Can a monk return to the world?
The rector of the Optina Metochion in St. Petersburg, Abbot Rostislav (Yakubovsky), left the monastery and got married. This act caused widespread discussion on the Internet and received various assessments.
Photo: Doxologia.ro
Can monks break their vows and return to secular life? Is this considered a violation of church canons? And is it possible to return to the monastery again later? Experts comment.
Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin, photo: Patriarchia.ru
Who can become a hieromonk
Monks who have undergone ordination can receive the rank of hieromonk, and priests who wish to move to a solitary life and renounce the worldly - take a vow of celibacy.
A monk to receive the priesthood must live in the monastery for a long time, regularly fulfilling his duties. He is then nominated by his brothers for ordination or decides to become a mentor.
The deacon performs various works in the monastery and, according to his rank, is an assistant to the monk. Upon ordination, he becomes a hierodeacon and receives the right to assist during the service and deal with organizational issues. He cannot conduct prayer services and other rituals.
Where do hieromonks serve?
Historically, in the Orthodox Church, a hieromonk serves at a monastery, where he lives. In rural areas, where the number of parishioners is small, he has the right to have his own church and hold services, prayer services and Divine Liturgy in it. He also conducts church sacraments: unction, funeral service, confession, communion.
How to communicate correctly with hieromonks
Lay people should address the hieromonk as a priest in an ordinary church: priest or father with a name in Church Slavonic. For example, Father Alexy, John, Sergius. If you don’t know the name of the clergyman, then you should say priest. The laity's use of simply "father" is considered familiar. It is permissible only in communication between priests.
RECOMMENDED: Description of the 7 deadly sins.
Leaving monasticism is a personal catastrophe, but not a violation of the canons
Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin, Church historian, teacher at the Moscow Theological Academy:
— Until the mid-19th century in Russia, legal abandonment of monasticism was impossible. Those who escaped from the monastery were subject to detention and return to the monastery, and, if necessary, to placement in the monastery prison. They could not legally stop being monks.
However, later monks were allowed to ask to have their monastic vows removed if they were unable to keep them. This permission is still in effect. Naturally, if such a monk had the holy rank, then he was deprived of it too. Having become a layman, the former monk is no longer subject to any special penalties and has the right to marry - it goes without saying, unless he already had several marriages before becoming a monk. The third marriage was allowed as an exception, but the fourth was not allowed at all.
It was stipulated that the monk must first submit a petition to remove his vows, and not decide his relationship with the monastery after the fact - having already left and started a family. This procedure was required by the decree of the Synod. At the same time, young priests were also allowed to ask for defrocking in a similar manner.
Of course, in personal spiritual life, leaving monasticism is a catastrophic situation. But this cannot be considered a violation of the canons. For one hundred and fifty years now, the Church has been allowing such a way out.
At the same time, you need to understand that church teaching does not put, for example, baptism and monastic vows on the same level. Baptism is a sacrament, one of seven, but tonsure, associated with vows, is not such a sacrament. Another thing is that among the monastic community itself there is a very widespread belief that this is a sacrament.
It is possible to return to monastic life after taking off your vows, and this is even good. Unlike the priesthood, to which there is no return after leaving it, monasticism does not provide for an impeccable life in the past. Mistakes of a past life are not an obstacle to tonsure if there is repentance. If a person took off his monastic vows and then returned to them again, this is correct. Of course, if he is bound by marriage, then it would be rash to tell him - get a divorce and return to the monastery. But if he is widowed, it is better to return than to remain in the world.
In the history of the Russian Church there is a well-known case with Fyodor Bukharev. In the 19th century, this archimandrite, a professor at the Kazan Academy, asked to have his vows removed, got married and was defrocked. He could no longer teach at the academy, but until the end of his life he continued to write theological works, remained a church writer, and censorship allowed his works.
Protodeacon Andrey Kuraev, photo: Yulia Makoveychuk
Bishops
Can priests with the rank of bishop marry? The answer to this question is clearly negative. The custom of celibacy in this category began to be perceived as the norm by the second half of the 7th century. This rule was enshrined at the Trullo Council (691-692). Moreover, the last rule applied to those bishops who were married before their ordination.
They had to first separate from their wife by sending her to a monastery, which was located far from the place of his ministry. The ex-wife had the right to enjoy maintenance from the bishop. Today, candidates for bishops are elected only from monks who have accepted the minor schema (ascetics).
