This applies to the leadership of the Church. Celibacy was not required for those ordained and was a discipline accepted in the early Church, particularly by those in the monastic life.Īlthough various local Church councils had demanded celibacy of the clergy in a particular area, at the Second Lateran Council (1139), the whole of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church decided to accept men for ordination only after they had taken a promise of celibacy. In epigraphy, the testimony of the Church Fathers, synodal legislation, papal decretals and other sources in the following centuries, a married clergy, in greater or lesser numbers, was a feature of the life of the Church. The New Testament (Mk 1:29–31 Mt 8:14–15 Lk 4:38–39 1 Tim 3:2, 12 Tit 1:6) depicts at least Peter as being married, and bishops, priests and deacons of the Early Church were often married as well. Based on the customs of the times, it is assumed by many that most of the Twelve Apostles, such as Peter, were married and had families. Main articles: Clerical celibacy (Catholic Church) and Catholic teachings on sexual moralityįor many years of the Church's history, celibacy was considered optional.
