Married Clergy?

For almost five decades now, the Movement for Married Clergy (MMaC) has been making the case for the ordination of married men to the Catholic priesthood (and also for priests who have married but wish to return to active ministry, to be allowed to do so).  Over all this time, we have been trying to dialogue with our bishops, with very little response. 

Review of the celibacy rule has become an urgent issue for most lay Catholics (and for many priests too), because of the rapidly worsening supply of  priests, because they see no valid case for maintaining mandatory celibacy, and because they see distinct advantages in having married, as well as celibate, priests. 

But not, it seems, for our leaders.   Although almost all the summary reports recently submitted to Rome by European bishops’ conferences for the coming Synod make explicit mention of the desire of many Catholics in their countries for a relaxation of the rule of mandatory celibacy, the report from the English & Welsh bishops completely ignores the similar desire evident among the faithful here, making only a passing (and somewhat condescending) reference to our ‘frustration’ at the ‘apparent contradiction of priestly celibacy and former Anglican priests being married’.  A few lone clerical voices speak up – for example, John Nuttall in The Tablet, 10 September 2022 – but our hierarchy remains in denial.

We are conscious, however, that the ground is shifting: for many Catholics, the question of the ordination of married men is now only part of the larger concern about the model of church governance, clericalism, the inclusion of women in leadership roles, indeed the fundamental question of the nature of ministry in the Church.  They feel that our particular case no longer needs arguing for, since almost everyone accepts it.  It is only the bishops and the Vatican who will not move.                                                                                             

On the other hand, it can be argued that a continued focus on the issue of celibacy is vital: eliminating that requirement for priests, and thus introducing significant numbers of married men into their ranks, may be key to altering priests’ whole way of life, with consequent, and positive, effects on the Church’s clerical culture, perception of women and overall stance on ordained ministry.

Mike Kerrigan
Chair, Movement for Married Clergy