johan Bonny of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antwerp recently released a pastoral letter claiming that “the consensus on this question is almost total” among Church leaders.

“The question is no longer whether the Church can ordain married men as priests but when it will do so, and who will do it,” wrote Bonny. “Any delay comes across as an excuse.”

The bishop said he “will make every effort to ordain married men as priests for our diocese by 2028,” adding that the vetting process will be “transparent but discreet, away from the media spotlight.”

Bonny cited a shortage of priests as the reason for the proposal, saying “the number of unmarried men who want to become priests has fallen to just above zero” in many dioceses.

“I will approach them personally and ensure that by then they have the necessary theological training and pastoral experience, comparable to that of other priest candidates,” Bonny continued.

“For many a bishop, the ordination of married men has become a matter of conscience. At that level, too, transparency, accountability, and evaluation are important for the credibility of the Church.”

According to Canon 1042, a man cannot be ordained into the Catholic priesthood if he is “someone who has a wife, unless he is legitimately destined to the permanent diaconate.”

The celibacy requirement includes some exemptions. For example, Eastern Rite Catholic priests may marry if they do so before becoming ordained. Once ordained, however, if they are widowed, they cannot remarry.

Additionally, married Anglican clergy who convert to the Catholic Church may remain married. According to a 2017 Los Angeles Times report, there were approximately 120 such married priests in the United States.

In October 2017, Pope Francis convened a synod to address the shortage of priests in the Amazon region of Latin America. At the time, the then-pontiff expressed openness to permitting “viri probati,” or married men of proven moral character, to be ordained as priests for that specific area.

Ultimately, however, Pope Francis did not follow through with the idea. Instead, he implored bishops to pray for more vocations and send more missionaries to the Amazon region.

In 2022, Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich told the German publication Sueddeutsche Zeitung that he supported allowing priests to marry as part of efforts to address sexual abuse.

“For some priests, it would be better if they were married — not just for sexual reasons, but because it would be better for their life and they wouldn’t be lonely,” Marx stated. “We must hold this discussion.”

“Another priest who knows better than the past 20 centuries.”

Ummmm - from the Bible.... the church has perverted the original intentions and put priests in an unnatural position - then folks wonder why there are/have been so man sexual perversions among the priesthood - and probably a lot more in the higher echelons we never hear about.

1 Timothy 3:1–7 — Qualifications for overseers/elders: must be “above reproach,” “the husband of one wife,” self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, gentle, not violent, managing his own family well, and having children who believe and are not open to the charge of debauchery. Managing his own family well is given as proof of his ability to care for God’s church.

Titus 1:5–9 — Qualifications for elders: must be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of dissipation or insubordination, holding firmly to sound teaching so he can exhort and refute opponents. Good household leadership is again a proof of church leadership ability.

1 Timothy 3:8–13 — Qualifications for deacons and their wives include dignity, honesty, and managing their children and households well.

1 Timothy 2:11–12 and 2 Timothy 2:2 (contextual) — While 1 Timothy 2:11–12 addresses women’s roles in teaching and authority in certain contexts, 2 Timothy 2:2 emphasizes passing teaching on to faithful people who can teach others; the emphasis is on faithful character and family stability as marks of trustworthiness.

Proverbs 22:6 — Encourages training a child according to his way; often cited to support the importance of family instruction by parents and leaders.

Ephesians 6:4 — Fathers are instructed to bring up children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Summary: New Testament pastoral-qualification passages (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1) explicitly tie church leadership and teaching roles to being a responsible family head—“the husband of one wife” and one who manages his household well—so the Bible presents family leadership as an important indicator of suitability for teaching and pastoral ministry.

And let’s not forget Paul’s thoughts...

1 Corinthians 7:7–8, 32–35 — Paul affirms singleness as a valid state and says it can aid undivided devotion to the Lord; he permits singleness and celibacy.

1 Corinthians 7:36–38 — Paul discusses choosing marriage or remaining single, treating singleness/celibacy as a permissible option.

1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6 — in pastoral qualifications Paul (traditionally attributed author of these pastoral letters) expects overseers to be “the husband of one wife,” implying marriage is appropriate for those in certain teaching/leadership roles.

1 Corinthians 7:6 — “I say this by permission, not as a command.” (Paul frames what follows as his judgment.)

1 Corinthians 7:12–13 — For matters involving believers married to unbelievers he again states, “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord)…” indicating personal counsel rather than a Lord’s command.

1 Corinthians 7:25–40 — Throughout this chapter Paul gives “advice” about marriage, singleness, and celibacy, presenting singleness as a good option for undivided devotion but treating many points as his own pastoral judgment rather than explicit revelation.

So Paul explicitly signals that parts of his teaching on celibacy/singleness are his own apostolic advice, not commands he attributes directly to the Lord.

So - who has it wrong about the last 20 centuries? Hmmmm?

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