Failing to remain celibate and honestly declaring it is a worthy act
Protodeacon Andrey Kuraev, professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, senior researcher at the Department of Philosophy of Religion and Religious Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Moscow State University:
- The man could not resist in a pure celibate life, decided to get married and honestly announced it. In my opinion, this is better than if he continued to pretend to be a monk - deceiving himself, the Church, and people. In this sense, I consider the departure of Father Rostislav a worthy act.
There are situations when a person has already done something unworthy, but then decided not to add one sin to another. While not approving the first action, you can applaud the second. For example, a soldier of the Vlasov army who agreed to wear a uniform issued by the Nazis, but as soon as he got to the front, he turned his weapon against the Reich...
If we put some sexual adventures and a pure monastic life on the scales, then our Christian conscience, of course, is for the latter. But if the first has already happened (even if only in the mind), and a person no longer considers himself a monk, why keep him?
It is very important that we do not whoop after such people. The motives for relinquishing monastic vows are different. For some, this may be a change in worldview. We disappointed someone. Someone learned the bitter truth about himself - and the experience of monastic life could even help him with this. After all, a negative result is also a result... It happened that a person, having gone into the world, did something useful both for the Church and for the world.
It is important to remember that the monastic vow is a person’s vow not before the Church, but before God. This is his personal choice. This is not what the Church gives to a person. If a person promised to lift one hundred and fifty kilograms of iron, but only lifted eighty, this is his personal problem. In any case, he feels more bitter inside than we, outside spectators of someone else’s misfortune and someone else’s fate. So why should we blame him for this? Be glad that we ourselves are not like that? This is exactly what is called Pharisaism.
It seems to me that precisely if the gates of the monastery are always demonstratively open, if the monk remembers that there is an opportunity to leave the monastery, he will begin to renew his vows daily, and his monastic choice will become stronger.
Recorded by Mikhail Bokov
Pravmir Dictionary - Monastery, monasticism
This is a copy-paste from the Internet. God bless! Brothers help! Can a young hieromonk take off his hair and live piously if he has fallen in love with a woman and wants to marry her? Thank you in advance for your answer, Irina.
And what will it be like for this woman if she is called the wife of a defrocked woman...
A monk cannot take off his hair; such a rite is not used now. They themselves leave monasticism, becoming oathbreakers before God, who have not fulfilled the vows they made of their own free will.
Sooner or later, this monk’s family (he will never serve as a priest again) will fall apart. You understand that when tonsured, something inside a person changes, he is called to angelic life. And this does not disappear anywhere, even if the monk has fallen. However, a fallen monk is who... Compare: fallen angels are demons.
I advise a woman who has fallen in love with a monk to drive away devilish desires through an effort of will and with the help of prayer, under pain of eternal death, and to stop all communication with this person for the sake of saving both her and his soul.
Christ save you!
Father Paramon: every Christian is a monk
Author Yulia Bogorodskaya
05.10.2018 08:00
Religion » Religions of Russia » Orthodoxy
What is better for a person’s spiritual world—family life or monasticism? Why shouldn’t the decision to enter a monastery be made in haste and impulsively? What difficulties await the novice within the walls of the monastery? What to do with relatives who remain in the world? The abbot of the Donskoy Monastery, Abbot Paramon (Golubka), answered these and other questions to Pravda.Ru in 2012.
- Father Paramon, what is better - family life or monasticism?
— Every Christian faces a choice of how best to serve God. One path is creating a family, and the other is monastic life, and depending on the internal structure, everyone chooses their own path, but none of them is the best. The main goal of both the married man and the monk is the salvation of the soul. Remember the Monk Macarius the Great, who thought that he had achieved monastic perfection. The Lord sent him to two women in the city who were able to please God equally with him. Macarius asked them how they were able to do this. It turned out that they tried to live in peace, humbling themselves before each other, and this, in the eyes of God, outweighed all the exploits of the Monk Macarius the Great. Read the article by Hilarion of the Trinity “The Unity of the Ideal of Christ,” where he says that the same commandments exist for both monks and lay people, and everyone must fulfill them.
— Why do people go to the monastery?
