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While the practical considerations you raise are valid, I have to disagree with your first statement.

Firstly, the Church has always allowed it for the Eastern Rites.  Secondly, whether the priest can save his soul is between him and God.

In many Traditional Catholic chapels, the priests show up for two-three hours per week, hear Confessions, offer Mass, and then get on a flight to the next place.

So as far as that chapel is concerned, the priests is VERY "part-time".  So what's the difference between that and having a priest for, say, 40 hours per week?

If people need the Sacraments, and if the priest has the Catholic faith, etc. then his being married is not "enough" reason to avoid the Eastern Rite.

There are in fact SOME pluses.  Priests who have to deal with their wife and children might be in a better position to understand some of the dynamics involved when people come to them with marital problems and problems with their kids.

Furthermore, considering that the Church *HAS* (for better or worse) allowed this, presumably God can and will take their dual vocation into account when judging their soul.

I can also say from personal experience, as someone who left the Eastern Rite (where our priest was married) for the SSPX, it was *far* easier to get a one on one meeting with the Eastern Rite priest, and he was available *far* more often.

mind, I still think I made the right decision, because, *sighs* there was a lot of heresy and modernism in that place not to mention serious capitulation to the government recently well beyond just a "we'll do what we have to to avoid getting dragged out in chains", but I think you're on the money here, a married priest who *doesn't* have to travel constantly may well have more time for his parishoners than a trad priest who has to travel to 2+ locations.

Furthermore, while I get that celibate priesthood is the ideal (and as such, the fulness of the priesthood, episcopacy, must always be celibate) I'm open to the notion that there may be wisdom in a married priesthood *if* for whatever reason (particular issues in our society) its impossible to get enough genuine celibate vocations and instead is suffering infestation from ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity etc.

Er... Wheeling is in West Virginia.  Totally different state.  This said, it is in that weird skinny strip that juts up between Ohio and Pennsylvania.  It borders Ohio, and Pennsylvania is about five miles away to the east.  Conflating Virginia and West Virginia can cause issues if one ever visits the latter.

But as to the important part, I have met Fr Carley before, he used to offer Holy Mass at the fire station in Cross Lanes, West Virginia (suburban Charleston), and I was traveling through the area and stayed overnight one time, 1996 IIRC.  Outstanding priest.  May he remain healthy in length of years.

Yes, I know it’s WV.  Just a typo as I was typing very fast.  I drove Fr. Carley down there a couple times ... while he took the opportunity to pray his breviary.