The call to celibacy has been official and binding in the Western church from at least the 4th century. Perhaps earlier. The fact that this rule was repeated and emphasized in later centuries has no bearing on the fact that it obtained from a very early time.
The quote you've lifted from a Wikipedia article is grossly out of context. In not disclosing this, you are a liar.
Orthodox priests are NOT permitted to marry. Neither are Eastern Catholic priests. No priest in any church with apostolic succession is allowed to marry.
Your posts are not accurate, and we no longer need pretend you are mistaken. You are simply dishonest, a sower of confusion and division in the Church. I will not be responding to any further posts from you.
Orthodox priests ARE permitted to be married. George Stephanopolous’s father is a Greek Orthodox priest. Most Orthodox priests are married. Marriage is even permitted in certain Catholic churches in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It’s quite common.
Here is a quote from an article from the Los Angeles Times:
“Last week the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation called the Vatican to lift restrictions on the ordination of married men to serve as priests in Eastern Rite Catholic churches in the United States and Canada. Eastern Rite Catholic churches recognize the authority of the pope in Rome but share their history, liturgy, and traditions with Eastern churches that do not. One such tradition is the admission of married men into the priesthood.”
Further, “...a married man in Europe could be ordained as a priest in the Byzantine Catholic Church but that clergy in the U.S. branch of the church had to be celibate.”
“...Pope Francis recently agreed to the ordination of a married man as a Maronite Catholic priest in St. Louis.”
“So married Catholic priests aren’t an abstraction. They exist and their number may be growing.”
“As Francis recently acknowledged, celibacy for the Latin Rite priests is not a dogma of faith. Therefore he said the door is always open to change.”
Source: Los Angeles Times 7/7/2014 Number of married Catholic priests may grow
It seems that the celibacy requirements are applied only selectively, and yes as the Pope himself has stated the policy is not a dogma and is subject to change.
You can’t handle the truth!!