In Catholicism everything is much more complicated and stricter. Mandatory celibacy for pastors was elevated to the rank of law under Pope Gregory (7th century). Celibacy was then absolutely accepted necessary measure. It is believed that not only married man is not distracted by worldly affairs and completely devotes himself to God. He does not divide his love between the Lord and the woman.
Celibacy is not just a ban on marriage and having children. This is a complete refusal of any sexual contact. A Catholic pastor has no right to start romantic relationship or looking at a woman with lust. An applicant who was previously married will not receive priestly rank.
The 16th point of the Vatican Council, which took place in 1962-1965, is entirely devoted to the issue of celibacy. It is interesting that before the legalization of celibacy, minor ranks (deacons, etc.) of the Catholic Church were allowed to marry, but practically no one did this, because any such rank is just one of the steps on the path to ordination to the pastorate. In Catholicism, not only spiritual self-improvement is important, but also a certain “career” growth of priests.
In the 20th century, the institution of so-called “permanent deacons” was established. They can enter into marriage, but cannot be ordained a priest. In very rare cases, a married pastor who converted to Catholicism from Protestantism may be ordained. IN last decades The issue of the need for celibacy is being actively discussed, but there have been no changes in church laws yet.
An expert in the field of canon law, Catholic priest Dmitry Pukhalsky answers:
Although Catholic priests are prohibited from marrying, there are also married priests in the Catholic Church.
What's the matter? Speaking about celibacy, we must remember that this is a voluntary refusal to marry. Therefore, it is more correct to say not that Catholic priests are forbidden to marry, but that the Catholic Church ordains men who have chosen a life of celibacy as priests (there are several exceptions, which will be discussed in more detail below).
It should be recalled that, firstly, both in the Catholic and Orthodox churches you cannot marry if you are already a priest, and, secondly, celibacy is mandatory for those who have chosen monastic service.
Consider, however, situations where a Catholic priest may be married. The first of these is that he is not a priest of the Latin rite. As you may know, in addition to the Latin Rite (with which most people associate Catholicism), there are Churches of the Eastern Rites that are in full communion with the Holy See (today there are 23 of them). There are married priests there, since celibacy is not mandatory for them (but, again, you can never marry after taking holy orders!). By the way, the priests of these churches can also serve in the Latin rite.
The next situation when the appearance of married clergy is possible - already in the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite - is the reunion of Anglican priests with it. According to the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus of 15 January 2011, the ordination of former Anglican married priests as priests of the Latin Rite is permitted subject to certain conditions.
It is important to remember that celibacy is only a tradition; it has no doctrinal justification. In the first centuries of Christianity, communities did not require celibacy from priests, but part of the clergy even then voluntarily chose the path of celibacy. Celibacy became mandatory for priests during the reign of Pope Gregory VII only in the 11th century.
What will happen to a priest if he gets married during his ministry? According to Canon 1394 of the Code of Canon Law, a priest who attempts to contract a marriage is subject to ecclesiastical punishment (“suspension”), which results in a ban on ministry. The punishment is "automatic", that is, a direct and immediate consequence of the priest's attempt to consummate the marriage. If a person who has left the priestly ministry wants to marry his wife in the Catholic Church and participate in the sacraments, then this requires release (dispensation) from celibacy, the provision of which remains the exclusive prerogative of the Pope.
To the question Why are Catholic priests forbidden to marry, but Orthodox priests are allowed? given by the author Enlightener the best answer is In ancient times, the church was united, that is, there was no division between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. and the ancient church generally did not know such prohibitions for clergy. Almost until the 4th century, all priests and bishops were married, both in the West and in the East. Marriage prohibitions are a later invention...
The prohibition of marriage for those promoted to the priesthood is called Celibacy.
For clergy of the Western Church, it was first enshrined in the rules of the Council of Elvira (this is the beginning of the 4th century), it prescribes that for its violation, bishops, presbyters and deacons should be forever excommunicated from church communion and even on their deathbed not give them forgiveness (18th rule of the Council of Elvira ).
This rule of the Council of Elvira was a violation of ancient custom and was rejected by all Christian Church at the sixth ecumenical council.
The Rule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council reads:
We have already learned that in the Roman Church, as a rule, it is given that those who are to be worthy of ordination as a deacon or presbyter are obliged to no longer communicate with their wives: then we, following the ancient rule of apostolic order and order, deign, so that the cohabitation of priests according to the law will continue to remain inviolable, without at all dissolving their union with their wives, and without depriving them of mutual union at a decent time. And so, if anyone appears worthy of being ordained a subdeacon, or a deacon, or a presbyter, cohabitation with his lawful wife will not at all be an obstacle to his elevation to such a degree; and at the time of his ordination, let no obligation be required from him that he will refrain from legal communication with his wife, so that we are not forced in this way to offend the marriage established by God, and blessed by Him in his coming. For the voice of the gospel cries: as God has joined together, let not man put asunder (Matthew 19:6). And the apostle teaches: marriage is honorable, and the bed is undefiled (Heb. 13:4).
