Actually, they can be married. That’s a big secret you see. With special papal permission, any celibate Catholic priest can give up the priesthood to have a wife and family (1983 Code of Canon Law: 291), and since all of them are fairly well-educated men, with college degrees, they’ll have no problem picking up good secular jobs or starting family businesses.
Nuns and monks are the same way. They can, at any time, choose to leave their orders to pursue a secular life in holy matrimony. Most of them are highly educated too. Nobody is a “prisoner” of his or her religious vocation.
I say this only because I’ve actually heard some people suggest that Catholic clergy, as well as nuns and monks, are “prisoners” of their religious vows, and could never get married. Nothing could be further from the truth. These men, and women, choose celibacy voluntarily. Nobody coerced them into it. They can leave it all behind too, and pursue a married life. Their choice to remain celibate is a prophetic sign for the rest of us to see. There are greater things in this world than sex, and nobody has sex in the afterlife anyway (Matthew 22:30). Their celibacy in this world points to their anticipation of the next.
There is another secret. It is possible for a Catholic priest to be both a priest and married at the same time. In fact, there are thousands of married Catholic priests who are active in the priesthood. You see, the required vow of clerical celibacy is a discipline not a doctrine, and it only applies to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church.
There are seven rites that make up the Catholic Church. A “rite” is a particular way of being Catholic. Each rite has its own liturgy, tradition and disciplines. Some of these rites have their own juridical churches, and sub-rites associated with them. All of them are part of the larger Catholic Church and they are in full communion with the pope in Rome. According to the Catechism, the seven liturgical rites of the Catholic Church are: Latin, Byzantine, Alexandrian, Syriac, Armenian, Maronite, and Chaldean. (CCC 1203) The Latin Rite (also called the “Roman Rite”) is just one of these seven rites, but it is the largest, and it is the most well known. Married men are permitted to become Catholic priests in six of these seven rites. (CCC 1580) In spite of that, however, many of these men choose celibacy instead. We don’t see much of these other six rites in the Western world except in big cities. In the Eastern world however, they are quite common.
Only the Latin Rite strictly ordains celibate men to the priesthood, and even then, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, if married Protestant ministers wish to convert to Catholicism and become Catholic priests, the Latin Rite has been known to allow them to do this on a case-by-case basis. (Sacerdotalis coelibatus, 42) There are also the Personal Ordinariates of English Patrimony within the Latin Rite, which permit this exception on a much larger scale, mainly for former Anglican and Methodist clergymen. (Anglicanorum coetibus, VI. 1-2)
The discipline of mandating clerical celibacy, strictly within the Latin Rite, was instituted during the latter Middle Ages for very practical reasons. It can be changed at any time. That being said, as of the date of this writing, there is no indication the pope plans to change it anytime soon. A celibate priesthood has worked well for the Latin Rite, ensuring its rapid growth around the world.
The idea of clerical celibacy is Biblical. Jesus was celibate and he praised those who chose a celibate life to serve the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:12) St Paul, who was also celibate, actually recommended celibacy for anyone working in full-time ministry. (1st Corinthians 7:32-35) The vow of celibacy among women in the Church (early nuns) was even commonplace in the Apostolic era while St Paul was still writing the New Testament. (1st Timothy 5:9-12)
In response to the recent growing interest of married Catholic men entering ministry, the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church has also reopened the position of the permanent diaconate for married Catholic men who feel such a calling. The diaconate allows married Catholic men to become deacons in the Catholic Church. (1983 Code of Canon Law: 1031.2 72)
Now a Catholic deacon has a lot more authority than the typical Evangelical deacon. Catholic deacons work for the bishop, alongside priests (presbyters). They assist in the liturgies of the Church, they can preach homilies (sermons), teach the faith, minister to the sick, baptize the faithful and perform weddings. Basically a Catholic deacon can do just about anything an Evangelical pastor does, but without the trappings of having to run a church. (That’s usually the priest’s job.) The only thing a Catholic deacon does not do is celebrate the Eucharist, hear confessions and anoint the sick, but then, an Evangelical pastor cannot do these things either. At least, he can’t from a Catholic perspective anyway. In many ways, a Catholic deacon is parallel to an Evangelical pastor in function and authority. The diaconate serves as an excellent way for married Catholic men to participate in the vocation of Church ministry in an official way. That is, if they are called to it of course.
Was this short article helpful? If so, consider getting the book: Are Catholics Christian? by Shane Schaetzel. This short article is an excerpt from the book Are Catholics Christian? which has been used by clergy and catechists throughout North America in OCIA (RCIA) and other Catholic education programs. You can get the whole thing, in one short book, by clicking here.
Shane Schaetzel is an author of Catholic books and an Evangelical convert to the Catholic Church through Anglicanism. His articles have been featured on LifeSiteNews, The Remnant Newspaper, Forward in Christ, and Catholic Online. You can read Shane’s books at ShaneSchaetzel.Com
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