Top Irish Catholic cleric calls for church to end celibacy for priests

Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) – A respected former Catholic bishop in Ireland is calling for an end to clerical celibacy in the wake of the sex abuse scandals that have rocked the church worldwide, and says he finds it "heartbreaking" that some prospective priests turn away from the calling because of the celibacy rule.

In his recently published book, "A Troubled See, Memoirs of a Derry Bishop," Dr. Edward Daly said that allowing clergymen to marry would ease many of the church's problems.

There needs to be a place in the modern Catholic church for a married priesthood, said Daly, a prominent figure in the Catholic church in Ireland and the most senior Irish cleric to question the Vatican's celibacy rule.

Daly, 77, reiterated his views in local radio interviews in Northern Ireland Tuesday.

"There will always be a place in the church for a celibate priesthood, but there should also be a place for a married priesthood in the church. I think priests should have the freedom to marry if they wish," the former bishop said.

"It may create a whole new set of problems but I think it's something that should be considered.

The retired bishop said he was worried about the decreasing number of priests and the number of older priests. The issue "needs to be addressed and addressed urgently," Daly said, adding that he finds it "heartbreaking" that priests were forced to resign or prospective priests were unable to join the priesthood because of the celibacy rule.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told CNN Tuesday: "The position on celibacy is clear."

Daly said he accepted he might be out of step with current Vatican thinking, but he was "not engaged in a popularity contest."

Correction: There needs to be a place in the modern Catholic church for a married priesthood, said Daly, a self important yet extremely ignorant figure in the Catholic church in Ireland and the most senior Irish cleric to question the Vatican's celibacy rule(sic).

21 of the 22 Churches sui juris which comprise the Catholic Church, ordain, as a norm, married men. All 21 of them have a shortage of Priests.

By allowing married men to be priests, you would minimize the homosexual pedophiles.

A specious argument at best which is contradicted by the behavior of the following:

Sexual Abuse of Children By Protestant Ministers

I'd like to hear your explanation for the behavior of all these public education employees since you can't blame it on celibacy.

In addition, most abuse cases in the Church involved ephebophiles, not pedophiles.

This is not to say the(sic) are not hetero pedophiles,

The vast majority of pedophiles are married men who molest their own children.

I found the following article to be quite interesting :

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_01011993_chisto_en.html

Priestly celibacy in patristics and in the history of the Church

by Roman Cholij
Secretary of the Apostolic Exarch for Ukrainian Catholics in
Great Britain

EXCERPT:

It is clear from the New Testament (Mk 1:29-31; Mt 8:14-15; Lk 4:38-39; 1 Tim 3:2, 12; Tit 1:6) that at least the Apostle Peter had been married, and that bishops, presbyters and deacons of the Primitive Church were often family men. It is also clear from epigraphy, the testimony of the Fathers, synodal legislation, papal decretals and other sources that in the following centuries, a married clergy, in greater or lesser numbers was a normal feature of the life of the Church. Even married popes are known to us.

________________________

I am not questioning the celibacy rule of the Roman Catholic Church, I am simply questioning a statment made by a previous poster ( see Post #9 ) that the history of mandatory priestly celibacy is 2000 years old.

I do agree that the Roman Catholic Church has its own ecclessiastical rule and those catholics who will disobey ought to be honest with themselves and ask themselves if they really want to be a member of the church. If so, they should OBEY.

Jesus selected married men to be his(sic) disciples.

Jesus chose many people, both men and women, to be disciples. He chose 12 men to be His Apostles only one of whom had been, at one time, married. Apparently you don't know the difference between a disciple and an Apostle.

I believe St.Paul first argued that men of the cloth live a single life.

You would be quite mistaken.

But clearly it was not from Jesus.

"Who said to them: All men take not this word, but they to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it." Matthew 19:11-12(emphasis added)

St. Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians were inspired by Almighty God thus your incorrect claim that "it was not from Jesus" is moot.

If Catholics were truly being sincere in their rational(sic) of celibacy, they would admit it was not a requirement from Jesus himself.

If you were truly sincere you'd admit that while unintentionally exposing your ignorance of Scripture you've shown everyone that you're ill-equipped to be discussing this topic with any semblance of credibility.

It came a couple of hundred years later

Incorrect.

Too bad we can't get a time machine and bring Jesus Christ to give his(sic) opinion on the matter... Me thinks he(sic) would say something that would stun Church leaders.

We've already got His words on the subject and we've also got St. Peter's as well, which you've apparently never read either.

"And account the longsuffering of our Lord, salvation; as also our most dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, hath written to you: As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:15-16

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