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  Movement for Married Clergy

Suggested Reading & Listening

Latest additions

Tom O'Loughlin, one of our leading historical theologians (and speaker at MMaC's 2015 AGM), has written much about how the ideal and law of priestly celibacy developed in the Latin Church. Here are some:

Celibate clergy: the need for historical debate

After a careful examination of the meanings of the terms 'history' and 'tradition', the author traces the development of celibacy as the norm in the Latin Church - but concludes that this history alone cannot be used to decide whether mandatory celibacy should be maintained or relaxed.  
To read this article, click here

Celibacy in the Catholic Church: a brief history
As the title suggests, a brief history concluding that 'celibacy is a classic example of how an idea from one period, if it gets lodged in law, can become self-perpetuating and eventually be seen as an ideal'.
To read this article, click here

How many priests do we need?
From a study of the celebration of the Eucharist in the early Church, the author concludes that ideally 'for every hundred Catholics, there should be one person who has been ordained within the apostolic tradition to act as the president of the Eucharist'. And leaves us no doubt that approaching that ideal would mean sweeping aside the 'discriminatory canonical restrictions on who can be appointed presbyter'.
To read this article, click here

 

These are some books, articles and podcasts which provide more detailed information and opinion on the subject of married priests

 
Hoban, B  Who will break bread for us? Disappearing Priests (Dublin: Banley House, 2013)
Barstow, A L   Married Priests and the Reforming Papacy (Lewiston, NY: Mellen,1982)
Kowalski, A P  Married Catholic Priests (New York: Crossroad, 2005)
Rice, D  Shattered Vows: Exodus from the Priesthood (Belfast: The Blackstaff Press,1990)
Schillebeeckx, E  The Church with a Human Face (New York: Crossroad,1985)
Schoenherr, R A  Goodbye Father (New York: OUP, 2002)
Shannon, J P  Reluctant Dissenter (New York: Crossroad,1998)
Sipe, A W R Celibacy in Crisis (New York, Brunner-Routledge, 2003)
Sipe, A W R Living the Celibate Life (Liguori: Liguori/Triumph, 2004)
Vogels, H-J  Celibacy: Gift or Law? (Tunbridge Wells: Burns & Oates,1992)
Winter, M M  Misguided Morality (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2002)
Cozzens, D  Freeing Celibacy (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2006)

The Fédération Européenne de Prêtres Catholiques Mariés website contains an extensive list of relevant publications (mainly in French)
 
Kowalski, A P 'Married Priests: The Historical Record': this article from Corpus Reports briefly logs the main references to married priests in Scripture, Church documents from the earliest times and interventions prepared by Council Fathers at Vatican II
 
Richard R Gaillardetz an American lay theologian makes an important contribution to the debate on married priests

Recent articles by MMaC members: One Man, Two Vocations and Married Priests: the Time has Come! 

If you would like a brief, schematic history of celibacy, look at this one provded by Future Church


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