- For different reasons. The main thing is that this decision must be conscious, because this path is chosen once and for life. A person must honestly decide why he is doing this, because, once in a monastery, he may become despondent, not having found the desired ideal there. That is why they are not accepted into the monastery right away; a person is given the opportunity to first work hard and feel monastic life from the inside. Then he goes through a novice period - usually a year or two, but some people can remain novices longer, and only after the person himself decides to take monastic vows is he tonsured. There are no tonsures by agreement or coercion.
— Now many people, far from church life, condemn the monks for their chosen path - everyone thinks that they are running away from the world, from problems...
“Everything outwardly looks exactly like this: no wife, no mother-in-law, life is comfortable, how many problems I ran away from!” Fr., who taught at our seminary. Artemy Vladimirov often said that if we want to go through the highest school of humility, we need to get married, because not a single confessor can humble a person like his wife. Monasticism and family are two different paths, equally difficult. If someone runs away to a monastery from life’s problems, he is making a big mistake, since in the monastery he will face more problems .
—What is the essence of monasticism?
- Monasticism consists of three things - prayer, obedience and cell rule. This is a rather difficult path, since when entering this path, a person is faced with problems that he has not encountered in worldly life, because in a monastery the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spirits of wickedness in high places. A person begins to be tormented by doubts, his fortitude is tested. A young monk cannot complete this path on his own, without an experienced confessor and patristic readings, so when a person is mentored by a more experienced ascetic, he avoids many mistakes.
— Why is a person given a new name when he is tonsured?
— Hieromartyr Hilarion (Trinity) says that both at baptism and tonsure a person is forgiven of all sins, he renounces his past sinful life, throws off worldly clothes, being born again, voluntarily becomes a baby in order to grow into a perfect man, to the measure of the full stature of Christ . Some say that tonsure is a renewal of baptismal vows. Therefore, both at baptism and at tonsure, a person is given a new name.
In general, in essence, every Christian is a monk, but real tonsure obliges a person to be worthy of the title of a warrior of Christ, because this title is not a set of some rules of behavior, but the inner state of a person. And if a person is internally transformed, then his appearance and behavior gradually changes. But on this path great dangers, temptations and doubts await him.
- What dangers are these?
— One of the most important temptations of a monk is loneliness, which must be loved. If a person does not live a correct spiritual life, then he gets carried away, for example, with modern information technologies. A monk should avoid all this not due to any prohibitions, but because all his personal time will be filled with unnecessary information through which a person develops passions. For a monk, this is doubly scary, because he begins to lead a lifestyle that only outwardly resembles a monastic one. Often this leads to the fact that the monk may even leave the monastery. These are very sad cases, since the vows he made are not removed from him - he becomes an oathbreaker.
Another temptation is the monk’s desire to live according to his own will, perceiving obedience as the desire of others to subjugate him. When a monk perceives this command as the will of God, it is very easy for him to live in the monastery.
— The monk renounces his past life, but in his past life he still has parents who need help. How to deal with this?
— When a person gets married, does he go to his parents’ house every day? Of course not. He has his own family and can no longer devote much time to his parents. Or remember the life of Sergius of Radonezh: he wanted to go to a monastery at an early age, but left only after the death of his parents.
Monks are not prohibited from communicating with friends or parents, especially if the monk is the only child in the family. From the Donskoy Monastery the monks go to their parents. I go to them myself. My parents did not become less important to me after entering the monastery. It happens that when one of the parents dies, the other goes to the monastery to join his son or daughter, takes monastic vows - this gives the opportunity to care for and monitor the parent right in the monastery.
— What to do with those people who did not start a family and did not go to the monastery?
“There’s no need to force all the people who haven’t started a family into a monastery.” A slave is not a pilgrim, why force a person to do something he does not want?! There is no freedom here, but there is pressure from public opinion. It is necessary for a person to mature and be able to make an independent decision.
—Can a monk give advice to worldly people?
— I can tell you from my own experience. If they came to me with questions about family life, I sent people to married priests. A person cannot know everything, and it is better to say that you do not know something than to give bad advice that will only make the person feel worse. Any priest or hieromonk should have the benefit for people in the foreground. The main thing is to do no harm...
—Does eldership exist in Russia today?
— After the revolution, the tradition of eldership in Russia was lost. I know only two people who can be classified as modern elders. It's about. Kirill (Pavlov) and Fr. Ephraim from Vatopedi. When I spoke with Fr. Ephraim, there was a feeling that I was communicating with Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) - the same Spirit. On Athos, when communicating with Father Ephraim, this became clear to me.
