"Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles & brethren of the Lord & Cephas" (1 Cor. 9:5)?" "This is why I left you in Crete...& appoint elders in every town...if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife,& his children..." (Titus 1:5-6).RSVCE

  

Whenever defenders of mandated celibacy cite St. Paul, they actually theologically shoot themselves in the foot.  Don't let them get away with that.

St. Paul on more than one occasion acknowledges the role of married clergy in the Church. 

And, actually, if one carefully reads St. Paul, he does not DIRECTLY link celibacy with clergy in 1 Cor. 7.  No where does St. Paul's beautiful teaching on virginity in 1 Cor. 7 refer directly to priests.  

He merely recommends virginity to the community but does not mandate it for the community or for priests.

The answer to "But, but, but St. Paul said on celibacy...." is "But, but, but St. Paul said on married clergy..."

________________________

This fits on an X (formerly Twitter) post.  Feel free to cut and paste / copy & post on social media and other forums:

"Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles & brethren of the Lord & Cephas" (1 Cor. 9:5)?"

"This is why I left you in Crete...& appoint elders in every town...if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife,& his children..." (Titus 1:5-6).RSVCE

 

_______________________________________________________________

This shorter version also fits on a X (formerly Twitter) post:

Whenever people cite St. Paul on celibacy, they actually theologically shoot themselves in the foot. More than once, he acknowledges married clergy. The answer to "But, but, but St. Paul said on celibacy" is "But, but, but St. Paul said on married clergy."

_______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

St. Paul

"Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas" (1 Cor. 9:5)? [Translation: RSV,Ignatius Bible Edition,2006 ("The original Catholic ed of RSV transl was prepared by Catholic Biblical Assoc.of Great Britain."]

 

"This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective,& appoint elders in every town as I directed you, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife,& his children are believers &not open to the charge of debauchery &not being insubordinate" (Titus 1:5-6).

 

Conversion on the Way to Damascus, a 1601 portrait by Caravaggio