Saints LightWhy Are Priests Celibate?
Celibacy is a discipline of the Latin Church, not unchangeable doctrine; Eastern Catholics have married priests, and the West keeps celibacy because it imitates Christ and frees priests to serve with an undivided heart.
What this lesson teaches
- Priestly celibacy is a discipline the Church could change, not a dogma.
- Eastern Catholic Churches ordain married men as priests, and some married former Protestant clergy are ordained in the West.
- Celibacy imitates Christ, frees the heart for service and points to heaven.
- Married men may be ordained, but priests do not marry after ordination.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 1579-1580
- CCC 1618-1620
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Matthew 19:12; 1 Corinthians 7:32-33; 1 Timothy 3:2.
A sample question from this lesson
Is priestly celibacy a dogma?
- Yes, it was revealed by Christ and can never change
- No, it is a discipline that the Church could change in principle
- Yes, and married priests have never existed
- No, it is a recent rule from the 1900s
Show the answer
No, it is a discipline that the Church could change in principle. The lesson explains that celibacy is a discipline, a wise rule rather than a revealed truth.
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Celibacy
- The free choice not to marry, for the sake of the kingdom of God.
- Discipline
- A Church rule that guides practice and can be changed, unlike a dogma.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Why Are Priests Celibate?" is lesson 13 of Answers to Hard Questions. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- Why Does the Church Have Priests? (The Sacraments)