It is a false claim that celibacy in the Church did not begin when the Church began, with Christ, the Apostles, and the first disciples.

Jesus was celibate. He did not marry anyone. He certainly did not marry Mary Magdalene (as some foolish ignorant persons have claimed). The Lord Jesus’ human nature was a temple for His Divine Nature. Jesus was a perfect virgin, entirely celibate, and the High Priest over all Creation.

Every priest participates in the priesthood established by Christ, in Christ, and for Christ. Therefore, the priesthood can never consist mainly of married men, as that would be contrary to the example, and, by the witness of Tradition, contrary also to the will, of Christ.

The Virgin Mary remained a virgin, even though she did God’s will in marrying Joseph and in accepting the virgin conception/Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God. This example, along with the example of Christ, proves that religious in the Church (nuns, monks) ought to be celibate, and that celibacy and/or virginity is a higher value before God than even a holy marriage.

In one sense, celibacy for priests is a discipline, since some married men can be ordained as priests; this applies to particular cases. But in another sense, on the subject of the very nature of the Church as the Body of Christ, celibacy is inherent to the nature of the priesthood, since Christ is celibate and the high priest over all priests; for all priests represent Christ (in persona Christi) as Christ acts in and through them. Therefore, celibacy admits of exceptions, but is also fundamental to the priesthood itself and to the Church, which is the Body of Christ.

There are third order religious, who can be married. There are ordained permanent deacons, who can be married before ordination. And we know that the Church has always permitted some married men to become ordained as priests. So the Church has the authority to allow some married men to become priests.

However, a priest must not seek a wife or marry subsequent to ordination, as it is contrary to the will of God to go from a higher calling, the celibate priesthood, to a lower calling, a holy marriage. The Church cannot allow a man who is already an ordained deacon or priest to subsequently marry. I know that Pope Francis spoke extemporaneously, with some inexact language, making it seem as if priests might be allowed to seek marriage after ordination, but a consideration of the full set of his public statements on this topic make his position and the Church’s teaching clear, that when married priests are permitted, they marry prior to ordination.

As for the claim that more men would be priests if the Church sought married men for the priesthood, this is false and irrelevant. First, when the Church recently revived the permanent deaconate, with married men being ordained as deacons, there were men who responded to the call, of course. But the numbers are not overwhelming. Most married men have so much to do, caring for a wife, children (even adult children take up one’s time), and a job, have little time and desire left to also become a priest. There will not be an outpouring of married men dedicating themselves to the priesthood. They are already following their calling to marriage and family.

Second, some persons claim that if priests were married, there would be less child abuse. This is false. The typical child abuser (and I know this because I used to work with abused children on a Catholic hospital’s child psych unit) is an adult heterosexual male, who is either married or sexually active with adult women, who will also abuse minors. This is termed a situational generalist; an abuser who abuses minors of either gender when the situation permits. Such men are the most common type of child abuser, and being married or having a girlfriends and opportunity for sex with adults does not deter them from abuse. Also, men who sexually abuse boys are usually heterosexual, not homosexual; they are acting contrary to their own orientation, for the sake of grave sin.