For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
1 Corinthians 7:7-8
He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
1 Corinthians 7:32-33.
Which tells us that St. Paul recommended celibacy, and that the noncelibate clergy represented a compromise, a legitimate nod to human weakness.
In any event, there are hundreds of married Catholic priests who are loyal to the Pope and in good standing with him.
They just aren't part of the Latin Rite, which is only one of the eleven Rites that comprise the Catholic Church.
They just aren't part of the Latin Rite, which is only one of the eleven Rites that comprise the Catholic Church.
This is something I have been wondering about. What are the prospects for Eastern Rite priests in the United States? I mean, I assume that there are no seminaries for them here, but if a married Catholic layman wanted to go the Ukraine and study and then come back and become a priest, would that be permissable?