Catholic Church
Married Catholic Priest

Married Catholics have right to Priesthood

This has reference to the various news reports appearing in the Times of India and other secular media, involving Catholic priests in USA and Europe in sex scandals and child abuse cases. There is nothing new in it. The history of the Church reveals that it has been going on for the last two thousand years. A priest’s sexuality is not private, but a public issue. Catholics have been taught to honour and support priests because they profess to have forgone a traditional family to lead sexually chaste lives in prayer and service to the people of the church. Many priests have betrayed this promise/vow, yet they have been allowed to continue as priests. It can be therefore presumed that Vatican does not see celibacy as essential to the priesthood. Married people therefore have every right to be ordained as priests.

Majority of Indian Catholics are under the wrong impression that the tradition of Catholic priests remaining unmarried has been in practice since the times of Jesus Christ. It is not true. In fact, eleven out twelve disciples of Christ were happily married men. And, if you look at the history of the Church, available on the Internet, it will be seen that earlier not only priests, but bishops and popes were also married. Some of them even had more than one wife and mistresses, too. It was at the general ecumenical council held at Lateran (Rome) in 1139 AD during the tenure of Pope Innocent II that the law was enacted for priests to remain unmarried for life. Actually, celibacy is glorious only when it comes from within oneself as a result of meditation and self-realization. It should never be imposed as a pre-condition to priesthood. But the Catholic Church has thrust it upon candidates desirous of becoming priests. Since priestly training begins at the young age and the candidates have to make decision too early in life, many priests have strayed at later stage in their life all over the world. Many have also left priesthood and got married.

According to former American Catholic priest, Fr John Shuster, today's priesthood/hierarchy is over 50% gay. Gay persons have found a safe and respectable heaven in the priesthood. In Indian tradition, married life is never considered as a hindrance or against spiritual progress. No other religion in the world requires its priests to be unmarried. Even Christian denominations other than Catholics have married priests. The arguments put forth in support of celibate priesthood are not convincing. Married people therefore have every right to be ordained as priests.