Why Can't (Roman) Catholic Priests Get Married?

To answer this question I am posting a discussion I had in the comments section of Priesthood of all Believers.

Peter’s style in the comments section was casual/IM…thus, without punctuation or capitalizations. This is normal in those venues and does NOT mean he doesn’t know how to punctuate or capitalize. I didn’t make all of the corrections needed to make his comments and questions formally correct b/c it would have been a lot of work. I thought he had very good and honest questions, representative of the questions many people have so I decided to put them in a post. So, here is our discussion:

Peter: i think you are dead right about presbyters (being the word translated “priest” in English). that is why some are placed into positions of leadership (like james the just or peter and paul, etc). however, these leadership positions are extensively talked about by paul in timothy and other places. in timothy, paul says that presbyters are to be husbands of but one wife and their kids are to be respectful because if they cant control their family they cant control the church.
so now tell me, how can a claim be made that presbyters are supposed to be celibate? there is no mandate that presbyters are celibate. in fact, the exact opposite. paul says that they should marry if they cant control their passions.

BFHU:

You are absolutely correct. There is no Biblical mandate that Priests are to be celibate. In fact, we know since Peter had a mother-in-law that he must have been married, at some point. The normal discipline of priestly celibacy could be changed to allow priests to marry. Celibacy is a discipline in the Latin Rite Catholic Church it is not an unchangeable doctrine or dogma. Eating fish on Fridays, similarly, was a discipline in the Church but it was changed and priestly celibacy might be changed, could be changed, theoretically. But it probably will not be changed any time soon. So disciplines can change but dogma does not change.

There are many good reasons to keep celibacy but the best is because the celibate Priest most closely models Jesus Christ, who was celibate. He also, stands in Persona Christi in most of the sacraments and since in Heaven there will be no marriage, the priest also models life in the age to come. In the Eastern Orthodox churches and even some non Latin rite Catholic Churches married men are ordained to the priesthood. But the married ones cannot become Bishops. And people in these churches prefer the unmarried priests to the married ones for the obvious reason that an unmarried priest can be married to the Church as he is called to be, and a more available father. But they must marry before ordination; they cannot afterwards marry. And in the Latin Rite Catholic Church Deacons can be married but if their wife dies they may not remarry. These are the disciplines of ordination.

Peter: so why should we discount the ministry of a man simply because he has chosen marriage?

BFHU: The ministry of a man who marries is not discounted by the Church. It is his vocation just like priesthood is a vocation. The married man is purified through his marriage and models the loving union of the Trinity-Man/Woman/child. The fruitfulness of their love brings new life. And he fulfills his priesthood of believers by being:

a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

And the priest, also, is purified through the difficulties of his vocation. The fruitfulness of of the Priest’s love of the bride of Christ brings new life, born for eternity in Heaven.

Peter: dont we learn many otherwise impossible lessons through oneness with our wives? isnt that why JB, JC, and paul all spoke of the relationship between man and wife as an allegory for Christ and the church?

BFHU: Absolutely accurate there! Thank you for your polite and excellent questions.

Peter: thanks for the response. i agree with you about your points, minus one problematic thing i have always disagreed with the church on. why if the word presbyter is the only word for “priest” do we think that now a priest SHOULD NOT be married.

BFHU: It is not a matter of “should not” but it is a matter of discipline for those who wish to shepherd the church of God, to give up marriage and family in order to devote all attention to the Bride of Christ. The Church does not forbid marriage to any one. All who feel called to the vocation of marriage are free to marry. Part of the discernment for the priesthood is, Am I willing? Am I able to give up marriage? Most are not called to the priesthood. It is a gift.

I Cor 7:1 It is good for a man not to marry…An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs —how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided.”

Peter: i understand there are some whom God calls to live celebate lives, but most of us burn with passion if we arent married.
And as St. Paul said, ” it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

BFHU:Very true and then they should marry but as Jesus said….

Matthew 19:12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

Peter:

besides that we are supposed to follow Tradition as it is passed down to us. the very earliest traditions (not only in the New Testament, but also in church history) there were many priests and bishops who were married.

