AUSTRALIA
Herald Sun
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CELIBACY IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
IN the 1st century Peter, the first pope, was a married man and so were many of his successors until the 16th century.
* 2nd and 3rd Century – The age of Gnosticism, when it was believed a person cannot be married and be perfect. However, most priests were married.
* 4th Century – Council of Nicea decrees a priest could not marry after ordination; Council of Laodicea decreed priests may no longer sleep with their wives; Pope Siricius left his wife in order to become pope.
* 6th Century – Pope Pelagius II’s policy was not to bother married priests as long as they did not hand over church property to wives or children.
* 7th Century – French documents show the majority of priests were married.
* 8th Century – St Boniface reported to the Pope that in Germany almost no bishop or priest was celibate.
* 11th Century – Pope Benedict IX dispensed himself from celibacy and resigned in order to marry; in 1095, Pope Urban II had priests’ wives sold into slavery and children were abandoned.
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