Clerical marriage
Clerical marriage is the practice of allowing Christian
Many
The Latin Catholic Church as a rule requires clerical celibacy for the priesthood since the
History
There is no dispute among theologians that at least some of the apostles were married or had been married: a mother-in-law of Peter is mentioned in the account in Matthew 8:14, Mark 1:29–34, Luke 4:38–41 of the beginning of Jesus' ministry. 1 Timothy 3:2 says: "an overseer (Greek ἐπίσκοπος) must be ... the husband of one wife". This has been interpreted in various ways, including that the overseer was not allowed to remarry even if his wife died.[note 1]
Evidence for the view that continence was expected of clergy in the
Schaff also quotes the account that "In the Fifth and Sixth Centuries the law of the celibate was observed by all the Churches of the West, thanks to the Councils and to the Popes. In the Seventh and down to the end of the Tenth Century, as a matter of fact the law of celibacy was little observed in a great part of the Western Church, but as a matter of law the Roman Pontiffs and the Councils were constant in their proclamation of its obligation." This report is confirmed by others too. "Despite six hundred years of decrees, canons, and increasingly harsh penalties, the Latin clergy still did, more or less illegally, what their Greek counterparts were encouraged to do by law—they lived with their wives and raised families. In practice, ordination was not an impediment to marriage; therefore some priests did marry even after ordination."
The great East–West Schism between the Church of Rome and the four Apostolic sees of the Orthodox Communion (Constantinople, Alexandria Egypt, Antioch Syria, and Jerusalem) took place in the year 1054. As stated above, the majority of Roman Church Priests at that time were married. Therefore, when some churches that followed western rites and traditions were brought back into communion with the Orthodox Churches beginning in the 20th century, their right to have married clergy, provided they were married before ordination, was restored.
The practice of clerical marriage was initiated in the West by the followers of
Present-day practice
Generally speaking, in modern Christianity, Protestant and some independent Catholic churches allow for ordained clergy to marry after ordination. However, in recent times, a few exceptional cases can be found in some Orthodox churches in which ordained clergy have been granted the right to marry after ordination.
Protestant Churches
Following the example of Martin Luther, who, though an ordained priest, married in 1525, Protestant denominations permit an unmarried ordained pastor to marry. They thus admit clerical marriage, not merely the appointment of already married persons as pastors. But in view of 1 Timothy 3:2 and 3:12, some do not admit a second marriage by a widowed pastor.
In these denominations there is generally no requirement that a pastor be already married nor prohibition against marrying after "answering the call". Being married is commonly welcomed, in which case the pastor's marriage is expected to serve as a model of a functioning Christian marriage, and the pastor's spouse often serves an unofficial leadership role in the congregation. For this reason, some Protestant churches will not accept a divorced person for this position. In denominations that ordain both men and women, a married couple might serve as co-pastors.
Certain denominations require a prospective pastor to be married before he can be ordained, based on the view (drawn from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1) that a man must demonstrate the ability to run a household before he can be entrusted with the church. Even in these strictest groups, a widower may still serve. This again concerns marriage before appointment as pastor, not clerical marriage.
Eastern Churches
The
The vast majority of Orthodox parish clergy are married men, which is one of the major differences between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches; however, they must marry before being ordained.
Generally, if a deacon or priest divorces his wife, he may not continue in ministry, although there are also exceptions to this rule, such as if the divorce is deemed to be the fault of the wife.
The Catholic Church
Like the Eastern Churches, the Catholic Church does not allow clerical marriage, although many of the Eastern Catholic Churches do allow the ordination of married men as priests.
Within the Catholic Church, the
As in the Orthodox Churches, some Catholic priests receive dispensation from the obligation of celibacy through laicization, which may occur either at the request of the priest or as a punishment for a grave offense.[17] Any subsequent marriage undertaken by the laicized former priest is thus considered to be the marriage of a layman, and not an instance of clerical marriage. In contrast to the Orthodox practice, however, such a married former priest may not apply to be restored to the priestly ministry while his wife is still living.
Lack of enforcement for celibacy policy
Despite the Latin Church's historical practice of priestly celibacy, there have been Catholic priests throughout the centuries who have simulated marriage through the practice of concubinage.[18] Repeatedly throughout church history, violations of the Catholic celibacy policy have not been grounds for defrocking.
The Vatican, it was revealed in February 2019, secretly enacted rules to protect the clerical status of Catholic clergy who violated their celibacy policy.
See also
- International Federation of Married Catholic Priests
- Western Ukrainian Clergy
- Clerical celibacy
- Married Priests Now!
- Children of the Ordained
- Ecclesiastical differences between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church § Celibacy of the priestly order
- Augsburg Confession, Article XXIII: Of the Marriage of Priests
- Priest shortage in the Catholic Church
- Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region
Notes
- ^ While rejecting this interpretation, Baptist scholar Benjamin L. Merkle considers it a possible interpretation, one that has several strengths and fits in with the value that the early church attached to celibacy after the divorce or death of a spouse.[5]
References
- ISBN 9781786837158.
- ISBN 9780230518872.
- ISBN 9783700303121.
because Eastern Christian priests were allowed to marry and therefore the clergy soon became somewhat of a caste made up of a closely - knit families
- ^ Tarnavky, Spohady, cited in Jean-Paul Himka. (1986). The Greek Catholic Church and Ukrainian Society in Austrian Galicia. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press pg. 444
- ISBN 978-0-8254-3364-1.
- ^ "NPNF2-14. The Seven Ecumenical Councils - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". ccel.org.
- ^ Barstow, Anne Llewellyn (1982). Married Priests and the Reforming Papacy. New York, NY: Edwin Mellen Press. p. 45.
- ^ Lea, Henry C. (1966). History of Sacerdotal Celibacy in the Christian Church. Philadelphia, PA: University Books. pp. 118, 126.
- ^ "unknown". New Catholic Encyclopedia. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America. 1967. p. 366.
- ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Celibacy of the Clergy". newadvent.org.
- )
- ^ Ecumenical Council
- ^ The Russian Clergy (Translated from the French of Father Gagarin, S.J.), C. Du Gard Makepeace, p. 19, 1872, [1], accessed 3 November 2018
- ISBN 978-1-4426-9728-7.
- ^ Latona, Mike (2011-05-02). "Family man eyes historic ordination". Catholic Courier. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ Father William P. Saunders, Straight Answers.
- ^ Encyclical Sacerdotalis caelibatus Archived July 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine; Procurator General Archived 2007-06-07 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Wettinger, Godfrey (1977). "Concubinage among the Clergy of Malta and Gozo ca. 1420-1550" (PDF). Journal of the Faculty of Arts. 6 (4). University of Malta: 165–188.
- ^ correspondent, Harriet Sherwood Religion (February 19, 2019). "Vatican reveals it has secret rules for priests who father children". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Vatican confirms secret Catholic Church guidelines for priests who father children". www.cbsnews.com.
- ^ Ortiz, Jorge L. "Vatican secret out: There are rules for priests who father children". USA TODAY.
- ^ Marroni, Steve (August 14, 2018). "20 offenders revealed in grand jury report in Greensburg Diocese". pennlive.
- ^ "Are Catholic priests leading secret double lives?". USCatholic.org.
- ^ Bench, The Deacon's (May 3, 2012). "Australian priest admits being secretly married for a year".
- ^ "Archbishop calls for prayer after priest admits fathering children". January 4, 2012.
External links
- "Catholic Journalist Challenges Statistics on Married Priests". EWTN News, 20 April 2007. News report on statistics of Latin Church priests who abandon their ministry to marry, and of those who return.
- Letters of the clergy of Cambrai and Noyon