Married Priests in the Catholic Church

The essays in "Married Priests in the Catholic Church" challenge Western claims of the superiority of celibate priests by presenting a historically rigorous dismantling of these claims. The collection offers diverse perspectives from various countries and traditions, including personal, historical, theological, and canonical accounts, and refutes the idea that a married priesthood would solve every problem in Catholic clerical culture and the claim that priestly ordination and celibacy must be closely linked.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 376 pages
Publication date: 01 April 2021
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press

These essays offer a historically rigorous dismantling of Western claims about the superiority of celibate priests.

While celibacy is often regarded as a distinctive characteristic of the Catholic priesthood, it is worth noting that both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches have a rich and diverse tradition of married priests. The essays compiled in "Married Priests in the Catholic Church" provide the most comprehensive exploration of these traditions to date. Written by a diverse group of scholars, including historians, pastors, theologians, canon lawyers, and the wives and children of married Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox priests, these essays offer a range of perspectives from various countries and traditions.

The essays in this collection challenge two prevailing notions about married priesthood in contemporary discourse. Firstly, they deromanticize and demythologize the notion of married priesthood, rejecting the idea that it would automatically solve all the problems within Catholic clerical culture. Secondly, they refute the claim that priestly ordination and celibacy must be inseparably linked, challenging the modern theological trends that prioritize celibacy as a superior form of priesthood.

By approaching the topic of married priesthood from practical and theoretical angles, and by drawing on a diverse range of perspectives, "Married Priests in the Catholic Church" will appeal to a wide audience. Historians, theologians, canon lawyers, seminary professors and formators, pastors, parish leaders, and laypeople alike will find this book to be a valuable resource.

The contributors to this book are Adam A. J. DeVille, David G. Hunter, Dellas Oliver Herbel, James S. Dutko, Patrick Viscuso, and Alexander M. S. Johnson. Each contributor brings their unique expertise and perspectives to the discussion, contributing to a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of married priesthood in the Catholic Church.

Weight: 546g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780268200107