Good that you mentioned the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church. They are often forgotten entirely in the US, but in reality there are 21 other rites besides the Latin Rite, and to my knowledge virtually ALL of them allow married men to be ordained.
Further, the Eastern Orthodox (who WERE in union with Rome until the early 11th century) have *always* allowed for the ordination of married men for the parish priesthood. (Monks and bishops are celibates.)
Consider this point. Those who wish to argue against women as priests use arguments from history to point out that Christ didn't ordain women, etc. Fine - except when the arguments from history *support* ordination of married men, they are discarded!
No, changing the discipline on celibacy will NOT "destroy" the Catholic Church - it certainly hasn't destroyed 21 out of the 22 rites, OR destroyed the Eastern Orthodox (whom Pope John Paul II has worked hard to reunify with the Catholic Church. If the Eastern Orthodox WERE reunified, they certainly would not give up their married priests.)
Besides, the Latin Rite *already* ordains married men, when they convert from Anglicanism or Lutheranism, and want to be Catholic priests. In fact, there are more married Latin Rite priests in the USA than there are Byzantine Catholic married priests! Why not just make it possible in general?
There are a couple of dioceses here in Texas that are reduced to taking back men who left the priesthood, married outside the Church, then divorced their wives.
These men are welcomed back with open arms because the Church is desperate for priests. But if a man (like me) was laicized (which was the only way I could get married in the Church), forget it. I can't even serve as a deacon (I left after being ordained a deacon).
Screwy.
Before Paul was Paul (when he was Saul) he was a member of the Sanhedrin. From what I've studed, I believe it was mandatory for all Sanhedrin members to be married. So at one time Paul was married but we never read anything about his wife.