While this tradition is common in the church's countries of origin in the Middle East, the ordination of married men among Eastern Catholic communities in the diaspora was authorized by Rome only in 2014.
“Before we begin Amar’s ordination, I must ask for his wife’s consent.”
These words, spoken by Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, September 1 at Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in Sarcelles, in the northern suburbs of Paris, marked an unusual moment for the French Catholic Church.
In Eastern Churches, however, the ordination of married men is permitted.
Since the late 19th century, only celibate Eastern priests were allowed to serve in the West to maintain consistency with Latin rite priests.
But in 2014, the Vatican allowed Eastern bishops to ordain married men in Western countries.
So, on that September Sunday, Amar Agag, father of three, became the first married priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church to be ordained in France.
Role of the wife in the ordination
In this rite, the wife’s consent highlights her role in her husband’s commitment. “In a way, the ordination involves her too. The calling is for her and the entire family,” Agag explained. His wife was deeply involved in the discernment process.
After he felt called to the priesthood, the couple attended spiritual retreats in various church settings for a year. “My wife and I answered yes together,” he said.
When Agag first sensed his calling shortly after getting married, he hesitated. A Chaldean priest had once told him, “I see you becoming a priest someday.”
Agag thought his marriage might complicate his path to ordination.
Yet this calling echoed one he had heard as a child. In 1994, his family left their native Iraq for Jordan and later moved to France.
In Jordan, a Maronite priest, whom Agag assisted serving Mass and visiting the sick, once told his mother, “Leave your son here; I see him becoming a priest one day.”
At the time, his mother declined.
Facing challenges along the way
Once in France, Agag's calling was confirmed again—this time by a Muslim. Working as a driver for the Iraqi embassy, the ambassador once asked him, “Why don’t you become a priest?” Recognizing this repeated calling, Agag began discerning his vocation.
At first, both he and his wife were concerned about the challenges. With two children and a third on the way, they wondered, “How are we going to manage?”
But Agag was convinced they had to trust in divine providence. “God opened every door and provided everything we needed,” he said.
His mother-in-law agreed to care for the children while the couple attended weekend spiritual retreats.
Agag also adjusted his professional life. He resigned from his job at the embassy to work independently as a driver for people with disabilities. This gave him the flexibility to pursue his studies.
After three years of evening classes at the Collège Saint-Bernard in Paris to become a deacon, Amar continued his Bible and pastoral theology studies.
Balancing parish and family life
“Normally, the training takes seven years,” Agag explained. “But I was ordained earlier because our community needs more priests: in Paris, we need a priest who speaks Arabic.”
Amar will now serve as the pastor of Notre-Dame-de-Chaldée, the first Chaldean church built in France in 1992 in the administrative district of Paris centered around the charming hilltop Montmartre.
Looking ahead, Agag knows he will face the challenge of balancing parish and family life. After working during the week as a driver, he will dedicate Friday evenings, some Saturdays, and Sundays to his parish duties with his family by his side.
“We’ll be together, but I’ve explained to them that when I’m with the parishioners, I’m Father Amar. That means I’m the father of everyone,” he said, ensuring no special treatment for his family compared to his parishioners. “At the same time, it’s important for my family to be with me at church.”
As a married priest, Agag believes he brings a unique perspective to the church. “I can speak from experience during marriage preparation. I understand the challenges couples face, and I know the issues that come with raising children.” Since his ordination, Agag has felt “a great sense of joy” in his home.
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church, one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with the pope, enjoys autonomy in areas such as canon law. The church holds significant importance in the Middle East, especially in Iraq, where it maintains a notable presence, with about 80% of Iraqi Christians belonging to the church.
The Chaldean Catholic Church has been headquartered in the Cathedral of Mary, Mother of Sorrows, in Baghdad, Iraq, since 1950 and has a membership of about half a million, most of whom live in the Middle East.
The largest number of Chaldean Catholics found outside the Middle East is in Michigan, United States. Iraqi Cardinal Sako, primate of the Chaldean Catholic Church, currently resides in Baghdad, with eparchies worldwide.
The Chaldean Catholic Church is a descendant of the Church of the East (the ancient Patriarchal Province of Seleucia-Ctesiphon) in Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, and draws on the heritage of the first ancient Church of the East, the one that brought Christianity to Persia, India, and China. Its origins go back to the preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle and his disciples, Addai and Mari, in the first century A.D.
The
Church of the East is now divided into four Syriac churches:
the Chaldean Church,
the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Church of the East, and the Syro-Malabar Church.