Two priests and a baby

Monday, August 26th, 2024

Two Steubenville priests made headlines this month, when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that they have legal custody of a two-year-old boy, who is living at their downtown parish rectory.

A judge will consider the boy’s situation at a custody hearing in October, with the child’s mother reportedly seeking to regain legal care of her son.

But while the outcome of the case has yet to be determined, the situation does raise canonical questions, and has prompted discussion among Catholics about whether priests can take legal custody of children.

So what’s happened? What does canon law say? And what’s next? Continue reading

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