Before before, priests and popes bin marry but wen and why dem stop am?

Cardinals from across di world go gada dis week (7 May) to elect di next leader of di Catholics for di world wey dey estimated to be 1.4 billion.

Technically, any baptised Christian male fit dey considered for di role, but evri Pope since 1378 don come from di ranks of di cardinals wey dey elect di pontiff.

While e dey difficult to predict who dem go chose as di next Pope, we fit dey practically certain say im no go be married man.

Di requirement of clergy to remain celibate bin dey spark heated debate witin di Church for centuries, and frequent calls dey for dem to accept married men - and women - into di priesthood.

Dis dia insistence on celibacy neva always be di case though: for di early Christian Church many priests - and more dan one Pope - bin get wife.

Married popes for di early Church

Di Vatican list one unbroken chain of 266 pontiffs, wey start wit St Peter, wey bin marry (di gospels mention say Jesus bin heal im mother-in-law).

Dis article wey dem publish for di Vatican website accept say for di early years "bishops, presbyters and deacons of di Primitive Church bin dey mostly come from family men".

"E dey also clear … say for di following centuries, a married clergy, in greater or lesser numbers, na normal feature of di life of di Church," e read.

Dis article add say, we sabi di married popes, "for example Pope Hormisdas (514-23), papa to Pope Silverius, im successor".

But e get many historians of early Christianity wey believe say Peter and Hormisdas bin no dey alone.

"Di first 39 popes na married men," na wetin Linda Pinto tok, co-chair of one US-based pressure group Catholic for Choice, wey dey campaign for an inclusive priesthood.

Di former nun - wey bin comot from di Church to marry a former priest - argue say, no special requirement for celibacy for di teachings of Jesus.

Oda experts wey di BBC bin do tok-tok wit, agree say many early church leaders bin get wives.

Professor Kim Haines-Eitzen from di University of Cornell for di US, an expert on early Christianity, tell BBC say "for di veri earliest stage we clearly get evidence say clergy dem bin dey married".

She argue say Christianity change afta e spread from di Jewish roots to di Greco-Roman world and dem kon get idea about serious self-discipline practices like self-control, solitude and celibacy.

Di Emperor dat time, Constantine bin proclaim Christianity as di state religion, wey bin give popes active political role.

"Di popes be, typically, members of aristocratic Roman families or friends of di ruling German emperors," Niamh Middleton, former lecturer in theology and philosophy for Dublin City University, tok.

Afta di fall of di Roman Empire for di 5th Century, one small kingdom around Rome becom di Papal States (756 -1870) wit di Pope as di ruler.

Di Church bin get wealth and power, and di age of political intrigue kon start.

"E bin dey common for popes, bishops and priests to marry and get concubines. All of dis, togeda wit sexual immorality during di 'dark age' of di papacy, as well as di problem of simony - di sale of Church offices and roles to make money - ginger Gregory to initiate major Church reforms," Middleton tell BBC.

Diarmaid MacCulloch, Emeritus Professor of di History of di Church for St Cross College, Oxford University, agree say, "di majority of clergy for di Eastern and Western Church up to di 12th Century go dey married and no doubt say dem get children," referring to di two power centres of di early Church in Rome and Constantinople.

Di Roman Catholic views on celibacy bin largely dey shaped by a "collection of theological ideas wey dem bin form for di eleventh and twelfth centuries", di author of di book Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity, believe.

Wetin di Bible tok about priestly celibacy and how e kon become rule?

Di pipo wey support di idea of say make priests no marry make reference to di example of Jesus imsef: di four gospels of di New Testament no mention any wife.

For di gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, Jesus also recommend celibacy for di pipo wey fit hold body "for di sake of di kingdom of Heaven".

For letters wey dem say Paul bin write, di apostle say e for beta well-well if evribody no marry and dem be celibate like am, even though for im first letter to Timothy, im say bishops fit marry only once.

Indeed, to stay away from sexual relations dey frequently praised by early Christians.

Two of di Church most significant theologians, St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas, bin promote clerical celibacy as a beta way to dedicate pesin life to spiritual pursuits.

But di road to celibacy wey become uniform and rule wey dem dey enforce for di Church don tey and dem still dey contest am.

For AD325, di Council of Nicea wey di Roman Emperor Constantine bin call, discuss di practice of priestly celibacy, and for AD692, di Council of Trullo bin make celibacy a mandatory requirement for bishops, but no be evribody bin follow di practice.

Clerical celibacy na one of di factors wey bin contribute well-well to di "Great Schism" between di Catholic and Orthodox churches for di 11th Century, (as e kon be for di Protestant Reformation more dan 400 years later).

Di Gregorian reforms of di 11th Century and di two Lateran councils of 1123 and 1139 bin enforce continence (to stay away from sexual relations) more seriously, and celibacy finally become a defining characteristic of di Western-rite Catholic priesthood sake of di reformation era of di sixteenth Century and di Council of Trent (1545 to 1563).

Afta dat, di Catholic vision of di priesthood "no allow di priest to be like oda men wey get wife becos im bin represent Christ for di Mass, wey no even marry," Dr James Kelly of Durham University explain give BBC.

"Di priest family now become im flock. So di expectation from both di Church but also di laity be say priest go be celibate," im add.

Rule breakers

Despite dis events, some popes bin legally marry bifor dem take Holy Orders. Di one we mention earlier St Hormisdas (514–523) dey believed to be widower during di time wey dem elect am, and afta dem bin appoint Adrian II (867–872) as Pope at di age of 75, both im wife and daughter bin dey live wit am for di Lateran Palace (until dem kidnap and murder dem, according to di 9th Century annals of St Bertin).

Dem believe say John XVII (1003) and Clement IV (1265–68) bin marry bifor dem become Pope, and odas bin get affairs and dem father children.

Two influential Italian women dey commonly identified as illegitimate daughters of cardinals wey for become Pope: noblewoman Lucrezia Borgia father na Alexander VI (1492 to 1503) - di Pope wey dem likely criticise di most for promiscuity - and Felice della Rovere, one of di most powerful and accomplished women of di Italian Renaissance, na daughter of Pope Julius II (1503 to 1513).

Borgia and della Rovere na rival pawns of di dynastic politics during dat time, wen powerful Italian families bin dey fight for influence and di papacy (dem bin see Lucrezia particularly as a villain, schemer, adulteress and poisoner).

"Di early life of di 16th Century reformer Luther bin unfold during di outrageously corrupt papal era of di Borgias.

Di second Borgia Pope, Alexander VI, bin get plenti illegitimate children," Middleton note.

"He (Martin Luther), also bin believe say forced celibacy fit lead to sexual immorality."

In addition, dem believe say different fifteenth and sixteenth century popes na father to illegitimate children.

BBC bin approach di Vatican and several oda Catholic institutions to comment on di history of popes and celibacy, but dem no reply.

Future of celibacy

Although di Church bin don show a degree of flexibility (dem relax rules to accommodate married priests from di Anglican and oda Christian churches, and dem don dey ordain married men as priests since for di Eastern-rite), both Pope Frances and im predecessor Pope Benedict XVI defend priestly celibacy.

Prof Haines-Eitzen expect di church to eventually accept married priests for rural areas - and ordain women - but believe say "we dey unlikely to see a married Pope for dis 21st Century".

Former Franciscan nun Linda Pinto na mother now and grandmother wey recently celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary. She no get hope say celibacy go change.

"Dem no go extend am to pipo wey dem born, baptise and raise for di Catholic Church," she conclude.