Catholics, how do you reconcile the ban on priests marrying with the fact that Peter was married?

Question

In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul describes on of the rights of an apostle as being able to take a believing wife on a missionary trip. In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, Paul states that one of the qualifications of being a bishop is that he is the husband of one wife. Why then are priests forbidden to marry? Is it not possible that one of the reasons the Catholic Church has been having such trouble lately with priests commiting immoral acts is because of the unnatural burden that has been placed upon them? Please answer seriously.

I don't condemn those who do not wish to marry. I just want to know why those who want to get married are forbidden to unless they leave the priesthood.

I understand someone choosing to remain celibate, but shouldn't priests be allowed to make the choice between celibacy and marriage. After all, it wasn't until the Second Lateran Council in 1139 that priests were forbidden to marry. Also, no one has explained why priests are forbidden to marry when in the two places where Paul gives the qualifications of overseers, one of the qualifications is that he be the husband of one wife.

There have been many good answers, but so far no one has answered the main point of my question. Several of you have mentioned Anglican or Eastern Orthodox priests. I am interested in understanding why single men who want to become priests are forbidden to marry. I agree that chastity and celibacy is something to be desired and following the example of Paul and Jesus is good. However, why doesn't the Catholic Church just say, "We encourage celibacy, but if you want to get married you can." After all, that is what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7.

I just wanted to say that I probably framed the part on immorality wrong and I apologize. I really was not referring to the abuse scandal. I was referring more toward heterosexual priests who have fallen victim to sins of lust because they are denied the option of marriage unless they leave the priesthood. And to all those who say that priests are allowed to marry, please tell me where the Church says that priests are allowed to marry and still continue to practice in a church. (i.e. hear confession, conduct mass, etc.) I am referring to those priests who were raised catholic and decided to become priests, not one who converted from another religion.

Answer 1

Priests, religious brothers and religious sisters (nuns) as part of their vocation choose not to marry following:
+ The practice recommended in the Bible
+ The example of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul.

+++ Scripture +++

+ In Matthew 19:12, Jesus says, "Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

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.

+ In Matthew 19:29, Jesus says, "And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life."

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.

+ Matthew 22:30 - Jesus explains, "At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven."

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.

+ In 1 Corinthians 7:1, Paul writes, "It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman."

This is the choice that the Catholic priests of the Roman rite freely make.

+ Then in 1 Corinthians 7:7, Paul says, "Indeed, I wish everyone to be as I am."

Paul acknowledges that celibacy is a gift from God and wishes that all were celibate like he is.

+ In 1 Corinthians 7:27, Paul writes, "Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife."

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.

+ In 1 Corinthians 7:32-33, Paul teaches, "I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife." And in verse 38, "So then, the one who marries his virgin does well; the one who does not marry her will do better."

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.”

See also
1 Timothy 5:9-12
2 Timothy 2:3-4
Revevation 14:4
Isaiah 56:3-7
Jeremiah 16:1-4

+++ Scriptural Examples +++

Biblical role models of a celibate clergy came from John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostle Paul.

John the Baptist and Jesus are both believed to have been celibate for their entire lives. Some scholars believe that the example of the Essenes influenced either or both Jesus and John the Baptist in their celibacy.

WWJD? What would Jesus do? Jesus did not marry.

The Apostle Paul is explicit about his celibacy (see 1 Cor. 7). There is also evidence in the gospel of Matthew for the practice of celibacy among at least some early Christians, in the famous passage about becoming “eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:12).

The concept took many twists and turns over the years and will probably take a few more before Christ returns in glory.

A priest is "married" to the Church. Some people think that a priest who takes his duties seriously cannot take proper care of a wife and family. "A man cannot serve two masters."

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Celibacy is based on Jesus, since scripture never tells us that He was married. The vow of celibacy is actually a marriage vow of the priest to the Bride of Christ - the Church. The Church is their spouse. This is a very holy union.

Now, there are married priests. Many of them are married former protestant ministers that converted to the Catholic Church and were ordained into the priesthood while being married. It is usually only unmarried men that must vow celibacy when ordained.

The bible also speaks of each one of us having different God-given gifts and talents. Some are good teachers, others prophets, or ministers, leaders, etc., yet each of us comes together to make up the entire body of Christ. Some have the gifts for marriage and family, some don't. Our job as stewards of these gifts is to use them to the greater glory of God.

God bless.

