Two frequently asked questions about the priesthood are,
“Why only a male priesthood?” and “Why not married
priests?” While these questions may seem to be related,
they are in fact completely different, the first involving
dogma and the second involving discipline. Dogma refers
to immutable truths of the Faith contained in Divine
Revelation and defined by the Magisterium. Discipline
refers to certain practices of the Church. While Dogmas
are unchangeable, that is not necessarily the case with
disciplines (although just because something can be
changed that does not mean that it should be).
In the Latin Rite we have a celibate priesthood. In the
Eastern Churches there are both married priests and
celibate priests: those who climb in the hierarchy, that is
become bishops, must be celibate while the parish priests
may have been married before they are ordained. In the
Latin Rite, the permanent deacons may be married but only
before they are ordained. So what we are speaking of in
the case of both married clergy in the Eastern Rite and
permanent deacons in the Latin Rite is the ordination of
married men rather than ordained men getting married. If
the wife of one of these married clergy dies, the widower
cannot marry again and must then remain celibate.
The discipline of celibacy has its origins in apostolic
times, it is a truly deep rooted tradition. While St. Peter’s
mother-in-law is mentioned in Sacred Scripture there is no
mention of a wife. It is believed that he was a widower.
The very fact that Scripture states that his mother-in-law,
once healed by Christ, immediately began to serve them,
supports this contention, as otherwise serving the guests
would have been the responsibility of his wife. Noteworthy
is the fact that Jesus Himself was never married; He lived
what He proclaimed and indeed says that some make
themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of
Heaven. (Matt: 19:12). The discipline of celibacy in the
Latin Church is modeled on and reflective of the celibacy of
Jesus Christ. Like our Lord Jesus Christ, priests are to
give their all to God and His Church in single-minded
service.
With regard to women in the priesthood we move from
discipline to Dogma. Although in theory the Pope could
change the discipline of the Latin Church and allow the
ordination of married men, he has no power to change the
Dogma mandating a male only priesthood.
When
addressing this issue we must bear in mind that nobody
has a right to be a priest. If there was anyone who ever
had even a slight claim to such a right I would think it would
have been the Blessed Virgin Mary from whom Christ took
His human nature. She made no such claim, and Christ
Himself chose only men to be His Apostles. He had many
women followers and indeed only one Apostle followed Him
to the Cross along with Mary, Mary Magdalene, Mary the