1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?
Titus 1:5-9 5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
There was no NT priesthood established in the church. The offices found that are referred to in Acts and Paul's Epistles, are that of overseer, elder, or deacon, and the qualifications for those offices included marriage.
There is no Scriptural precedent for a celibate clergy.
And elder/bishop (episkopos/presbuteros) is one office, (Titus 1:5-7) and does not constitute a separate class of sacerdotal priests (different word). Rather all believers are priests. (1Pt. 2:5)
And while being single and celibate is certainly a sacrifice (for most) and offers the temporal and advantages 1Cor. 7:7–8; 32–35 expresses, and even more so with the world-changing events of 70AD coming shortly to pass, yet it is still a gift. And even though clerical celibacy is only (changeable) church law, to basically (there are exceptions) requires that all clergy have the gift of celibacy is unScriptural and presumptuous - and is asking for trouble.
While the requirement that a bishop be the husband of one wife, and “having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) may allow some discussion as to whether it wholly excludes a single celibate man, that is to at least be the norm, rather than the opposite as in Rome.
And in which not only must priests normally be celibate - which certainly does not have scriptural warrant or the supposedly required the unanimous of the fathers - but even though married men may now be ordained deacons, yet a married deacon must maintain the celibate state if he is widowed, nor may one marry after ordination.
Note that some RCs attempt to make all the apostles single, but which would require that all their wives all died or left them, which is highly force idea, as marriage was the norm, and they usually followed the father’s lead, and while the apostles did leave “all” (Mk. 10:28) a permanent forsaking would be contrary to the principle state in Mk. 7:10-13 and the requirements of marriage commanded in Mt. 19:1-9; and 1Cor. 7:10,11,16.
And as the word for “wife” is the same as women in 1Cor. 9:5 (”Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?”) then some RCs contend that the apostle’s simply had females ministering to the Apostles as women ministered to Christ (cf. Luke 8:1–3). However, Paul affirms he has such female helpers, (Rm. 16:1,2; Phil. 4:3) and the wording, contrast and scope with their previous state considered renders this a forced (and “private) interpretation. The official RC (NAB) Bible for America has “wife.”