Answer 3

Celibacy is not a doctrine but a discipline. I am neutral on the subject of priest being able to get married.
I understand in the early days of the Church celibacy was voluntary. It still is in Orthodoxy. I am not so sure about the Eastern Rite Catholics.
I read that celibacy was enforced because some thought their Bishophrics should be hereditary.
That might explain the nepotism of the Renaissance Popes. Many of the Cardinals then were not ordained priest. They might have taken ordination at a later time. You had to be ordained in order to be Pope. One was elected Pope that was not ordained and took ordination about 2 weeks prior to his being consecrated a Pope. Allessandro Farnese (Pope Paul III) was made a cardinal at 18 and was not ordained until he was 25. Rodrigo Borgia (Alexander VI) was made a cardinal by his uncle when he was only 4 years old. It is said some cardinals had secret marriages.
We have to be careful about judging those things by the way we view them today.
Now, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice did a study on the sex abuse situation. Less than 1% of the priest have been found guilty. But most of the abuses took place duriing the 70s and 80s.
Before Vatican II the church screened out people with homosexual orientation. Possibly some stil got through. After Vatican II, they started allowing people with homosexual orientation to be ordained as long as they were willing to accept celibacy. I have no opinion as to whether that is right or wrong. Cardinal Bevilacqua said he would not ordain a man with homosexual orientation as he considered it an emotional disorder.
Another thing, after Vatican II, the church opened itself up to a lot of new ideas, one was situation ethics. It was something that some liberal Protestant groups toyed with. Situation ethics stated right or wrong is determined by the situation you find yourself in. It cause a great deal of disagreement among older and younger priest.
Pope John Paul II stopped it. It had creeped into seminary training. It might still be in some but isn't suppose to be. I can see possibly ordaining priest with homosexual orientation and their being taught situation ethics could have caused a dynamic that led to the sex abuse. All this happened after Vatican II and most of the cases came from the 70s and 80s.
Pedophilia is a disease. Being married doesn't correct it.

Answer 4

Hi, Paul also states that it is better not to marry so that we are free to serve God , marriage is not the solution here and I know scores of Priests that I work with do not feel the need to marry,in fact and this is the truth, they love their Priesthood and would not marry even if it was allowed.
May I say this also,much of the trouble we have had has come from men who have had a perverse sexual problem because the majority of their lust has been directed at the young,now here is the thing, if this perversity is in them is marriage the cure for this,I don`t think so.
In other words do we say that normally adjusted Priests need to be married to stop them becoming perverts?
The problem with the Priesthood is that it is, or at least was, a perfect hiding place for these wrong doer`s, the best solution of all is to get them out and keep them out.

Answer 5

The Church incorrectly mixes Missionaries with Priest. Missionaries were expected to travel to distanced lands making it difficult to be married where a priest stays at one place. The Church does not follow bible teachings.

CATHOLIC TRADITION - Forbidding the priesthood to marry.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS -

1) It is devilish to forbid God's people to marry when He has given marriage to be received with thanksgiving.

1 Timothy 4:1-3 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; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
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.

2) Peter was married (remember the pope is supposedly continuing the apostolic line through Peter).

Matthew 8:14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.

Mark 1:30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.

Luke 4:38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

3) Paul, a great apostle, remained single; however he made it very clear that he could marry if he wanted to.

1 Corinthians 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?

Answer 6

There is not an all-out ban on married priests in the Catholic Church. Anglican ministers for example, who can marry and raise a family, can become priests if they convert to Catholicism. Eastern Orthodoxy, in Communion with the Catholic Church, allows their priests to marry.

Still, the percentage of sexual immorality is the same amongst celibate priests as it is amongst non-celibate priests. Clearly, celibacy is not the cause of sexual immorality.

An individual needs food in order to survive. An individual needs water in order to survive. An individual needs sleep in order to survive. An individual is does not need to have sex in order to survive.

Imagine someone who's devotion to God and His Church is so strong that he is willing to take a vow of celibacy in order to exhibit his Faith. Celibacy is an assett, not a liability. And they take this vow voluntarily.

Animals "have to" have sex. They operate entirely on instinct. When they get the urge, they jsut "do it". Human beings, with our ability to reason, can say "NO!" to such instincts.

All people are called to chastity. No one is supposed to have sex until they are married. Once married, people are to remain chaste by making sure they only have sex with their spouse and that sex is about selfless giving of each to the other, as opposed to mere self-gratification.

None of this is easy - but it can be done.

