[The Iguana]

Clibacy is of course a dicipline, not a doctrine, albeit a discipline with some scriptural justification. There are actually thousands of married Catholic priests right now - mostly Eastern Rite Catholics, who share the Orthodox practice of allowing celibacy as an option. Others are Protestant minister converts given special dispensations to be ordained.

Getting rid of it would solve some problems. It would also create other ones.

I am not necessarily irrevocably opposed to it, but I always urge people to consider the drawbacks before getting too excited.

[american colleen]

I am not necessarily irrevocably opposed to it, but I always urge people to consider the drawbacks before getting too excited.

Sounds like a perfectly reasonable stance to me. I'm always shocked at the amount of Catholics who in knee jerk style, espouse a married priesthood as 'the cure' without bothering to either understand celibacy or examine some of the larger consequences we would have with a married priesthood. One problem a married priesthood wouldn't cure is the low percentage of Catholics who actually bother to attend Mass once a week.