married clergy
Priests with spouses
Married clergy are religious leaders—priests, ministers, or other ordained figures—who are permitted to marry, in contrast to traditions requiring celibacy.
Most Protestant denominations allow married clergy, as do Eastern Orthodox churches.
The Roman Catholic Church generally requires priestly celibacy, though exceptions exist for married converts from other traditions.
The debate over married clergy continues in some denominations.
- priestOne who performs sacraments
- holy ordersSacrament conferring clergy status
- celibacyAbstaining from intimate relations
- ordinationClergy appointment ceremony
- parishLocal church community
Anglican · Episcopal · pastor · vows · rectory · vicar · congregation · spouse · wedding ring · church wedding · family life · parsonage · denomination · bishop · deacon · Protestant · Catholic · reform
- Eastern CatholicsMaronites, Chaldeans
- ordinationholy orders, laying on of hands, ordination ceremony, ordained minister, ordinand
married clergypriestly celibacy
Religious leaders forgoing marriage
Catholic priesthood · monks · friars · nuns · religious orders
married, marry, marries, marrying, unmarried, marriage, marriages, marriageable, remarry