I, Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, and the Married Priests Now Prelature agree with the Holy Father and the Vatican in their statement that reaffirmed celibacy.  We believe celibacy is a charism for some priests but not for all.  However, we disagree in the enforcement of celibacy as a job requirement for the priesthood. The priesthood must be freed from the obligation of celibacy.  Celibacy should be viewed as an option rather than the norm, a charism that is freely chosen, and not accepted as a job requirement. Celibacy should no longer be considered a prerequisite for ordination to the priesthood in the Latin Rite. To continue to require such a condition only exacerbates an already deteriorating and hemorrhaging situation within the Roman priesthood. Not every priest has the particular calling to be celibate and this is the problem.

We do not believe that a meeting of the Cardinals who head the dicasteries was called to simply reaffirm celibacy.  The report that was NOT released by the Vatican is the important one.  What did the Cardinals actually say about a married priesthood?  Is the Vatican in such a state of denial that it cannot see the need for a married priesthood?

What, so far, has celibacy done for the church?  On the American scene it has destroyed the church by its never-ending sexual abuse scandal.  It has ruined the lives of its countless young victims.  It has cast a dark shadow of doubt on the holiness of the priesthood.  The faithful can no longer trust their priests.  The cost of celibacy has driven diocese after diocese into bankruptcy and church properties have been sold to pay off claims of sexual misconduct by priests.  Celibacy because of its loneliness and lack of intimacy has turned thousands of priests into alcoholics.

The Vatican’s denial of the problem confirms and encourages our mission to recall married priests to full active ministry within the Roman Catholic Church. The Married Priests Now! Prelature is the only Catholic diocese calling for the ordination of married men and for the return of married priests to full ministry.

Marriage is a sacrament of the church, celibacy is not.  Marriage is a higher calling than celibacy. The marriage vow trumps the celibacy promise.  Our Prelature believes that a married priest is a healthier priest, and that a married priesthood will give priests a wholesome and proper outlet for their sexuality.  We are created by God as sexual beings and our sexuality needs to be celebrated as a blessing for ourselves and our wives. Marriage needs to be the normal option for priests. Remember that Jesus called married priests first.  St. Peter was a married priest.  The New Testament priesthood was a married priesthood. It is time for the Roman Catholic Church to return the gift of the married priesthood to the Latin Rite.

The sanctity and holiness of the church is in the family.  It is the holiness of the marriage and of the family that reflects the community of love that we find in the love of the Trinity.  The love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a community of love and the true model of the holiness of the family.  Marriage brings us closer to God.  A married priesthood can create wonderful families that because of marriage will identify more closely with the families they serve in the church and community.  A married priesthood will foster equality for women in the church and bring a new form of democracy in church management.

There is sadness in the Church over the dire situation caused by the shortage of priests.  The faithful realize that they are not being well served because the priests who remain are elderly, clearly over-extended and cannot meet the needs of the faithful.  Hundreds of churches have been closed and laymen and laywomen are being appointed as pastors of churches.  The faithful see and feel the problem and often do reach out to the married priests who are available and willing to meet their spiritual demands.  This is a groundswell movement – a church within a church – that is forming and the Vatican is in a state of denial.  Our Prelature is part of this movement.  This is a New Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit is creating a new church for a new day.

Married priests, we invite you to come out of your church imposed exile, and join us in our fight to reinstate the married priesthood to our church as we celebrate together our marriages and our priesthood.  Participate in our upcoming conference to be held at the Sheraton in Parsippany, New Jersey, on December 8-10.  The theme of our conference is Marriage and the Priesthood and the keynote speaker, Margaret Starbird, will discuss Sacred Unions.  A renewal of marriage vows and an Ecumenical Marriage Blessing will be included in the concelebrated mass.

On Sunday, December 10, three married men will be ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in keeping with our aim to restore the married priesthood of the Gospels to our church.  Married men who have been denied the priesthood because they are married are invited to call us about ordination.  Details about the conference and the ordinations can be received by calling (973) 332 2730 or by email:

We are the Voice of All Suffering Catholics, the Voice of the True Church, calling on the Vatican to be attentive to the needs of its faithful people.  We ask all of the Roman Catholic faithful to join us in prayer for this New Pentecost.  Let your voices also be heard loudly and clearly in Rome and in your home dioceses. Let the bishops know that you want married priests now. Recalling married priests is a wholesome and simple remedy to help save the church.  Pray that the married priests will be reinstated to full active ministry and that married men will be called to the priesthood.

Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo