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Since the Eastern Catholic Church allows for married priests, I have posted the following before but it is worth repeating. This is from a Maronite Catholic Cardinal, who supports the celibate priesthood.

Oct 15, 2005
Speaking to the 11th General Synod Fathers, gathered for their eighth meeting this morning at the Vatican, Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, who is Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites in Lebanon--a Catholic rite which allows for married priests--addressed the issue, which has been brought up by many, particularly in light of the U.S. sex abuse scandal, of commonly permitting married priests in the Roman rite.

Vatican City, Oct. 07, 2005 (CNA) - The Cardinal defended the practice of the celibate priesthood and discussed the beauty of the tradition, calling it the "most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church."

While pointing out that "the Maronite Church admits married priests" and that "half of our diocesan priests are married", the Cardinal Patriarch said that "it must be recognized that if admitting married men resolves one problem, it creates others just as serious."

"A married priest", he said, "has the duty to look after his wife and family, ensuring his children receive a good education and overseeing their entry into society. ... Another difficulty facing a married priest arises if he does not enjoy a good relationship with his parishioners; his bishop cannot transfer him because of the difficulty of transferring his whole family.

He noted that "married priests have perpetuated the faith among people whose difficult lives they shared, and without them this faith would no longer exist."

"On the other hand," he said, "celibacy is the most precious jewel in the treasury of the Catholic Church,"

Lamenting a culture which is all but outright opposed to purity, the Cardinal asked: "How can [celibacy] be conserved in an atmosphere laden with eroticism? Newspapers, Internet, billboards, shows, everything appears shameless and constantly offends the virtue of chastity."

Suggesting that there are no easy solutions to the problem of priest shortages in the Church--an oft brought up point during the Synod--he noted that, "Of course a priest, once ordained, can no longer get married. Sending priests to countries where they are lacking, taking them from a country that has many, is not the ideal solution if one bears in mind the question of tradition, customs and mentality. The problem remains."

Maronite Rite Cardinal defends, praises celibate priesthood

Note as well that the Maronite Church only sends celibate priests to serve outside of Lebanon.

Marriage and celibacy are not the same issue of course.

requirement of celibacy has also been blamed as one of the causes of sexual abuse by priests.

Homo-pedo priests are homo pedo's whether or not they can get married, unless those doing the blaming think they should be allowed to marry underage boys??

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IF the first Pope was Peter (a Jewish man) that was married..

Celibacy is a real stretch.. Peter was the ONLY Pope that knew and talked to Jesus.. (also a Jew)..
That is..... if Peter was a Pope at all..

There are married Roman Catholic priests...that is: clergymen who declare loyalty and obedience to the Holy Father in Rome....in the United States and,I suspect,other countries as well.My understanding is that most of these priests are Episcopal/Anglican priests who converted to Roman Catholicism,made the required professions of obedience to the Pontiff and were accepted into the priesthood by Rome's duly appointed representatives.

If *some* Roman Catholic priests are allowed to be married I can't understand why all are not given that option.

I'm surprised that anyone that says they're Christian would even go near a practice like that.

1 Tim 4:1-3
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

1 Tim 3:2
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

1 Cor 11:11
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

Errr...seems that the Apostle Paul was very clear on this subject. Paul straight up says that forbidding to marry is a doctrine of the devil. I don't see how you get around this.