Are unmarried Catholic priests forbidden to marry...ever?

Yes

No one is forbidden to marry in the Catholic Church.

An unmarried man freely choose to take a vow of celibacy when becoming a priest. And the Catholic Church takes that vow very seriously (as they should). A man has to go through YEARS of training before taking that final vow. He's encouraged to make sure that this is something he is really called to do.

It is possible for a priest to then petition the Vatican to be released from his vow of celibacy at a later date. It is not an easy process - nor should it be. The man took the vows knowing it was to be a life-long commitment and it shouldn't be thrown away on a whim. If the priest is released from his vow of celibacy, he can be married in the Catholic Church. However, he cannot work as a priest (except in extreme emergencies).

To be a priest, a man receives a sacrament of Holy Orders which means there is a permanent mark on his soul as a priest. That can never be taken away. If a priest is laicized he is still a priest - he just doesn't have the authority from the church to serve as a priest on a regular manner. He can still serve the church as a lay person - as we all called to do. But he will not have the authority to administer sacraments unless in extreme emergencies (like administering the sacrament of Confession to a dying person or something).

No, the Church encourages everyone to marry. Never has the Church forbidden anyone to marry. Some priests make a vow to God to remain unmarried and dedicate themselves totally to ministry as was recommended by Jesus and St. Paul. All 23 Rites oif the Catholic Church have married priests and only the Latin Rite of the Church chooses primarily from those called to celibacy However, those who do not choose the self imposed discipline of celibacy can only have one wife and are not allowed to remarry if their wife dies unless they choose to leave the ministry. God bless!

In Christ

Fr. Joseph

There are some sects of the Catholic religion that allow priests to marry. About a year ago, there was an article in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram that was about a Priest that tried to beat up one of Jehovah's Witnesses. The priest said that the JW called on his daughter and his wife and he wanted to keep them away from his family. I guess the priest was afraid his family might learn something. The sect was (I think) the Mexican Catholic religion. I don't remember the exact name of it, but it had something to do with the Mexicans. By the way, a neighbor saw the whole thing and the priest went to jail for assault and battery.

Basically, celibacy is a job requirement for Catholic priests.

If you want to be a priest, you go into it knowing that you cannot be married and be a priest at the same time.

If you become a priest and you later decided that you want to marry, you know that you will have to give up your job as priest to do so.

Catholic priests aren't excommunicated (kicked out of the church) if they choose to marry. They are merely defrocked (they lose their job as priest - that is, they are fired or voluntarily retire from the priesthood).

This article is rather detailed and I believe supports almost all of the points I have mentioned:

http://www.catholic.com/tracts/celibacy-and-the-pr...

- Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/

references for what?! No Catholic priests are not to marry. there are married atholic priests however they are those that were orthodox or one of the protestant denominations we were already married clergy and have converted.

orthodox is the similar that, if they are unmarried when they take their vow, they remain single.

Celibacy. The apostle Paul warns that one of the identifying features of the apostasy that was to come would be enforced celibacy, “forbidding to marry.” (1Ti 4:1, 3) Some of the apostles were married. (1Co 9:5; Lu 4:38) Paul, in setting forth the qualifications for overseers and ministerial servants in the Christian congregation, says that these men (if married) should have only one wife.—1Ti 3:1, 2, 12; Tit 1:5, 6.

FORBIDDING TO MARRY

My understanding is to remain a Catholic priest they can never marry, they of course could join another denomination and marry and it be ok.

I do not think it is anywhere in the Bible, it seems to be more of a man made religious doctrine.

Being celibate is NOT a Bible Teaching.

(1 Timothy 4:1-5) 4 However, the inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons, 2 by the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, marked in their conscience as with a branding iron; 3 forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth. 4 The reason for this is that every creation of God is fine, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is sanctified through God’s word and prayer over [it].

The divorced ones can't get married either.