Are Catholic priests supposed to be virgins?

Question

Are Catholic priests supposed to be virgins? (I know they can't marry and can't have children, but are they supposed to never have sex? What if they do? Is that wrong, taking into account that all the other people do this thing?)

[All other priests -Orthodox, Baptists, Muslim, Jewish etc. CAN have sex and all the things it implies after that: marriage, children, even beautiful kisses and hugs etc]

Answer 1

Catholic priests do not have to be virgins.

After ordination the have to be celibate.

There are many men who entered the priesthood after their wife died.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Catholic priests are called to celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, and are preferred to have always been so. However, there are examples of priests who had led sinful lives before conversion and now lead celibate lives. So virginity is preferred but not required.

Priests who convert as married men from other denominations of Christianity are expected to remain married (with all the priveleges and beautiful things therein), but not remarry if their spouse dies.

Also, a note: Orthodoxy requires celibacy of the Bishops, and honors celibate priests, but does not require celibacy. And your order is backwards. Jewish rabbis and non-Catholic Christian ministers are expected to be chaste, meaning no sex until marriage. I know it's backwards in contemporary society, but the high hope is that a couple approaching the altar to marry have never had sex.

Answer 3

Nope. Catholic priest need not be virgins. Of course, since no one should have sex outside marriage, it would be preferable. But in the Catholic Church we have this nifty thing called the Sacrament of Reconciliation where we take our sins to God, He forgives them.....and we get a clean slate- the chance to do things right.

Once a man decides to study for the priesthood, he is to remain celibate- which is the appropriate form of chastity for ANYONE who is not married. If he falls, he can go to Reconciliation.

Now, if it becomes a habitual sin, he will need counseling before he can receive forgiveness.

Oh-- and did you ever consider what a beautiful example priests give with their celibacy? They are showing us there are things worth making sacrifices for! And guess what? There's no sex in heaven, either. Sex is not the hoghest thing to aspire to in this life- a relationship with Jesus Christ is. And priests are showing us that by setting an example with their lives.

I have good friends who are priests- some I consider better friends than my husband or girlfriends...why? Sex is completely off the table- there is no underlying tension. We are free to be exactly who we are. It makes for some wonderful and very fulfilling friendships!

Answer 4

Contrary to popular belief, the Catholic Church does have some married priests. However, the Catholic Church also wants some priests who are unmarried, because as St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:32-34, "The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided." Thus, the Church selects some men for ordination from among those who choose to be "eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven", as Jesus said in Matthew 19:12.

Answer 5

This depends on what rite of the Catholic Church you are referring to. Many of the Eastern rites do allow their priests to be married. The western rite which is the largest of all the rites at this time does not allow their priests to be married overall. This practice is not doctrine and may be changed at anytime in the future as their is no scriptural rule forbidding a married priesthood. The practice became standard due to financial problems that arose from having a priesthood where the majority of men where married.

Answer 6

No, just celibate - and that is in the Latin rite of the Church|

Other rites have a different discipline where if one is married, one may become a priest|

However, if one is a priest, one cannot then marry|

And bishops are always selected from the ranks of the celibate in the Eastern discipline|




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Answer 7

No. Catholic priests are not required to be virgins, if such a thing even truly applies to males.

Men who become Catholic priests are required to remain celibate ... completely abstaining from all sexual activity.

Answer 8

No, they are not demanded to be virgins. A man can become a priest after the passing of his wife.

Answer 9

Catholic priests do not have to be virgins, but they WILLINGLY take the vow of celibacy when they become priests.

Celibacy, while not dogma, is still a Biblically based discipline:

Matt. 19:11-12 - Jesus says celibacy is a gift from God and whoever can bear it should bear it. Jesus praises and recommends celibacy for full-time ministers in the Church. Because celibacy is a gift from God, those who criticize the Church's practice of celibacy are criticizing God and this wonderful gift He bestows on His chosen ones.

Matt. 19:29 - Jesus says that whoever gives up children for the sake of His name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. Jesus praises celibacy when it is done for the sake of His kingdom.

Matt. 22:30 - Jesus explains that in heaven there are no marriages. To bring about Jesus' kingdom on earth, priests live the heavenly consecration to God by not taking a wife in marriage. This way, priests are able to focus exclusively on the spiritual family, and not have any additional pressures of the biological family (which is for the vocation of marriage). This also makes it easier for priests to be transferred to different parishes where they are most needed without having to worry about the impact of their transfer on wife and children.

1 Cor 7:1 – Paul teaches that it is well for a man not to touch a woman. This is the choice that the Catholic priests of the Roman rite freely make.

1 Cor. 7:7 - Paul also acknowledges that celibacy is a gift from God and wishes that all were celibate like he is.

1 Cor. 7:27 – Paul teaches men that they should not seek marriage. In Paul’s opinion, marriage introduces worldly temptations that can interfere with one’s relationship with God, specifically regarding those who will become full-time ministers in the Church.

1 Cor. 7:32-33, 38 - Paul recommends celibacy for full-time ministers in the Church so that they are able to focus entirely upon God and building up His kingdom. He “who refrains from marriage will do better.”

1 Tim. 3:2 - Paul instructs that bishops must be married only once. Many Protestants use this verse to prove that the Church's celibacy law is in error. But they are mistaken because this verse refers to bishops that were widowers. Paul is instructing that these widowers could not remarry. The verse also refers to those bishops who were currently married. They also could not remarry (in the Catholic Church's Eastern rite, priests are allowed to marry; celibacy is only a disciplinary rule for the clergy of the Roman rite). Therefore, this text has nothing to do with imposing a marriage requirement on becoming a bishop.

1 Tim. 4:3 - in this verse, Paul refers to deceitful doctrines that forbid marriage. Many non-Catholics also use this verse to impugn the Church's practice of celibacy. This is entirely misguided because the Catholic Church (unlike many Protestant churches) exalts marriage to a sacrament. In fact, marriage is elevated to a sacrament, but consecrated virginity is not. The Church declares marriage sacred, covenantal and lifegiving. Paul is referring to doctrines that forbid marriage and other goods when done outside the teaching of Christ and for a lessor good. Celibacy is an act of giving up one good (marriage and children) for a greater good (complete spiritual union with God).

1 Tim. 5:9-12 - Paul recommends that older widows take a pledge of celibacy. This was the beginning of women religious orders.

2 Tim. 2:3-4 - Paul instructs his bishop Timothy that no soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim his to satisfy the One who enlisted him. Paul is using an analogy to describe the role of the celibate priesthood in the Church.

Rev. 14:4 - unlike our sinful world of the flesh, in heaven, those consecrated to virginity are honored.

Isaiah 56:3-7 - the eunuchs who keep God's covenant will have a special place in the kingdom of heaven.

Jer. 16:1-4 - Jeremiah is told by God not to take a wife or have children.

Answer 10

i dont think it is a prerequisite.
but catholic priests do take celibacy vows. which i think is wrong.

because celibacy is a lower commandment and God did say its not Good for a man to be alone.
However jesus did say some are made Single for the sake of the Kingdom.