Will the Catholic Church let priests marry?


Shocked?  Astounded?  Amazed that something like this could be true?  Probably not; it is a fact supported by reliable information.  Does that mean for certain that they will finish dead last at the end of the regular season?   Not necessarily.


So why is the world in such a tizzy about the statements of Archbishop Pietro Parolin?  “Archbishop who?!?” you may wonder.  Archbishop Parolin was recently named the Vatican’s new Secretary of State.  (And I’m sure you’re wondering why I lured you to this blog post with talk of celibacy and am talking about the Astros and some random Archbishop).

Did you hear that the Vatican could change the “rule” that priests take a vow of celibacy?  Of course you did!  The idea that the Vatican would finally wake up to the fact that it’s 2013 and banish this archaic, unfair, repressive discipline is gaining news.

Let’s get some facts straight.  The statement did come from Archbishop Parolin in response to a question from a Venezuelan newspaper.  Here is the exchange:

Do you mean that the approach to reform implies a return to early Christianity?

Yes, taking into account that we also have two thousand years of history. This history has not happened in vain. It is not simply about returning to the past, at least in the most radical way, but a return to the fundamental principles of the church. I want to underline the theme of continuity because sometimes it seems, and I don’t know if I’m exaggerating here, that Pope Francis is going to revolutionize everything, he is going to change everything.

Isn’t that what is expected of him?

We expect him to help the church to be the church of Jesus and to fulfill its mission. That’s what all popes must do. But the church has a constitution, a structure, a content that are those of the faith, and no one can change those.

Aren’t there two types of dogmas? Aren’t there unmovable dogmas that were instituted by Jesus and then there are those that came afterwards, during the course of the church’s history, created by men and therefore susceptible to change?

Certainly. There are dogmas that are defined and untouchable.

Celibacy is not —


So, yes – Archbishop Parolin is accurately stating the fact that priestly celibacy is not a dogma, but a discipline.  The rule of thumb that helps me remember what can be discussed (or possibly changed) and what can’t is something like this –

Does the teaching refer to what Catholics believe?  (e.g.  Mary was a perpetual virgin, Jesus instituted an all male priesthood)   Or, does the teaching refer to how Catholics celebrate what we believe (e.g. Abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, priests taking a vow of celibacy).

Essentially, we are discussing the two Sacraments at the Service of Communion.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this:


Our world often forgets that ordination (Holy Orders) and Matrimony are SACRAMENTS.  They are ways in which Christ makes His grace known to us through tangible means.  Bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.  The spoken word forgives us of our sins in reconciliation.

In the case of the Sacrament of Matrimony, the couple becomes a sacrament.  The love between a husband and wife is a hint or foreshadowing of Christ’s love for the Church.  This is the only sacrament where the minister of the sacrament is not a priest, deacon, or bishop.  Why is this so important??

People ask “Why won’t the church let priests marry?”  To be candid, the church didn’t “let” me marry my husband.  They “let” me use their bathroom before Mass, or they “let” me sit and pray in a chapel when I want to.  But, marriage is not something that a church “lets” you do.

When my husband and I exchanged vows, we did so with the priest (well, multiple priests) serving as a witness on behalf of the church.  The priest never “pronounced” us husband and wife, nor was it “with this ring, I thee wed”.  Chris (my husband) and I are called to serve each other and the community as husband and wife.  The Catholic church prepared us and witnessed the marriage to confirm that it was a valid, sacramental union.

What does this matter?  So many people in the world think it is unfair or oppressive that the Catholic church does not “allow priests to marry”.   Marriage is not a right. It is not a “perk” for someone to enjoy.  Marriage is a calling.

Some claim that to impose celibacy is borderline inhumane.  I absolutely love how Fr Jonathan Morris discusses this in an interview:


In talking with another seminarian friend, he told me that during the early part of his time in seminary formation, they were told to discern celibacy as a vocation. From there, if they discerned that they felt called to celibacy, then we could discern priesthood within the celibate vocation.  In our chat, he commented that he feels the call to celibacy so strongly that he would not date or marry if the celibacy requirement was lifted prior to his ordination.

To put it in another light … if polygamy became legal tomorrow, I would not seek to date or marry another man.  I love my husband and am married to him and only him.  Men who become priests do so knowing that they are “marrying” the church.  To have another “wife” would feel like cheating on a spouse.

I know another priest friend who once said that he is bothered when people comment to him that priests should “be able to” marry. He says that his celibacy is his gift to the church. To hear a parishioner say something like that sounds as though his gift wasn’t good enough.



IF this dialogue happens at the Vatican in a formal capacity (which I personally doubt it will), there are several factors to remember:

  1. Men who are already ordained priests (or transitional deacons) will still be held to the vow of celibacy they took on the day of their ordination.
  2. The John Jay study concluded in 2011 that the sex abuse scandals were not caused by the vows of celibacy.
  3. There already are Catholic priests who are married.  Some Eastern rites (not Roman) allow priests to be married.  Also, if a minister of another Christian denomination were to convert to Catholicism and want to remain a priest, he would do so.  This actually happened here in Houston earlier this year.

Any discussion that ensues regarding the celibacy of priests will be guided by the Holy Spirit.  And, if the decision is made to change the discipline to remove the vow of celibacy, it would be because the Vatican has discerned that the God wants married men to serve as priests.  This would not be done as an answer to a shortage of priests or the sex abuse scandals.

What Catholics need to continue to do is to encourage young men to be open to the vocation of the priesthood and to discern with an open heart.  Visit Houston Vocations for more information about discernment and how to help.




NOTE:  Fr Jonathan Morris of this FoxNews clip will be in Houston for a charity event in October.  For more information, visit the Marian Servants

Kristan Doerfler Siegel