Married Roman Catholic Priests

On May 12, 700 people gathered to watch as the former Episcopalian Priest, Rev. Bill Lowe, was ordained as a Roman Catholic Priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest Archdiocese in the nation. His ordination takes advantage of a little-known provision that allows married protestant clergy, to convert and enter the Catholic priesthood. Since 1976, the Episcopalian Church in the United States has made several controversial decisions over the ordination of priests and the use of contemporary language in the revised Book of Common Prayer. Since 2000, the church has also ordained women and homosexual bishops. All of this has lead to more and more priests leaving the Episcopalian Church in the United States, and seeking ordination in other, more conservative churches.

In response to the growing number of inquires, Pope John Paul II, issued a statement on June 22, 1980 allowing a "pastoral provision" which would provide "a common identity reflection certain elements of their own heritage." This would allow an entire Episcopalian congregation to enter the Catholic Church and continuing using Anglican-style Catholic Mass. Pope John Paul II also granted an exception to the rule of celibacy for married Episcopalian clergy becoming Catholic priests, but also said this "should not be understood as implying any change in the Church's conviction of the value of priestly celibacy, which will remain the rule for future candidates for the priesthood from this group."

This exception has allowed over 70 protestant clergymen, usually from Episcopalian, Anglican, or Lutheran churches, to enter the Catholic priesthood in the past 27 years. However these aren't the only married Catholic Priests. The Eastern Catholic Churches, known as the Eastern Rite, recognized the authority of the pope, but their practices and traditions are much closer to the Eastern Orthodox Church. One of these traditions is allowing married men to become priests.
Another growing segment of the Catholic church, are resigned Roman Catholic priests. Many of whom left the church in order to marry. An estimated 20,000 former priests are living in the United States and 110,000 world-wide. Many of these priests still wish to serve, and while they are no longer supported as members of the Catholic clergy, they are still priests. With the ever-growing shortage of Catholic priests, a new website called Rent A Priest (http://www.rentapriest.com/) is a resource for parishes that allows them to contact resigned and married priests to lead mass, weddings, funerals, and baptisms. These Priests are quick to point out that celibacy was not made mandatory for popes, bishops, and priests of the Catholic Church until 1139. Still, even with papal approval for the conversion and ordination of married clergymen from protestant religions, and with many married Catholic priest helping to fill the current shortage, the Catholic Church is a long way from completely discarding the rule of celibacy.

Saunders, Father William P. http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/MARPRIE.htm

Kisken, Tom "Celibacy waved for priest" http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660219834,00.html

Rent a priest. http://www.rentapriest.com