Could a Latin Rite Catholic switch to one of the Eastern Rites, get married, and become a priest? Is it the celebacy thing that men interested in the priesthood find hard to accept? Or is it just an assumption made by most married people? Also- I seem to recall from "Catholic Answers" radio show that married Eastern Rite, Episcopal,Orthodox, and possibly other converts are allowed into the Roman Rite priesthood. Anyone?

-- Mark Advent (adventm5477@earthlink.net), April 18, 2004

Answers

bump

-- (bump@bump.bump), April 18, 2004.

Could a Latin Rite Catholic switch to one of the Eastern Rites, get married, and become a priest?

Possibly, if it is done outside of North America. In North America, there is no married priesthood. Currently, married men must petition Rome for special permission to become a priest. In the future, this will likely change, as the Byzantine Church in NA tries to return to the original traditions.

Is it the celebacy thing that men interested in the priesthood find hard to accept?

For some.

Or is it just an assumption made by most married people?

This is also true.

Also- I seem to recall from "Catholic Answers" radio show that married Eastern Rite, Episcopal,Orthodox, and possibly other converts are allowed into the Roman Rite priesthood. Anyone?

Not Eastern Rite, but Eastern Orthodox and Episcopal priests who convert to Catholicism are allowed in as long as they were married priests in their old sect. They cannot convert and then marry. By the way, this is not a common occurance.

In Christ,
Bill

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@hotmail.com), April 18, 2004.

Just to nuance that response a bit. The various Eastern Catholic jurisdictions in the US do have married priests. In my own Eparchy (diocese) about 20% are married. Some were even ordained in the US. However, our policy is that we only take our own. We wouldn't accept Latin candidates switching just so they could be married priests.

Hope that's helpful.

-- Fr. Mike Skrocki, JCD (cand) (abounamike@aol.com), April 19, 2004.

Thanks for the correction, Father.

Yours in Christ, -bill

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@hotmail.com), April 19, 2004.

The discipline of the Eastern Catholic Rites and of all the Eastern Orthodox churches is that a priest or a deacon may not marry after he is ordained. This is based on biblical discipline: see 1 Tim. 1:2, 1 Tim. 3:12, Titus 1:5. If the wife of a priest or deacon dies, in the Eastern Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Churches, he may not remarry. If he does, he is to leave the ministry. The same rule applies to Roman Catholic married deacons.

-- Catholic Observer (noaddress@nospam.org), April 20, 2004.