Re: Can a former priest marry in the Catholic Church?
What happens when such a man decides he is "burned out" on marriage? If he cannot keep his vow of lifelong celibate chastity to God and to his bishop, how can a woman expect such a man to keep his vow of lifelong chaste fidelity to God and to her? A priest who is "burned out" should be seeking the time and peace he needs to recharge; he should not be seeking to abandon his priesthood so he can marry. (One wonders what is going on that he wants to abandon his priesthood so that he can marry. Has he already been unfaithful to his vow to celibate chastity?)
In any case, that said, a priest can indeed seek laicization. If he is laicized, and if he is dispensed from his vow of celibacy, and if there are no other impediments to marriage, a laicized priest may marry in the Church. But I cannot recommend that any woman get involved with a man who has abandoned his priesthood. In some few cases, there might be an individual man in such circumstances capable of becoming a good husband -- but a woman would be well-advised not to bet her own future upon being among the fortunate ones who can make marriage work under those conditions.
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