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To: LottieDah
While the possiblity of married priests is an interesting one I wonder who will be supporting the priest’s family?

That is precisely the problematic situation in some of the Eastern Catholic Churches (see my post #5). As Cardinal Sfeir commented at the Synod, he must be very selective in assigning a married priest to a parish; they will need the financial resources to support him, his wife, children, their medical, dental and educational needs, provide them with a home, and salary to sustain the family. If for any reason there is conflict in that parish, the cost of relocating the married priest is much greater than a celibate one.

My pastor is Maronite and celibate. His grandfather, on the other hand, was a married priest.

9 posted on 03/12/2009 6:22:12 AM PDT by NYer ("Run from places of sin as from a plague." - St. John Climacus)
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Why can’t a priests wife work and support the family?


11 posted on 03/12/2009 6:24:10 AM PDT by TerP26
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To: NYer
... they will need the financial resources to support him, his wife, children, their medical, dental and educational needs, provide them with a home, and salary to sustain the family.

And then (one might reasonably expect based on the experiences of other denominations with married clergy), the church would somehow have to pay for his-and-hers divorce attorneys, separate maintenance, child support, the new wife and children, etc. A general case for married clergy is very difficult to make in a culture of instant divorce.

It doesn't appear this is the usual experience in Eastern churches (Catholic and Orthodox) with married clergy. However, it would be interesting to know what percentages of divorce or marital estrangement those churches' clergy have, and whether there's a trend to more or less marital disruption.

12 posted on 03/12/2009 6:29:08 AM PDT by Tax-chick ("There are more enjoyable ways of going to Hell." ~ St. Bernard)
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