Why do most branches of Christianity encourage their priests to marry while the Catholic Church enforces celibate priests?
The Catholic Church forbids all members of the clergy to marry except for deacons, while all other branches of Christianity grant the rite to marriage to all members of the clergy including priests. The sacrament of matrimony is seemingly available to all Christian men except Catholic priests. Generally, Catholics follow guidance from two sources- scripture and tradition. The celibate life of a priest was derived from tradition over several centuries, not from scripture such as the Bible. Scripture may be permanent, but tradition is flexible enough to grant priests the permission to marry. However, this has yet to happen.
Despite being a nonprofit organization, the Catholic Church does not publish its financial records but assume that each priest earns $40,000 a year. A priest can reasonably rent an apartment, own a decent car, and pay for all living expenses while earning this income. The Diocese of Arlington contains 251 priests. If each priest earns on average $40,000 yearly, the diocese has to allocate $10,040,000 of its yearly budget to salaries.
Most priests realize that celibacy not only allows for a stronger bond with God, but it also allows the Church to allocate resources to more needy people. Let’s say the Catholic Church disbanded its celibacy stance, allowing all clergy members to marry. If 75% of the 251 priests in the Diocese of Arlington married their true love, the Church would be forced to pay all priests a higher salary. The average cost of raising a baby per year is around $10,000[1]. If each priest raises two children on average, the yearly salary for a priest would elevate to $60,000. The Diocese of Arlington now has to allocate an additional $5,020,000 of its budget to the salaries of priests.
The Catholic Church strives to assist the poor and needy as a non-profit organization. By enforcing strict celibacy rules, the Church can allocate millions of dollars to the less fortunate. In economic lingo, a priest’s opportunity cost of remaining celibate is low. The opportunity cost is the net gain of the next best option. This means that priests are happier knowing that they sacrificed a potentially better life for themselves for a better life for the impoverished.
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