Clerical Celibacy

Definition and Meaning

Clerical celibacy (Korean: 사제 독신제, 司祭獨身制) is a discipline that requires clergy, such as priests, to forgo marriage and remain celibate for life as a condition of ordained ministry. In the Catholic Church, celibacy is understood as a sign of complete self-dedication for the sake of the kingdom of God; it is also referred to as the "vow of celibacy" or the "obligation of celibacy."

Biblical and Historical Background

Those who hold celibacy in high regard cite Matthew 19:12, which speaks of those "which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake," and 1 Corinthians 7:32–35, which teaches that the unmarried can devote themselves to the things of the Lord. Those who permit clerical marriage, by contrast, cite 1 Timothy 3:2, which lists being "the husband of one wife" among the qualifications of a bishop; Matthew 8:14, which shows that Peter had a mother-in-law; and 1 Corinthians 9:5, which indicates that the apostles took their wives with them on their travels.

The early church had married clergy. In the Western church, celibacy requirements were gradually tightened, and the discipline is generally said to have become firmly established in the twelfth century, when the Second Lateran Council (1139) declared clerical marriages invalid. The Eastern Orthodox Church permits married men to become priests, but a man may not marry after ordination (the rite by which holy orders are conferred), and bishops are chosen from among celibate monastics.

During the sixteenth-century Reformation, the Reformers rejected mandatory celibacy, holding that it was not a condition of ministry established by Scripture. Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun, in 1525.

Practice in the Korean Church

• Catholic Church: All Catholic priests in Korea are celibate. Canon law provides for offices that married men may receive, such as the permanent diaconate, but these are reportedly not widely implemented in Korea.
• Orthodox Church: The Orthodox Church of Korea likewise follows the Orthodox tradition of permitting married priests.
• Anglican Church: The Anglican Church of Korea permits its priests to marry.
• Protestant churches: No denomination within Korean Protestantism, whether Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, or Full Gospel, makes celibacy a requirement for pastors. Most pastors marry, and it has become customary to refer to a pastor's wife as samo. Although it is not a denominational rule, some churches reportedly tend to prefer married candidates when calling a senior pastor.