Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, one of Pope Francis' most trusted aides, has spoken out in favour of banning mandatory clerical celibacy. He also supports allowing Catholic priests the option of marrying.

Four days earlier, Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin made the same recommendation in an interview with Der Tagesspiegel, a Berlin-based daily newspaper.

"It would be better for everyone to create the possibility of having both celibate and married priests," Cardinal Marx said.

"For some priests, it would be better if they were married. Not just for sexual reasons, but because it would be better for their lives and they wouldn't be so lonely," the cardinal said.

"I think that things as they are cannot continue like this," he added.

Cardinal Marx commissioned the ‘Munich Report' on clergy sexual abuse in his Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

The report severely assesses sexual abuse perpetrated between 1945-2019 in one of Germany's largest dioceses.

It alleges that at least 235 priests sexually abused "497 known victims", pointing out that the numbers are likely even higher.

The report found that former Munich and Freising archbishop, ex-pope Benedict XVI, mishandled four abuse cases in Munich in the 1980s before becoming a pontiff.

Archbishop Koch said that although celibacy is a "strong testimony of faith", it does not have to "be the exclusive route to priestly ministry".

The 67-year old Koch said he knows "how strong the faith and preaching power of many married people is".

"I always say this to young priests: living alone is not so easy", said Cardinal Marx.

"And if some say: without the obligation of celibacy, they will all get married! My answer is: so what! If they all marry, it would at least be a sign that things are not currently working."

Sources

La Croix International

National Catholic Reporter

The German cardinal's motivation is his firm rejection of clustering parishes to resolve Germany's shortage of priests.

The shortfall of priests in Marx's archdiocese of Munich and Freising is clear.

He says of its 1.7 million Catholics, there was only one candidate for the priesthood this year.

Furthermore, he says not all the priests in his archdiocese are in the position to run parishes.

Giving lay people parish leadership roles would mean reconsidering and reorganising the requirements for admission to the priesthood, he says.

To test his idea, Marx has announced plans to run a pilot project using a selection of parish leadership models.

The positions would be full-time and staffed by lay volunteers.

Marx stresses the importance of retaining individual parishes. He says by using lay parish leaders, the Church's local presence will be guaranteed.

This "is most significant," he says.

"We would waste a great many opportunities if we were to withdraw from our territorial roots. It is a case of remaining visible locally."

Marx says his views are supported by the Second Vatican Council's "priesthood of all the faithful" and canon law.

Source

• La Croix
• LifeSite
• Image: Catholic Herald