Why can the Pope be married?
Celibacy is a sacrifice. Any man beginning the path towards ordination knows this is asked of him. The reason bishops of the Church are not allowed to marry is because they are metaphorically married to the Church, the bride of Christ and spend all their time and energies in Its service. Priests in general, if it is not a precept of their rite, are encouraged to be chaste and celibate that they might offer their bodies and time solely to God. A celibate priesthood is firmly founded in Catholic tradition, beginning with Its founder, Jesus Christ, who never married. In the 2nd century evidence of this tradition is already apparent as the Apostolic Constitutions gave the law, “If a priest or deacon is not already married, he can never contract marriage.” Also, the priesthood is symbolically always ready for the Second-Coming of Christ and so does not engage in even permissible activities for the children of this world. Many of the reasons priests do not marry are also practical. It allows
