Why do Catholics call priests “Father?
Catholics call priests “Father” because St. Paul told the early Christians, “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (1 Cor 4:15). In the same sense, Catholics see priests as “spiritual fathers in Christ.” Catholics believe that Jesus was not speaking literally when he said “…call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven,” because he used the term “father” in several other Scripture passages (Mt. 15:4-5; 21:31; 19:5, 19, 29;. Jn 8:56.) In one of Jesus’ parables, the beggar Lazarus says “father Abraham.” Catholics believe that Jesus’ warning about the use of the word father was his way of emphasizing God is the source of all authority. If he were speaking literally, it would eliminate not just Catholic priests from being called “father,” but also our biological fathers and the founding fathers of our country.
