Irish bishop: end priestly celibacy requirement

Friday, September 16th, 2011

Retired Irish Catholic bishop, Edward Daly has added his voice calling for the end of the church’s celibacy requirement for priests.

“Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, major decisions must be made,” Daly writes in his new book A Troubled See, Memoirs of a Derry Bishop.

Daly, who as a priest, and waving just a white handkerchief, protected the wounded from the British Army’s bullets on ‘Bloody Sunday‘, is still a respected figure in Ireland, says he is worried about the decreasing number of seminarians and that many good priests are leaving the priesthood, in major part due to the requirement of living a celibate life.

Priesthood forces men to choose between God and family, Daily said and many good men, well qualified candidates for priesthood find the celibacy rule a personal sacrifice that goes too far.

Daily said he found it heart-breaking that during his time as a bishop so many priests and seminarians left the ministry because they found a celibate life too difficult to live.

He is also concerned about the number of ageing clergy, who are at a time of their life that they should be retired.

“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,” Daly wrote.

“I think priests should have the freedom to marry if they wish. It may create a whole new set of problems but I think it’s something that should be considered,” he says.

At 77, Daly is now retired, and the Catholic Church in Ireland was quick to point out that Daly was talking in a private capacity.

Recently Bill Morris, Bishop of Toowoomba, Australia was forced to retire early, in part for comments he made about priestly celibacy that were misrepresented by a disaffected group in the diocese.

Celibacy has been a requirement for Catholic priests since the 11th century.

Married Anglican priests have long been welcome to join the Catholic Church priests, and Pope Benedict XVI recently established the Ordinariate, a legal structure inside the Catholic Church to welcome many hundreds of Anglican priests who want to be Catholic but maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion.

Sources