BFHU: Please read I Cor 7 and realize that the Catholic Church takes Paul’s advice much more literally than most Protestants. The New Testament is the earliest Tradition. And we follow it. The Catholic Church still has married priests and celibate priests. The unmarried more closely follow the example of Christ in this matter.

Peter: so what do you do with the fact that peter (and others seemed to be married)? peter, according to the catholic church, is the first pope. what a precedent to set for popes who have the “discipline” of celebacy. we are to go by tradition, the church just seems to pick and choose which traditions it likes.

BFHU: Have you done any research to understand how and why the Church has made the decisions she has? I have experienced over and over thinking, “OK, now there can’t be a good explanation for this! But, once I looked into it, the explanation was beautiful and absolutely sublime. For instance, when a Jewish Levitcal Priest was chosen to go into the Holy of Holies,as Zecharia father of John the Baptist was, they had to remain celibate for a month. Celibacy was a discipline for entering into the presence of God just one time on one day. But our priests are in the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist every day. Therefore, perpetual celibacy is a fitting fulfillment of the OT law. For more information, you might be interested in this article about the History of Celibacy. Additionally, Tradition with a capital “T” refers to the unwritten teaching of the apostles. And the Catholic Church is as bound to follow that teaching as sacred scripture. Tradition with a lower case “t” would apply to the traditions of men, family traditions, ethnic traditions etc. Celibacy is a Church discipline, as it was passed down from the disciples and is what you WILL find today in the Catholic Church to this day.

I think you need to read what you wrote - the believers are the BODY of Christ, and that includes the Protestants, too. It’s not just the Catholics. It is not the Church. It is the believers.

Please see 1 Corinthians 12:12-14:

12: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14: For the body is not one member, but many.

The body is not the Church. The body is the believers of Christ. Jew or Gentile, bonded or free, Protestant or Catholic.

Your doctrine is set by men - my doctrine is set by men. It is our listening to the Holy Spirit that guides us in the doctrines, and hopefully those of who set the doctrines. Our doctrines are fallible.

I understand that for Catholic doctrine, the phrase “the Church” means not just the believers in Christ, but those specifically who are members of the Catholic Church. This is doctrine of the Catholic Church as set in the Catechism (which I had to translate from the original Latin, back in high school).

Inherent (and IMHO errant) in that statement of doctrine is that any believer who is NOT a member of the Catholic Church cannot be a member of the body of Christ. The institution of the Catholic Church has become the arbiter of who can be in the Body of Christ, and that is a serious impediment to men relating to God.

You wrote:

“I think you need to read what you wrote - the believers are the BODY of Christ, and that includes the Protestants, too.”

No. You are making a common mistake. I NEVER include those who believe in heresy as in the Body. When Christ create the Body she only contained orthodox believers. There were no Protestants and would be no Protestants for another 1500 years. When the NT speaks of all believers being in the Church that must be understood as reflective of a time when there were no Protestants.

“It’s not just the Catholics. It is not the Church. It is the believers.”

The Catholic Church is the Church and always has been and always will be. Protestants didn’t come along until well after 1500.

“Please see 1 Corinthians 12:12-14:”

Notice how Paul took it for granted that the believers would be united in baptism? And yet there are Protestants like Quakers who don’t even baptize! Orthodox believers know baptism is a sacrament while most Protestants consider it a nice ceremony and little more. Sorry, but 1 Corinthians is in no way speaking up for your distorted Protestant beliefs which only came into existence sometime after 1500.

“The body is not the Church. The body is the believers of Christ. Jew or Gentile, bonded or free, Protestant or Catholic.”

Nope. The Body is the Church and the Church is the Catholic Church. How you can deny that the Church is the body when Colossians 1:24 says “... the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church” is beyond me. You are directly contradicting God’s word. Did you even know that?

“Your doctrine is set by men - my doctrine is set by men.”

No. My doctrine is set by God and His Church. You get your doctrine from men and where they get it from is anybody’s guess.

“It is our listening to the Holy Spirit that guides us in the doctrines, and hopefully those of who set the doctrines. Our doctrines are fallible.”

No. First, I have no doctrines of my own. YOU have fallible doctrines. I have only God’s doctrines given to us through the Church. They are infallible.

