Sexual immaturity and poor formation are to blame for the sex abuse crisis the Church is facing, says a Canadian nun with a doctorate in clinical sexology. The crisis does not mean “the end of faith” but rather “the end of a lack of formation and the end of deviance,” and a call to return Read more
Cardinal Reinhard Marx says the Catholic Church in Germany is embarking on a “binding synodal process” to tackle three key issues that arose from the clerical abuse crisis. These include priestly celibacy, the Church’s teaching on sexual morality and a reduction of clerical power. Marx, who is the president of the German bishops’ conference, says Read more
The Vatican’s rules for priests who father children will not be made public. Alessandro Gisotti, a Vatican spokesman, says a 2017 document synthesised a decade’s worth of procedures and that its “fundamental principle” was the “protection of the child”. The document is for internal use only. Gisotti explains the rules say a priest who fathered Read more
On Holy Saturday, The New York Times published an article by Nicholas Kristof with the provocative title “God and Her (Female) Clergy”. The article focuses on the increasing numbers of women entering the clergy, particularly in Christian denominations, claiming a “right” they had previously been denied. More than that, the article claimed that a further Read more
Two Catholic priests from Slovakia have been suspended after publishing a book on celibacy. They say celibacy is “the wound of the Catholic Church that has been festering for eight centuries”. Read more
There has been a clamor among some priests to abolish mandatory celibacy and make it optional. For them, celibacy is a burden that is very difficult to live with. They contend that if it was made optional, more men will be attracted to the priesthood, especially at a time when there is a shortage of Read more
The Church should do more for single people, says French journalist Claire Lesegretain. “This is the Church’s blind spot. It’s there, very present, but nobody talks about it. We don’t see them,” she says. Lesegretain, who is single, believes the relationship between the Church and single people should be looked at from a vocational perspective. Read more
Celibacy and secrecy are the major reasons child abuse is so prevalent in the Catholic Church, a new report says. The report, Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: An Interpretive Review of the Literature and Public Inquiry Reports, was co-authored by Prof Des Cahill and theologian Dr Peter Wilkinson. Cahill, who helped the Australian Read more
With the release of a shocking report from Australia on accusations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests, the old question is bound to arise: “Is the discipline of celibacy to blame for sexual abuse of minors?” The complicated question is dealt with in historian Philip Jenkins’s excellent study on the problem. Published in Read more
According to some reports, the next synod may touch on the question of ordaining married men. If we are to have such a debate, it should be based on fact, not fantasy. You will sometimes hear people say that priests could be married up to the 12th century. Others say that celibacy was imposed on Read more