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Catholic Questions & Answers In 1 Tim 3:2 ff., we read, 'A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent,... ..... Does this suggest that a Bishop must be a married man?
In 1 Tim 3:2 ff., we read, 'A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent,... ..... Does this suggest that a Bishop must be a married man?
No, this was a direction given in the early church which was composed of married and unmarried converts. Among the Apostles, at least Peter was married, we know. In the early church many of the elders and bishops might have been married people, because many of them embraced faith at a grown up age and often with their families. There may be a few cases where the new converts had more than one wife, when they were made members of the church, such cases might have been tolerated since their wives were also practicing the same faith. But that concession could not be entertained when it comes to the selection of a Bishop, the leader of the church. A Bishop must be exemplary in all things that the Christian doctrine enunciates. So, in case he is married, "he must be the husband of one wife... having his children in submission with all reverence". But this does not exclude unmarried people from becoming bishops. "For wish that all men were even as myself', says S1. Paul (1 Cor. 7:7). "He who is unmarried cares for things that belongs to the Lord - how he may please the Lont But he who is married cares about the things of the world - how he may please his wife" (1 Cor. 7:32-33). Hence it is clear that an unmarried man is more free to serve the Lord, and our own experience confirms that. Hence in the course-of time, the church, guided by the spirit, insisted on the vow of chastity for her priests so that they could serve the Lord and his people better without being fettered by any selfish concerns.