--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the Western Church to which I belong…" description: "\"In the Western Church to which I belong, priests cannot be married as in the Byzantine, Ukrainian, Russian or Greek Catholic Churches. In those churche..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/pope-francis-85_being-married_in-the-western-church-to-which-i-belong_3039097.png" --- # In the Western Church to which I belong, priests cannot be… ![“In the Western Church to which I belong, priests cannot be married as in the Byzantine, Ukrainian, Russian or Greek Catholic Churches. In those churches, the priests can be married, but the bishops have to be celibate. They are very good priests.” quote by Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/pope-francis-85_being-married_in-the-western-church-to-which-i-belong_3039097.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/pope-francis-85_being-married_in-the-western-church-to-which-i-belong_3039097.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/pope-francis-85_being-married_in-the-western-church-to-which-i-belong_3039097.png) > “In the Western Church to which I belong, priests cannot be married as in the Byzantine, Ukrainian, Russian or Greek Catholic Churches. In those churches, the priests can be married, but the bishops have to be celibate. They are very good priests.” [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clergy marriage rules differ across Catholic rites; some allow married priests but require celibate bishops, and they can be effective ministers. **In simple terms:** Different Catholic traditions have varied marriage rules for clergy. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect diverse clerical practices. Themes religion church policy clerical life Mood thoughtful respectful Type theoretical informative When to use this quote - pastoral counseling - interfaith dialogue - church administration - theological study Key Concepts canon law ecclesiastical discipline cultural variation Questions to Reflect On - How do marriage rules affect priestly ministry? - What benefits arise from celibate bishops? A Different Perspective Some argue celibacy preserves spiritual focus, which may limit clergy personal fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-married/) [Bishops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops/) [Byzantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/byzantine/) [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Catholic church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic-church/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Priests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priests/) [Ukrainian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ukrainian/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [If all the priests go we all want to be married and the pope goes all priests should be married than I say go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lino-rulli/if-all-the-priests-go-we-all-want-to-be-married-and-the-pope-goes-all/) [Lino Rulli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lino-rulli/) > [I think all priests should be married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/i-think-all-priests-should-be-married/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [“Across the broken apses and shattered naves of a hundred ruined Byzantine churches, the same smooth, cold, neo-classical faces of the saints and apostles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dalrymple/across-the-broken-apses-and-shattered-naves-of-a-hundred-ruined/) [William Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dalrymple/) > [Islam united all heresies persecuted in Byzantine Empire and synthesised them well into a conseffion that later became a symbol of Arab self-affirmation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/islam-united-all-heresies-persecuted-in-byzantine-empire-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At the end of the Roman Empire, in the Byzantine period, the empire shrinks and shrinks until it consists of one city, Constantinople, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/at-the-end-of-the-roman-empire-in-the-byzantine-period-the-empire/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [The gothic is singular in this; one seems easily at home in the renaissance; one is not too strange in the Byzantine; as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-gothic-is-singular-in-this-one-seems-easily-at-home-in-the/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Who created the byzantine empire? 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