Q&A Home > P > Priesthood

• Are priests allowed to “retire” from their service or limit their willingness to serve to the point where their congregation is suffering as a result?
• Can priests trim their beards? How about monks? What is the meaning behind the beard and how did it originate?
• How does a bishop get to know who to choose to ordain as a priest?
• If a father's son becomes a priest, will the father call his son "father" or "son"?
• If the Bible itself teaches us not to live luxurious lives filled with earthly materials, why do our own religious leaders such as priests have some of the most expensive houses furnished with the most expensive imported furniture? I understand that they sacrifice almost everything in their lives for their service, but their luxurious lifestyles go against all of the modesty that they preach to the congregation. Examples: why buy a house with the most expensive property tax, why furnish your house with all imported (Italian) furniture, why drive Cadillacs and Lexuses? Why not help at least the impoverished of their congregation, if not the impoverished of their community, as Jesus taught us? It seems hypocritical not to practice what you preach. We, as youth, begin viewing the priesthood as a well-paying job rather than a humbling service to the Lord. I understand that neither a bishop nor the Pope would set price ranges for these issues, and that’s not what I seek. What I seek is why this feeling of modesty does not come from within?
• Is the official ecclesiastical opinion for an Orthodox priest or bishop only established by Church council or by revelation of the Holy Spirit followed by submission to Church authority? If this tabernacle of David restoration (Amos 9:11) is happening, what does Orthodoxy have to say about it?
• My brother and I were always under the same impression that a priest is called by God through the Holy Spirit, instead of being chosen by a congregation. In the back of my mind, I have always wondered how a godly man who is a priest can have qualities that aren't Christ like. Once I became aware of the process of choosing a priest, I cannot help but question even further a priest's qualifications. How can I trust that he is truly chosen by God and not just by people?
• What seminaries prepare laypersons for ordination in the Coptic Church? Any in Florida?
• When can a priest remarry and in what situation?
• Why do Bishops and Priests wear black?
• Why is a priest allowed to marry?