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Would You Be Alright If A New Church Rule Was Passed Allowing Roman Catholic Priests To Get Married?
The Roman Catholic church is one of the only religious sects where the Priests cannot get married and still does not allow females in high positions.
The Jewish, Muslim, and other Catholic sects such as Protestants, and Episcopals to name some allow their priests to get married and raise families.
Do you think the Roman Catholic church would ever change this? If the time does come would you be happy about it?
9 Answers
- 1 decade agoFavorite Answer
I believe the Catholic Church *will* change this, very possibly in my lifetime.
There are already married priests in the Catholic Church. This is simply not the ordinary practice for various historical and practical reasons; but many would argue that the disadvantages of celibacy are outweighing the benefits.
Women "in high positions" is quite another matter. There are specific, theological reasons why women are not ordained, and only the most dire emergencies would ever affect this practice. I have heard that in very rare instances of extreme persecution it has been done when it was the only way to maintain an ordained priesthood, but I don't have specific facts about this.
- 1 decade ago
No. The priests know that when they become priests they are following St. Paul's example and teachings upon men who serve God.
They know that they are marrying the Church and therefore should not have a wife.
There are a few special converts who get special privilage to become a priest and have a wife, but that's rare.
Paul explains that if you have a wife, you are more worried about pleasing your wife than God and the same goes for women who have a husband. Jesus also says there are people who give up the married life for the glory of God.
So no, I don't think they'll ever change this and I hope they don't.
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On your comment about allowing women in "high positions", you have tot understand that the Church holds men and women to be equal, but they do not hold the same jobs.
The man is the head of the household, the woman is the heart of the family. They work together, not separately and though women cannot become priests, they are not held from high positions. We have the Mothers and Sisters whom the priests praise constantly and they are in a position to help thousands of people and they do.
The priests feed their flock during the Mass, but the Nuns feed their flock the rest of the time. They certainly have power and many of them are in high positions and are in charge of whole convents, but you have to understand the difference.
Women cannot be priests, Jesus chose all men to be priests for a reason. If he wanted to have women priests he had many women who were willing: his mother, Martha, and the other Marys who would've willingly became some of his desciples, but they did not because they had a different place and a different power than those twelve men.
It was the women that remained at the crucifix the longest. It was the women who were the firsts ones down there on the third day and so on.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
As mentioned above, there already are married priests in the Church. Priestly celibacy is a discipline, not a doctrine, and as such it can be changed if the Church sees fit to do so.
I think it is much less of a pressing issue than people seem to think (especially when they make the erroneous connection between celibacy and sexual abuse; there are plenty of married pedophiles outside the religious community, so marriage doesn't "cure" pedophilia.)
Should the Roman Catholic Church decide to change this discipline, I'd have no problem accepting it. The "women in high positions" issue is completely separate from this, and it is much less likely to occur -- that is, allowing women to be priests. There's simply no good reason to do this just because modern secular culture has its own definition of "equality" being synonymous with gender neutrality.
- 1 decade ago
I would have no problem with it, I find it a bit shallow that they can't get married. I think that if there is a God he has bigger problems than whether a priest has the right to get married. Why does it matter anyways, I don't believe that just because a priest would get married they would love god less, they mights actually be a bit happier...
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- Michael LLv 51 decade ago
I would be happy with the idea, although I do understand where the Catholic Church is coming from with their current policies on marriage. Setting yourself completely apart for the work of God is a great thing.
I do think it would be more heartfelt if it was a personal decision, and not a rule of the Church.
- God is Good!Lv 71 decade ago
Do you know there are Catholic Priests who are married already?
A few married converts from other religions who became Catholic priests remain married. interesting?
- Anonymous1 decade ago
I think the time has come for priests to marry again!!
- Anonymous1 decade ago
It doesn't affect me either way.