With o. Kirill I was lucky enough to live on the same floor when I was studying at the Moscow Theological Academy, and this is the warmest memory of that time. The monastery changed before our eyes, the brethren became different when Father Kirill appeared. He can be compared to a good piano tuner. Father Kirill knew how to put everyone in the right frame of mind; he knew how to tell everyone what would then force a person to change. And when he read the Holy Scripture, he had the feeling that he was not just reading it, but had experienced everything that was written there...
— Will the old age tradition be revived in Russia?
— There is hope, but revival does not begin with the restoration of walls, it comes from within: when a person transforms himself, he transforms everything around him. Therefore, in order for the eldership to be revived, our monastics need to grow up to this.
Eldership has always been present in Rus', but in the 19th century there was a heyday of eldership in Optina Hermitage, and a whole galaxy of elders immediately appeared there. Nowadays many of us are looking for special confessors to solve all problems at once; they are looking for an easy way, which does not exist. Finding a spirit-bearing elder today is very difficult - you can spend your whole life looking for it, but still not find it. Therefore, you need to not only search, but also work on yourself. We do not know who the Lord will lead to what.
— Are there any restrictions for those who want to enter a monastery? For example, your own business, business?
— Copts in Egypt have a number of restrictions when entering the monastery: if a person has many everyday troubles, or does not have a higher education, he will not be accepted. Therefore, a person, going to an Egyptian monastery, refuses everything that the world offers him, sacrifices his career, success, because he is attracted by other beauty. This is a very interesting approach.
— Here in Russia everything is different...
— In Russia, different people come to the monastery. I knew one monk in the Lavra, his name was Selafiel, he entered the monastery at the age of 60. In the world he was a successful man, he had a large family, but when his wife died, he never married again and, having raised children, went to a monastery. He was an interesting priest, a man of prayer and a sincere servant of God. People came to him with family problems. There were many interesting cases related to him.
One day the dean saw a beautiful young woman with a child leaving Fr. Selafiel. He asks her who she is and why she came. The woman replied, pointing to the boy: “And this is his son.” The dean was very surprised, then the woman clarified that this boy was born through the prayers of Father Selafiel.
There was another interesting story connected with this priest. When Fr. Selafiel turned 90 years old and was assigned a novice. And then one day we were walking away from the fraternal building and we saw that Selafiel was walking not far from us with a novice, but the novice suddenly slipped, and the 90-year-old monk was holding him in his hand, so it was difficult to determine who was taking care of whom - the novice of Father Selafiel or vice versa ...
— Is there a difference between monasteries and ordinary parish churches? And how should the interaction between them and the parishioners be structured?
— I served in the parish church on Sakhalin Island for eight years, and for me, both the monastery and the parish are one and the same thing - a Christian family. What is expected from family members, or from those who are part of the family?!
In one monastery in St. Petersburg, 32 interest groups were created, and the majority of the monastery parishioners take part in the work of these groups. This is a very good example; it can be adopted by the Donskoy Monastery, so that parishioners feel not just parishioners, but active participants in life. It is necessary that the community does not vegetate, but actually acts for the benefit of the people. Our faith does not consist only in verbal confession, it must find its embodiment in life.
— Father, and the last question: how not to judge people?
- I will say in the words of St. John Chrysostom: we must separate sin from the sinner. Sin is an act, and the sinner is a person. If you condemn a person, then you have connected the action with the person. We must remember that every person makes mistakes. You don’t know how and where you will fall, so for a person the mistake or fall of another is an incentive to pray for him, so that the Lord will help him cope with the temptation that has befallen him. If you condemn him, your fall may be much greater.
The girl went to a monastery, remained a nun for eight years and became a porn actress
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Black and white priest: what is the difference
The monks were nicknamed "blacks" because of the color of their clothes. Regardless of their rank and place of residence, they all wore the same clothes, did not marry, and devoted themselves only to serving the Lord.
The term "white" came into being as a contrast. It refers to priests who did not take monastic vows. They could get married, start a family, live in peace, keeping the commandments and rules.
Only a “black” monk can become a bishop.
Depending on their lifestyle and deeds, both white and black servants of God were canonized as saints.
