Dear Ray,

This is a common question; it's even in our searchable knowledge base:

AskACatholic.com/SiteSearch

There are a lot of quick answers there, so give it a try.

I discussed this issue with Fr. Jonathan and he said that you have a legitimate question that many agree with you on. He went on to say that priests freely give up the married life to serve the Church. He also thought that this sacrifice was a very powerful sign to our culture.

I searched the knowledge base for you and found these web postings that should help answer your question:

• Why can't Catholic priests get married when Eastern Rite and Greek Orthodox priests can?
• Why aren't your leaders allowed to marry as in Genesis 1-2 and what is the Scriptural basis for no married priests?
• Who was the Pope that abolished priests from marrying and what year did this occur?
• Is it possible for a Roman Catholic to be both married and a priest and how do you switch Rites?
• How do I refute this argument on married priests versus clerical celibacy?

I hope this helps,

Mike