Can Orthodox Priests Marry?
Yes — but the marriage must come before the ordination.
Orthodox Christianity has never required celibacy of its parish clergy. A man may be ordained a deacon or a priest while married, and the great majority of Orthodox parish priests worldwide are married men with families. What Orthodoxy does not permit is marriage after ordination.
The rule in one paragraph
A candidate marries first, then is ordained. Once a man has been ordained deacon, priest or bishop he may not enter into marriage. This discipline goes back to the canons of the early Church and was reaffirmed by the Council in Trullo (692), which explicitly rejected the Western move toward mandatory clerical celibacy for presbyters and deacons.
Bishops are celibate
Bishops are chosen from among the monastics or from widowed or celibate clergy. A married priest can therefore never become a bishop while his wife lives. This is why Orthodox bishops are always monks in practice, and why monasteries are the seedbed of the episcopate.
What if a priest's wife dies?
A widowed priest continues to serve but does not remarry. Some enter monasticism; some remain widowers in parish ministry. Remarriage would require laying aside the priesthood.
The presvytera, matushka or khouria
The priest's wife carries an honorary title reflecting her role in parish life: presvytera in Greek usage, matushka in Russian, khouria in Antiochian, popadija in Serbian. She holds no ordained office but is, in practice, central to the life of the community.
Frequently asked
- Can a married man become an Orthodox priest?
- Yes. He must be married before ordination, and to a first marriage with an Orthodox Christian wife in the normal case.
- Can an Orthodox priest marry after ordination?
- No. Marriage after ordination is not permitted by the canons.
- Can Orthodox bishops be married?
- No. Bishops are selected from monastic or celibate clergy.
- Can a divorced man be ordained?
- Generally no; the canons expect a single, first, stable marriage, and exceptions are rare and at the bishop's discretion.