An Eastern Christian theology of the married priesthood and its implications for dialogue with the Latin church

The ordination of celibate or married priests is among the many traditional differences between Eastern and Latin Catholic Christianity. Although not a principal source of disagreement between them, it is nevertheless a difference with a complicated background. Nevertheless, the divergence between the two traditions has been exacerbated in contemporary presentations of priestly celibacy in Latin Catholicism, according to which celibacy is “ontologically” required of the ministerial priesthood. The Eastern Christian tradition is sometimes labelled an innovation or rupture from the pristine norm of the apostolic tradition. Meanwhile, the Eastern Churches have struggled to formulate a systematic response to these claims, which furthers a situation in which both disciplines cannot be received theologically on a par with one another. In view of the need to address this lacuna, the following thesis will engage with the theological relationship between celibacy, marriage, and the ministerial priesthood in the Eastern and Western Churches. It will provide a summary of the theological backgrounds for a better understanding of the contemporary developments in Latin Catholic theology. Since aspects of this development are problematic for engagement with the Christian East, a theological response is required to account for the practice of ordaining married men to the priesthood in the Eastern Churches. This study will demonstrate that a theology of the married priesthood is possible for the Eastern Churches, grounded firmly upon their own theological and sacramental traditions, especially in a more positive integration of asceticism, marriage, and sexuality into the sacramental experience of the Church. In proposing an Eastern Christian theology of the married priesthood, this study aims to provide a unique and valuable contribution to ongoing ecumenical dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, with positive appreciation for the disciplines and traditions of each.