In 1054, a schism occurred between the Roman Church and other local churches. The Roman Church began to call itself Catholic and all other local churches began to be called Orthodox.
Catholics rejected the decrees of the 6th Ecumenical Council and raised mandatory celibacy for all their clergy to the level of law. Catholics began to demand that a married protégé divorce the protégé from his wife before he was ordained.
The Orthodox churches remained faithful to the ancient rules, still ordaining to the priesthood those who entered into a legal marriage earlier.
In Orthodoxy, priests are not allowed to marry after ordination; they can only remain married until they are ordained.
The priest’s family is also a test of his abilities; anyone who is unable to manage a small church - his own family (often young families simply fall apart due to the irresponsibility and mediocrity of the head of the family), then such a person is unlikely to be able to be a shepherd for an entire community. Such a person will never be entrusted with priestly service.
Answer from 22 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Why are Catholic priests forbidden to marry, but Orthodox priests are allowed?
Answer from Vladimir Zhikharev[guru]
Catholics are not bad people and that means their families will be not bad. What about the wives of Jesus, husbands?, excuse me, children of Jesus. It is necessary that they have their own children and raise them in the holiness of the family. :)
Answer from chromosomes[guru]
Our priests will be more cunning than the Vatican suckers.
Answer from Nikola Zalupsky[guru]
Catholic priests still have boys in stock.
Answer from Lohengrin[guru]
“Celibacy” is a vow of celibacy, one of the tenets of Catholicism. Orthodox priests, by the way, do not all get married either. Monks and abbots - no.
Answer from Lenochka[active]
This makes a certain sense. A Catholic priest, without a family, “gives all his best” at masses, and he perceives serving God not as work, but as the meaning of his life. The padre puts his soul into it, his service to God comes from his heart.. The padre really is a spiritual father for his flock, he really is not indifferent to the fate of the parishioners of his parish, he is truly like a father. Well, the padre has no goal of grabbing as much money for himself as possible. With priests everything is completely different. Any Orthodox priest Having a family, he doesn’t “give his best” at services. And he perceives serving God simply as work, without putting his soul into everything. And it is impossible to consider an Orthodox priest as a spiritual father... Because he simply doesn’t care about anyone... And the fate of his flock in most cases is “on the drum” ".And again, there is a goal to grab as much money as possible, to make a business out of the sacred...
Answer from Realtor[newbie]
A stone will never understand a flower, a flower will never understand a dog, a dog is not able to perceive the cosmos as a person perceives it. A person feels that there is something Above, but is not able to understand What. Clerics skillfully use this:
“You feel that there is something that you are not able to understand?”
- "Yes".
- "Bring your money here..."
It would seem that everything is very simple, you can pray anywhere, anytime and without any churches and intermediaries in the person of clergy of all stripes and confessions. And yes and no... If there are no religious cults at all, people will not know the “Fear of God”... For most people, visible attributes and the understanding that they need to behave “decently” are very important: “A step to the right, a step to the left - to Hell ..." So let everything be as it is... and allow Catholic clergy to get married! (You can’t argue against nature...)
Answer from 2 answers[guru]
Hello! Here are more topics with the answers you need:
Fundamentalists (Christians who interpret the Bible literally) and even some Catholics are surprised to learn that celibacy is not the rule for all Catholic priests. In the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church, married men can be ordained. This rule has existed from the very beginning. But after ordination, an unmarried priest cannot marry, and a married priest, having been widowed, cannot marry a second time.
In Eastern rites, marriage is possible only for priests. All monks of these rites take a vow of celibacy, and bishops Eastern rite not married.
In the West, of course, there was a different rule. In the first centuries of our era, priests and bishops could marry (the practice was the same in the West and East), but celibacy soon became preferable and, over time, mandatory.
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the rule of celibacy firmly took its place in the Latin, or Western, rite. Note that this was a disciplinary rule, not a doctrine. The establishment of the rule did not imply a change in doctrine.
IN last years Several married Latin Rite ministers appeared, some of whom were converts from Lutheranism and were married Lutheran ministers, and others who were converts from the Episcopal Church. Of course, they are the exception to the rule.
Fundamentalists do not approve of what they call “mandatory celibacy” because the Church allegedly imposed the rule against the will of future priests. They have several arguments against celibacy. First of all, they say that celibacy is unnatural. They claim that God commanded all men to marry, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28).
MARRIAGE IS NOT REQUIRED
This is not true. “Be fruitful and multiply” is a general commandment for all humanity; it does not bind every person. If this were not so, then every unmarried man (or woman) of marriageable age would be in a state of sin by remaining single.
Christ himself would be a violator of this commandment. If you exclude Jesus because of His Divinity, you still have John the Baptist and most of the apostles who “sinned” by being celibate.
Let us remember that the Apostle Paul himself, the beloved apostle of fundamentalists, was single: “To the unmarried and to the widows I say, It is good for them to remain, as I do, but if they cannot abstain, let them marry” (1 Cor 7:8-9).
Fundamentalists note that “a man shall leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). “This means that a man must marry,” they say.
