Was the first pope married?

The Church
Post Reply
User avatar
Paidion
Posts: 5452
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:22 pm
Location: Back Woods of North-Western Ontario

Was the first pope married?

Post by Paidion » Wed Aug 19, 2020 5:03 pm

Roman Catholics affirm that the apostle Peter was the first pope. However, three of the four gospel writers refer to Peter's mother-in-law:
Matthew 8:14, Mark 1:30, and Luke 4:38. So clearly, Peter was married.

So why do Roman Catholic authorities forbid marriage for priests, bishops, popes, etc.? Do they consider such officials holier, if they refrain from sexual activity? Yet, there is evidence that a large number of popes in history not only had sex, but generated a significant number of offspring.

The Orthodox Church which pre-dated the Roman Catholic Church, has never forbidden marriage for their spiritual leaders.

Any thoughts on this matter?
Paidion

Man judges a person by his past deeds, and administers penalties for his wrongdoing. God judges a person by his present character, and disciplines him that he may become righteous.

Avatar shows me at 75 years old. I am now 83.

User avatar
Homer
Posts: 2995
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 11:08 pm

Re: Was the first pope married?

Post by Homer » Wed Aug 19, 2020 7:21 pm

Hi Paidion,
So why do Roman Catholic authorities forbid marriage for priests, bishops, popes, etc.? Do they consider such officials holier, if they refrain from sexual activity? Yet, there is evidence that a large number of popes in history not only had sex, but generated a significant number of offspring.
Well, it trickles down. I had a female cousin, much older than I, who was very much a Catholic. I remember when I was a kid hearing her talk favorably about the monsignor who she apparently knew well. When I was grown my older brother told me my cousin was the monsignor's mistress.

steve7150
Posts: 2597
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:44 am

Re: Was the first pope married?

Post by steve7150 » Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:44 pm

So why do Roman Catholic authorities forbid marriage for priests, bishops, popes, etc.? Do they consider such officials holier, if they refrain from sexual activity? Yet, there is evidence that a large number of popes in history not only had sex, but generated a significant number of offspring.




Refraining from sexual activity doesn't make you holier in of itself as long as the sexual activity is in the context of marriage. The RCC definitively prohibited Priests from marrying in 1139 at the Second Lateran Council.
Perhaps the RCC thought that celibacy gave the impression of being holier & married in effect to God or the Church. There were earlier religions that may have forbade their priests from marriage like the Druids & Aztecs and the RCC was not above borrowing rituals from other religions like the timing of Christmas.

This tradition of celibacy has certainly come back to bite the RCC where it hurts.

Post Reply

Return to “Ecclesiology”