Popular groups
For people's rumors, and many church writers, the monk is no longer a person. He was reborn. Was a cocoon, became an airy spiritual floating creature, for whom there is nothing earthly. The view that one can stop being a family man for the sake of monasticism is popular and even traditional for Orthodoxy, despite the mystery of the union of husband and wife in Christ, despite the union of love that goes into eternity. Let us at least recall the well-known “legend” about the holy princes Peter and Fevronia (regarding the historical authenticity of which, by the way, there is no consensus). It says that the holy princes - husband and wife - separated for the sake of the monastery, which was quite consistent with the ancient Russian tradition. This topic is often celebrated in church sermons. Surprisingly, despite the refusal of marriage vows, for some reason it was Peter and Fevronia who were chosen as the patrons of the family. In their honor, a church-wide and state holiday of “family and fidelity” was even established! The Orthodox tradition does not know any counter-examples. Moreover, the harsh condemnation of those who left monasticism is clearly visible. Even starting a family and living a godly life means nothing. In the context of the relationship of the church community, leaving the monastery means a constant feeling of guilt and living in a space of some kind of unfinished business, even if this is the life of an exemplary Christian. Monasticism is perceived as rebirth, as the acquisition of a new nature - as if angelic, not human. You can't be born back. Angels don't just become human. This is a terrible sin. Very, very many people think so. About monasticism I once wrote in more detail about monasticism. It is known that it appeared during the period of the legalization of the Christian faith in the Roman Empire, during a certain general decline in Christian morals. Monasticism is initially the desire of some Christians for maximalism, it is the response of a living, sincere heart that loves God most of all, it is a search for the full implementation of the commandments of Christ. The essence of monasticism is to become a perfect Christian, to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ as fully as possible. This has nothing to do with what we know about various kinds of “eastern sages” or wizards like Gandalf. In this context, monasticism from the very beginning was understood simply and clearly - these are people who feel and see the calling of God in their lives: to serve God, to be, first of all, with Him in communion, in prayer, in fulfilling the commandments, in studying the word of God. This is where a certain withdrawal from the world or a break with the world in the literal sense occurred. People went to deserted places far beyond the outskirts of the villages and lived by their own simple labor, provided for themselves by selling baskets or hiring someone to work the land, and ate the simplest inexpensive food. Excess money and food were given to those in need. It was considered a duty to serve the poor, the infirm and the elderly. If a person asking for help came to the hermit, help was provided. Travelers were always accepted and given shelter and food. It is believed that the main work of monks is prayer and what is called “internal work,” that is, the internal struggle against sin. This, in particular, is where maximalism is expressed - to fulfill the commandments of Christ even in thoughts, desires and feelings. So that you don’t sin even in your thoughts, don’t seduce, so that you really learn to love your neighbor and be ready to serve even your enemy. Thus, Christian monasticism is not against something or someone. This is the embodiment of the calling and the talent that some people have. Just like talented musicians, writers or doctors. For Orthodox monasticism, various kinds of restrictions, abstinence and labors are nothing more than a tool that varied from monastery to monastery. Monastic traditions, both in ancient times and now, are not the same: in some places they ate meat, in others they ate only vegetables, in others they ate no more than once a week. In some places, joint obligatory, strict, lengthy common prayers were performed several times a day, and in others they gathered for such prayer once a week. Somewhere the discipline was iron,
somewhere everyone decided everything for themselves. Such diversity made it possible to identify and demonstrate everyone’s talents, because those who wished could find their place and their measure. After all, the essence of monasticism is to make a Christian perfect, and not to improve any skills or abilities. About vows Over time, by the middle of the first millennium, monasticism took its place in the church structure. From a private initiative it has turned almost into a structural unit, into a kind of spiritual army. Unification, regulation, and discipline came to monasticism, and therefore a charter, which, as we know, sometimes requires that “man be for the law, and not the law for man.” Monasticism was also institutionalized in the state life of Byzantium. Monks began to be perceived as special Christians and special citizens. With institutionalization, formalized obligatory rites of entry into monasticism also appeared, based on the now well-known promises or vows. Since then, before being tonsured, a candidate for monasticism is reminded during a special service that Christ Himself stands invisibly among those gathered. The abbot asks fundamental questions that require answers. The monk promises, with the help of God (!), to remain in the monastery until the end of his days, in obedience to God and the abbot, in non-covetousness, in chastity and celibacy. After which a tonsure occurs - a little hair is cut off