But Christ praised those who leave not only their parents, but also sacrifice the opportunity to have a wife and children: “And whoever leaves houses, whether brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake he will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29).
“It may be,” say opponents of the Catholic position, “but Paul insisted that a bishop must be the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2), “and this means that at least bishops must marry.” But they are wrong.
SHOULD A BISHOP MARRY?
The meaning of the Apostle Paul's instruction is not that a person must marry in order to become a bishop, but that a bishop should not marry more than once. Moreover, if a bishop must marry, then Paul himself violated his own rule. A rule that prohibits a man from having more than one wife, and therefore prohibits him from marrying after widowhood, does not command him to have at least one wife. A man who does not marry at all does not violate this rule.
In the early years of the Church, because there were few unmarried men eligible for ordination, already married men were chosen for the priesthood and bishopric.
As the number of eligible unmarried men increased, the West began to accept only them for ordination, in accordance with the desire of the Apostle Paul: “But I would that all men should be as I am” (1 Cor 7:7). The East has retained the same custom.
OPINION OF THE APOSTLE PAUL
Continuing to prove Catholics wrong, some people quote the Apostle Paul's remark that a bishop should be “a good steward of his own household, keeping his children in subjection with all dignity; own house, how will he care for the Church of God (1 Timothy 3:4-5)?”
They say that the bishop must be married. If it were correct interpretation, then the logic of St. Paul's statement would imply that the bishop is also obligated to have children, and all children must respect him unconditionally. Would a married man without children be eligible for the bishopric in this case? Obviously not. Would a married man with children whom they don't fully respect be suitable? Not again.
And how to measure children’s respect, how to determine whether it is “full”? Who will determine this? No, all this passage means is that a married man, if elected bishop, must manage his household well.
ARE CATHOLICS NOT ALLOWED TO MARRY?
“But we know that prohibiting marriage is a sign of an apostate church (1 Tim 4:3),” say fundamentalists. “The Catholic Church prohibits certain people, priests and religious, from marrying. This means that this is not the Church that Christ founded.”
In fact, the Catholic Church does not prohibit anyone from getting married. Most Catholics marry with the full blessing of the Church. Those men who become priests become priests voluntarily and voluntarily sacrifice the opportunity to get married.
What does the Bible actually say in 1 Timothy 4:3? The phrase “those who forbid marriage” refers to people who declare all marriages to be evil. Some of the heretics held this opinion, such as the medieval Albigensians (Cathars), who were admired, though little known, by anti-Catholic writers because the Albigensians insisted on using their own translation of the Bible.
Marriage is not evil in the eyes of the Church (remember that it is the Catholic Church that claims that Christ elevated marriage to a sacrament), and no Catholic is prohibited from marrying. Really, Catholic priests in the West they cannot marry, but no one is obliged to become a priest.
Marriage is not forbidden to them as people, but it is forbidden to them as priests. A Catholic man is free to choose a celibate priesthood, a married life, or even a single life (which is also celibacy). Celibacy is not forced upon anyone.
An expert in the field of canon law, Catholic priest Dmitry Pukhalsky answers:
Although Catholic priests are prohibited from marrying, there are also married priests in the Catholic Church.
What's the matter? Speaking about celibacy, we must remember that this is a voluntary refusal to marry. Therefore, it is more correct to say not that Catholic priests are forbidden to marry, but that the Catholic Church ordains men who have chosen a life of celibacy as priests (there are several exceptions, which will be discussed in more detail below).
It should be recalled that, firstly, in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches you cannot marry while already a priest, and, secondly, celibacy is mandatory for those who have chosen monastic service.
Consider, however, situations where a Catholic priest may be married. The first of these is that he is not a priest of the Latin rite. As you may know, in addition to the Latin Rite (with which most people associate Catholicism), there are Churches of the Eastern Rites that are in full communion with the Holy See (today there are 23 of them). There are married priests there, since celibacy is not mandatory for them (but, again, you can never marry after taking holy orders!). By the way, the priests of these churches can also serve in the Latin rite.
The next situation when the appearance of married clergy is possible - already in the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite - is the reunion of Anglican priests with it. According to the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus of 15 January 2011, the ordination of former Anglican married priests as priests of the Latin Rite is permitted subject to certain conditions.
It is important to remember that celibacy is only a tradition; it has no doctrinal justification. In the first centuries of Christianity, communities did not require celibacy from priests, but part of the clergy even then voluntarily chose the path of celibacy. Celibacy became mandatory for priests during the reign of Pope Gregory VII only in the 11th century.
What will happen to a priest if he gets married during his ministry? According to Canon 1394 of the Code of Canon Law, a priest who attempts to contract a marriage is subject to ecclesiastical punishment (“suspension”), which results in a ban on ministry. The punishment is "automatic", that is, a direct and immediate consequence of the priest's attempt to consummate the marriage. If a person who has left the priestly ministry wants to marry his wife in the Catholic Church and participate in the sacraments, then this requires release (dispensation) from celibacy, the provision of which remains the exclusive prerogative of the Pope.