Let's not be too quick to brag about the papacy.
Remember, their clergy are forbidden to marry and have children. Do you have any idea how much that benefits that organization monetarily?
You pay priests a pittance, ensure by a marriage prohibition that all their money comes back into the church instead of being divided in a will, avoid expensive cost of living expenses like family insurance coverage, child education and medical expenses, maternity expenses, family living expenses, costly family relocation expenses upon new priest assignments, etc., etc., etc., just to name a few.
The SDA church - which stands by the Biblical idea that "the bishop must be...the husband of one wife" - operates a global network of institutions of religion, healing, education, and disaster relief, as well as many others missions. It's the other one of the two women of Bible prophecy, the one being the Whore of Babylon who is unfaithful to God and His law, and the other who abides by the directive to "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony...and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 12:17; Revelation 14:12
Oh. You're a SDA.
OK. I love all my brothers in Christ.
Even though I hear you think I'mm going to hell for worshipping on Sunday.
Is that right?
Anyway, the original reason why priests were not to marry was so that they could devote their life to God and not have to worry about wives and children. Having children does create some problems for Protestant Pastors because they play with the children on the congregation and also attend the same school. His wife may not get along with all the women (you know how gals are) and there is also, nowadays, a monetary reason, as you've posted.
The whole system is different.
A pastor, pastors a church...one bldg or institution.
If he can earn enough from tithing he does not have to go to work.
If he does go to work, he is torn away from his duties as a pastor.
There are persons in hospitals, persons dying, persons that need to see their pastor, and he may or may not be around for them.
As to the salary a priest makes...I speak for here, I don't know about the states.
Here a priest makes as much as most men going to work. Those men support a family, I guess a priest would be able to also. But then he'd be torn just like our pastors are.
Some priest DO NOT WANT to be married, and are very happy as they are.
Some have conflict at some point in their life...some at about the age of 50/55 and some even as late as 70. It's only human to desire to have someone to take care of us when we need it...and priests need care just like the rest of humanity.
I just don't understand the hatred.