in a cross shape. The monk is given a new name. All this, of course, is perceived as a rejection of the past. From now on, a monk is a new (different) person in the Church. Why can't you stop being a monk? In fact, a harsh negative attitude is present only in the minds of too many Christians who are jealous at the expense of others. They absolutize the vows that a monk takes. God is the Absolute. This means, in their opinion, the vows are absolute and cannot be broken. Therefore, nothing earthly, not even good, not even an honest marriage, can compensate for the renunciation of monasticism. Even if a Christian stopped being a monk not for the sake of some kind of villainy, but because of the realization that this was not his path, or did it for the sake of a new family, it is believed that he is doomed to eternal misfortune, because he betrayed God. Theology, church legislation, and especially the Gospel do not provide grounds for looking at monasticism so categorically. Of course, vows made to God are a very important thing and refusal from them cannot be approved. But at the same time, there is no magical power in the vows, they do not regenerate a person and do not bind him with “evil karma.” A monk is still a person and a Christian who has chosen a special path of life with God, and not slavery. Monastic vows vary at different times and in different ranks. This means that emphasis and wording are secondary, the main thing is a sincere desire to serve God. It is also known that when a monk becomes a bishop, he ceases to be a monk. His vows of obedience and non-covetousness become meaningless. A bishop is a ruler—the head of the Church. He is also a person vested with power, making decisions and managing property. And if vows can lose meaning, then it is impossible to perceive them with absolute immutability. And, most importantly, the God of Christians is Living and Personal. For the sake of people, Christ suffered, died on the cross and rose again. And if monastic life begins to destroy a person, leads him not to perfection, but to degradation, then doesn’t God see this, does God wish evil to man? It is impossible to believe that Christ would behave like the devil and appeal to a contract “signed in blood”, demanding his sacrifice at all costs. Monasticism, in its ultimate depth, is always a personal story of two - the monk and God. Yes, it is framed by the framework of the charter that the person accepted, and the rules of the monastery to which the person came. And if for some reason a person leaves the monastery, then, despite the disapproval of this step, this is his personal matter, as long as he does not cease to be a Christian. Psychological interpretation In the well-known Orthodox categoricalness, I see a psychological moment. Having come to the Church, people begin to live, follow the rules and regulations, the advice of the holy fathers and priests - and over time, from their own experience, they understand that not everything works, not everything can be done the way they want, the way someone else wants. The church life that one dreams of at the beginning has the peculiarity of not coming true. Over the years, Christians gain experience and mature, but they understand that the inner life is not very transformed. Strength dries up, there is less enthusiasm, but sin does not completely go away. There are those who take as an axiom the correctness of everything (namely, everything) of the Church, denying the possibility of a positive understanding of their unsuccessful experience, they acquire a feeling of guilt, and it deprives them of support and guidance. A way out is sought in dreams, that there is, after all, a place where everything is fine, there are special people who succeeded. What had to be done is truth and truth, only we ourselves are bad. The monks proved this. The hope never dies that you can not only barely pray in the morning and evening, but can easily do it 12 hours a day. You can not only get up at 7 am for work, but also not sleep at all. Not only occasionally reproach yourself for self-will, causing pain or offense to someone, but also remain in absolute obedience to God. You can not only reproach yourself for excesses, but also have no property at all. And suddenly, it turns out that some of the monks drive expensive cars, others live in luxury and hang out with bohemians. It turns out that not every monastery lives by its own labor, there is no that experienced simplicity, deep prayer, holiness. And also... it turns out that the monks began to leave monasticism. And this is already a break in the pattern! It’s as if precious sand is slipping through your fingers. Therefore, there is nothing left but to convince yourself and others that renunciation of monasticism is impossible, that such a decision is a terrible sin, evil and, in fact, apostasy. Yuri Belanovsky
First and second degrees of priesthood
In Orthodoxy, all clergy are divided into two types:
- Black, monastic, who takes a vow of chastity.
- White. It may or may not be married.
Therefore, the answer to the question of whether priests of the first and second degrees can marry depends on which of the two types they belong to.
Only those belonging to the white clergy are allowed to marry. But they can do this only before they are invested with the diaconal or priestly rank. After they have created a family, they have the opportunity to be ordained. Can a priest have children after joining it? Yes, they are allowed to have children.
What if the wife dies or decides to leave her husband? In such a situation, the clergyman must remain alone. He can either become a monk or remain in the status of an unmarried priest, but he is prohibited from remarriage.
There is another form of celibacy for priests, which will be discussed below.
