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It Is Not Good for Man to Be Alone. So Why Can’t Priests Get Married?

Stephanie Foleyby Stephanie Foley

Scripture tells us that some of the first priests, the apostles, were married. But for centuries it has been a Church discipline that priests in the West take a vow of celibacy. This can be a source of confusion for many. Marriage is good – a sign of Christ and the Church and the life of the Trinity. So why can’t priests be married?

A listener named Rod called in to The Patrick Madrid Show and asked, “In the 12th century, the Church said that priests couldn’t be married. It seems that goes against what the Bible teaches, seeing that it was not good for man to be alone.”

Patrick responded saying, “I don’t hold that view, and I take a different view with regard to what the Bible says. I mean, those passages certainly are present, no doubt about it. But Jesus Himself talked about this in Matthew 19:11:

“Not all can accept [this] word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.”
Patrick told Rod, “I believe Our Lord there is identifying not only what you’re saying, and I don’t dispute what you’re saying. In general terms, yes it is preferable for men and women to be together in marriage. Not only to perpetuate the race, but also for their mutual friendship and deepening of that relationship, the pleasure that comes with marriage, and all the other things that go with it as well. That’s for the vast majority of people. But not for all.”

In this passage from the Gospel of Matthew Jesus specifically says that celibacy is not for everybody, but for those whom it is appropriate to accept it.

“My point here is that Jesus is identifying the need for, or the ideal maybe, for those to renounce marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven,” he said. “There’s a place for that.”

Patrick noted that what Rod said about it not being good for man to be alone is correct, but it does not contradict what Jesus said in Matthew 19:11.

“I think the two states in life are mutually complementary,” Patrick said. “But they both exist.”

Patrick also noted that Rod mentioned priestly celibacy beginning in the 12th century, and corrected that statement, saying, “Priestly celibacy, although it wasn’t practiced immediately in the Early Church … over time it began to change. And in the Early Church we see it in the monastic orders, in the emphasis to pursue prayer and orders in a single-minded way. So the Church gradually began to see that priestly celibacy was a very beneficial thing for the life of the Church. Eventually, it became more codified in the West. They have married clergy in the East, as you know.”

A book that Patrick suggested for Rod and anyone who wants to learn more about priestly celibacy is Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy by Fr. Christian Cochini, SJ.

“It’s not only a historical survey, but it’s a theological reflection on the meaning and importance of priestly celibacy,” Patrick explained. “So that can help you go a little bit deeper into the details.”

Listen to the full conversation below, and tune-in to The Patrick Madrid Show weekdays from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. Central on Relevant Radio® and the Relevant Radio App.

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Stephanie Foley

Stephanie Foley

Stephanie Foley serves as a Digital Media Producer at Relevant Radio®. She is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, where she studied journalism, and she has worked in Catholic radio for 12 years. Stephanie is a wife, a mother of three boys, and in her free time she enjoys reading, running, and really good coffee. You can find more of Stephanie’s writing at relevantradio.com and on the free Relevant Radio mobile app.