The fallen nature of man, society as a whole, is the reason there is so much sexual immorality EVERYWHERE, not just in the priesthood. the sexual revolution of the 1960's, the advent of artificial birth control, the glorification of promiscuous behavior from the media, has poisoned most everyone's sense of what sex is supposed to be.

The reason there is sexual immorality within the priesthood is the same reason it runs rampant in secular society.


You added, <>

Men are not automatically shielded from lustful temptation when they take the vow of celibacy. They know they will be tempted - that is why the Vow of Celibacy has meaning.

No on is forced to become a priest. It is a choice, and men make this choice knowing full-well they cannot received the Sacrament of Matrimony. The Church is not naive. Everyone knows these men are going to experience lustful temptations whether they want to or not. No one is "forced" to become a priest. Men choose to do it, knowing full well that this includes a Vow of celibacy. Therefore, it is wrong of you to think they are being "denied" marriage against their choice. They choose to waive a married life for a life in the Church.


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You've been told already - the Eastern Orthodox Rites allow priests to marry. Look to Canon Law if you really want the "skinny"

Answer 7

If you use the Bible for your doctrine you will see Peter was NOT a priest. No matter what the Catholic tradition says. Jesus asked who do men say that I the Son of Man am? The disciples answered John the Baptist, one of the prophets, Elias, But Peter said " You are the Christ the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him that flesh and blood has not revealed this to him but my Father in Heaven. You are Peter and upon this rock will I build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Jesus was not referring to Peters name which by interpretation means little stone- He was referring to the building of a spiritual, holy temple built of living stones. See l Peter and you will see this is so. The revelation of Christ being the Son of God is the first building block in the true church. The true church has no immorality in it- she is a virgin and has made herself clean. See Eph ch 5

Answer 8

OK! So Peterus the first Priest and Pope, the first men which was learned that we have to forgive others by being our self re panted for our sins.
He was married is true but as I know before he met Jesus.
I sincerely doubt that he had anymore time for his wife after beginning his mission.
Or I maybe wrong?!? Let´s ask Peterus! :)

Answer 9

Catholic priests in the Eastern Church are allowed to marry, and there we have to deal with all the usual issues llike divorce, and infidelity, et al ... the same things protestants have to deal with in regards to their married clergy.

It's tough to dedicate your life to God's service when you have a wife and family to worry about.

When the Church decides otherwise, they can change this discipline if they wish.

Until then, that's just the way it is.

No one is forced to become a priest. It is a calling from God, and everyone who does so, knows the rules, going in.

Answer 10

Peter was married, and at least in his later years his wife accompanied him on his missionary travels.—Matt. 8:14; 16:17; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:3; Acts 4:13; 1 Cor. 9:5

MARRIAGE

The union of a man and a woman as husband and wife according to the standard set out by God. Marriage is a divine institution, authorized and established by Jehovah in Eden. Marriage brings into being the family unit, the family circle. Its basic purpose was the reproducing of the members of the human family, to bring into existence more creatures of the human kind. Jehovah the Creator made male and female and ordained marriage as the proper arrangement for the multiplication of the human race. (Ge 1:27, 28) The first human wedding was performed by Jehovah, as described at Genesis 2:22-24.

Marriage was designed to form a permanent bond of union between man and woman, that they might be mutually helpful to each other. Living together in love and confidence, they could enjoy great happiness. Jehovah created woman as a mate for man by using the man’s rib as a base, thereby making woman man’s closest fleshly relative on earth, his own flesh. (Ge 2:21)

As Jesus pointed out, it was not Adam but God who said, “That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh.” The wording of this text makes it evident that monogamy was the original standard for marriage in the eyes of Jehovah God.—Mt 19:4-6; Ge 2:24

Non Marriage and So-Called Celibacy

Such laws of priestly celibacy find no justification in the Word of God. Actually, it is a sign of the foretold “mass apostasy,” or falling away from true Christian belief to “things taught by demons through plausible liars.” (2 Thess. 2:1-3; 1 Tim. 4:1-3) The fact that priestly celibacy originated in ancient Babylon marks those who practice it as part of “Babylon the great,” the world empire of false religion, concerning which the Bible counsels: “Depart from her, my people.”—Rev. 18:4

So many things the Catholics and other false religions teach is misleading the entire inhabited world. Why do they change God's word and make up junk as they go along? Obviously we know who is behind taking true credit away from our Creator, but there are billions and billions of the mislead false Christians and those who follow false religion who are ready and able to play right along in this outrageousness.