Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did some clergy oppose rules requiring priestly celibacy?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Gregory VII excommunicating Henry IV — St. Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII, after his expulsion from Rome, laying a ban of excommunication on the clergy “together with the raging king” (Henry IV of Germany), drawing from the 12th-century chronicle of Otto of Freising; in the library of the University of Jena, Germany.

During the 11th-century Gregorian Reform, efforts to enforce clerical celibacy faced significant resistance because marriage and concubinage were deeply entrenched, customary practices among the lower ranks of the Western clergy.1

Supporters of clerical marriage opposed the new mandates by citing historical and theological precedents. Specifically, they argued that:

Biblical Precedent: Priests in the Old Testament were permitted to be married.1
Ecclesiastical Tradition: The practice of married clergy was already accepted and maintained within the Eastern churches.21

Because these customs were so widespread, papal decrees—which included barring the sons of priests from the priesthood and declaring women involved with priests to be "unfree"—often met with virulent opposition. In some instances, such as in Constance in 1075, local clergy and laity successfully forced bishops to allow married priests to retain their positions, directly defying papal authority.1