[marshmallow]

I dare say we'll hear some follow up to this in the near future. This article doesn't go into much depth.

[marshmallow]

Ping!

[A.A. Cunningham]

Perhaps the younger Ratzinger and his colleagues hadn't yet had the time to read Paul VI's 24 June 1967 encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus.

[count-your-change]

Celibacy for priests is simply a church rule, not a a Scriptural requirement and could be changed with a stroke of the pen.
Given the past corruption of the clergy it would seem like a no brainer.

[lastchance]

My understanding is that it is no great secret that in early days then Cardinal Ratzinger was on the more “liberal” side of certain questions. None arising to any hint of embracing heterodox views.

[GCC Catholic]

I'd venture to say that this really isn't news at all. It is sufficiently well-known that the young Ratzinger was considerably more progressive than he was when he was Cardinal or now that he is Pope.

The older-and-wiser Ratzinger (now Benedict) knows much better - eliminating celibacy would not solve the problem... indeed, it would make the issue worse.