The prohibition of marriage for priests in the Western Latin Church was primarily enforced by Pope Gregory VII (also known as Hildebrand) in the 11th century during the Gregorian Reforms. While earlier councils in the 4th and 5th centuries (such as the Council of Elvira in 306 and the Council of Laodicea in 363-364) began restricting clerical marriage and advocating for celibacy, these rules were
