Catholic Priests? Is it normal for a man, priest or not to never have a wife?

Question

This question has Always puzzled me, I have always wondered why the Catholic Church doesn't allow priests to marry?
I think it is the most natural thing in the world for a man to have a wife and family.
My pastor has a wife and two beautiful children (non catholic of course)
This is not an Insult to any Catholics, I have very good friends of many different religions.
Serious answers only please! I suppose that's a silly thing to say on here! but i can only hope !!

Thanks for your info, so it is only in the last couple of hundred years that this has been a rule.
I would agree that Catholic priests should be able to marry and have children, and to maybe raise some more priests and nuns, you would think that they would want to have children to bring up in the Catholic way.
Intriguing.
Thanks for all of your comments so far!!♥♥♥

Midge, good answer, I'm not criticising the priests at all, and I do understand the vows that nuns and priests alike have taken.

Answer 1

there are SOOO many Catholics (including myself) that think priests should be allowed to marry. but ya it's so they focus on God.

Answer 2

Actually, celibacy is LAUDED by Christ( Mt 19:12)- it is a prefiguring of heaven! Recall- Jesus said there will be NO MARRIAGE in heaven! While there were married clergy early on, anyone who tells you celibacy only came about in the past couple hundred years is LYING to you.It has been the NORM since the beginning- 4AD- JESUS WAS A CELIBATE!!! Get your information about the Catholic Church from knowledgable, faithful Catholics.

St. Paul was celibate (1Cor7:8)...And recomended celibacy for full time ministers (1Cor 7:32-35)

Priests are NOT forbidden to marry- they make the sacrifice of not marrying so they may completely give themselves over to their Bride- the Church- and to their spiritual children.

Celibacy is voluntary, it is forced on no one. A man who chooses to follow the call to the priesthood CHOOSES celibacy.

Since you are not Catholic, you have no idea what a priest's life is like. Celibacy also allows a man unfettered freedom to follow where the Lord leads him. Would a husband and father knowingly set himself up for hardship and martyrdom? Also, a priest can counsel married couples BETTER because he is not clouded by his own experience of a marital relationship- good or bad.

Priests are on call 24/7/365. The Catholic Church teaches God first, then family, then your job. When God IS a man's job, the family must suffer, and that is NOT how God wants it.

I work for a priest who is also a dear friend. I know his schedule. We have often laughed that it is good he isn't married- he would NEVER see his wife or kids!

Answer 3

Boy, Ozz, you sure come up with some explosive questions. I won't even attempt to debate all of the scripture and verse quoted above. There are all kinds of interpretations and even different versions of scared script. But, just think about this for a moment. The real answer for everyone (and each answer will be different) starts with your belief of either Creationism or Evolution. If you accept the first, then the marriage to God theory is right on. However, if you subscribe to the latter, then you accept the premise that all of the creatures on Earth will instinctively 'mate' to produce offspring and grow and evolve that specie. The drive to copulate and produce offspring is a natural and powerful force in each specie.

So, in summation, if you are of the former, you will accept celibacy as part of your belief system. If you are the latter, then you probably should not be a priest or nun.

As for my personal views on the matter, I would have to say that the 'requirement' for celibacy is somewhat contradictory to Catholicism and it's preachings. I have trouble understanding how a priest can lead and council the flock and teach the values of marriage and children, when in fact, he has no such experience to base his teachings on? "Teach by example"!!!

Answer 4

The celibate clergy did not come into full bloom until about 1000 C.E. There were many married priests, bishops, and popes before this time.

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."

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."

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

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

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

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

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, and 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 5

Just because something is natural doesn't mean it's morally acceptable.

It natural to feel pain, but that does not mean it's okay to be a masochist. Do you see what I am saying?

It's natural to have sexual urges, but that does mean it's always okay to act on those urges.

A man who CHOOSES to become a priest VOLUNTARILY takes the vow of celibacy. No man is forced to become a priest. They choose to become priests and, in do choosing, also choose to practice celibacy as a priest.

When a man or woman receives the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, they are pledging to spend the rest of their lives devoted to their spouse and whatever children they raise.

A priest, in receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders (necessary to become a priest) is pledging to spend the rest of his life as devoted to the Church (his "spouse") and his parishioners (his "children") in the very same way a husband and wife devote themselves to each other.

That is why a man who receives the Sacrament of Holy Orders cannot then receive the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, and vice versa.


Celibacy, especially in this sexaully reckless age, is not popular. Neither is the Catholic Church, which is a huge promoter of abstinence and chastity.

That is because people have come to regard sex as a civil right. I don't care how natural it is, sex is not a civil right. It is a privilege - a Sacred Act - meant to be shared between husband and wife only.

Since a Catholic priest can not enter into a marital bond with a woman, he cannot have sex.


It's well to know that abstinence is for ALL the non-married, not just Catholic priests.

Answer 6

So many great answers already--but I'll just post my humble outlook...

The fact that Catholic Priests do not marry really affords them an opportunity unlike any other to be fully devoted to the work of the Church. The Church fully advocates on behalf of marriage and family life (for those who have not chosen this path), but for those who do feel called, it gives them the opportunity to not HAVE to divide time between a wife and children, etcetc. (Which would naturally be the case if one were married...it would be expected!). I believe it to be a wonderful sacrifice that is made, but surprisingly may not be a sacrifice to many. In this time, many are led to believe that to be without the opportunities that marriage presents, one is empty or unfulfilled...it's just not so.

Answer 7

I'm Catholic and I agree with you. I think it will be better off for the Church to let priests and nuns marry, it will improve the quality of their lives and will bring children who are devout Christians. I don't see why anyone should be left out of having a family.

Answer 8

It is natural for a man to have or to not have a wife. Just as it is natural for a woman to have or not to have a husband. There is no imperative to marry. There is no moral imperative even for sex. There is a natural urge but not an imperative. We are not only creatures of the body, we have a higher intellect. Unlike the lower animals, we can choose our actions and are not slaves to instinct.
Celibacy is not the cause of sexual deviation. The Church used to be VERY selective about who they would ordain. Around 1960 the rules prohibiting ordaining men with homosexual tendencies was relaxed. Problem preists (sexually) are not so much pedophiles as they are homosexual. The predation is on boys not girls. If this was caused by celibacy, one would expect the ratio of predations to be at least equal, if not overwhelmingly female. Since it is overwhelmingly male victims, one must consider the driving force behind this depravity is homosexual in nature in addition to pedophilia.

Answer 9

The celibate priesthood is a Catholic discipline. St. Paul tells us in 1Corr 7:32-33 that, "He that is without a wife is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord: how he may please God. But he that is with a wife is solicitous for the things of the world: how he may please his wife. And he is divided."

The primary responsibility of a priest is to the Church and to God. It is unfair to ask him to care for a wife and children also, when his other responsibilities are meant to be paramount. It is also unfair to the wife and children, to ask them to always take second place to Church and congregation. Conversely, it's also not fair to the congregation to tell them that they can only have a priest when his family responsibilities allow him the time to carry out his ministry. Therefore, our men (and women) of God take vows of chastity, that they may be more focused on spiritual, rather than earthly, responsibilities.

Answer 10

The Catholic Church does't allow for priests to get married because of their vows. They believe that if a preist gets married and has children that the family will be first priority, so instead they do not get married so their first priority would be church and the parish.

Answer 11

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