“I understand that for Catholic doctrine, the phrase “the Church” means not just the believers in Christ, but those specifically who are members of the Catholic Church. This is doctrine of the Catholic Church as set in the Catechism (which I had to translate from the original Latin, back in high school).”

I don’t care what you used to do. If you say you understand Catholic doctrine, then why are you misrepresenting it?

“Inherent (and IMHO errant) in that statement of doctrine is that any believer who is NOT a member of the Catholic Church cannot be a member of the body of Christ.”

Your opinions are errant. Catholic teachings are not. Someone cannot be a member of the Body and not a member of the Body at the same time. Choose.

“The institution of the Catholic Church has become the arbiter of who can be in the Body of Christ, and that is a serious impediment to men relating to God.”

Nope. The exact opposite. The Church was sent by God to teach the truth to all the world under the guidance and support of the Holy Spirit. The Church is necessary exactly to decide issues such as who is in the Church and who is not. Strange how you think the Church is an impediment to relating to God when that same Church - under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit - wrote the scriptures and defined the canon (the same NT canon you probably use too!). Was the Church an impediment then?

Dear PugetSound,
The Catholic Church is misunderstood precisely because it is the one Church that follows Christ’s words to the letter. He said we must eat His body and drink His blood. Many fell away because they couldn’t believe this. Only the Catholic Church believes, and has always believed, this.

He said Peter was the rock He would build his Church on and gave him the power to loose or hold things in heaven. Only the Catholic Church believes, and has always believed, this.

He promised the Holy Spirit would always be with His Church and guide it and that it would never end. Only the Catholic Church has roots all the way back to Christ and his Apostles. All others are branches from the main trunk of Catholicism.

There is so much beauty and wonder and mystery and joy in Catholicism. Please don’t be angry at those who can’t help but want to share it with you. If you used to translate the Catechism as a child, I suspect you know what I am talking about and have some experience with our Church. If the Catholic Church, through its imperfect representatives, has hurt you, I humbly ask you to forgive and not hold the Church responsible for its flawed members. I invite you to re-examine the Catholic Church. I encourage you to read Scott Hahn or Tim Staples. They examined Catholicism from a Protestant perspective and found truth and beauty there.

Finally, if you pay attention, you will see that the Catholic Church is loathe to pass judgment on anyone. They leave it to God. That is why Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, and the like continue to call themselves Catholics; because the Church itself has not yet condemned them.

In short, Catholics believe they have the fullness, or fullest understanding, of the faith Christ wanted from us. We don’t know who is or is not saved. Christ will judge all in their varying levels of understanding. We just have to tell you that we believe we have the most complete, whole, and enduring form of Christianity: the one, holy, apostolic and catholic faith! Please give the Church a fair, adult examination and I think you will find much to appreciate.

If not, I hope you will at least forgive past hurts. Unfinished business is like mud in your wings. I say this as someone who has been deeply hurt by poor leaders in our Church. What matters is the teaching, dogma, and good news the Catholic Church is founded upon.

I am sorry PugetSound, but the Church from the very first always believed the bread and wine were actually the body and blood of Christ during the Mass. It was never symbolic. The Councils were held later when erroneous beliefs began to develop and were initiated to correct them. They were not establishing new belief systems, they were held to correct people who had started to fall away from what had always been understood to be Church teaching.

I do know that Jews and Gentiles are accepted into Christ’s Church.

I understand your concerns and I think you would find them overcome if you would read a version of the Gospels in the earliest translations. Make sure your Bible translation is from the earliest known versions.

Also, read some Hahn, Staples or Madrid. I ask you to consider that, if you left the Church when you were 12, you may have a 12 year old’s perceptions of our Church. At least re-examine the Church with an adult perspective and an adult’s understanding. Starting with these three authors will at least guide you in your examination of what the Catholic Church really believes, why it believes, and what its history is. They will bring up every one of your objections and will clarify what is Church teaching and what is hearsay about Church teaching.

Some of what you say about the Church is erroneous. You may have been taught incorrect ideas about Catholicism, from Catholics or Protestants. All any Catholic asks is that you know who we really are and what we really believe before you castigate us. Too many people hate Catholics because of what they think we believe- not for what we actually do believe.

I hope you will continue to investigate these issues. I have great faith in what you will discover!

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Why Can’t Catholic Priests Get Married?