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
The New Zealand Catholic bishops will continue to follow their own pastoral practices with respect to the children of priests rather than adopting the Irish bishops’ guidelines. The bishops’ spokesperson, Amanda Gregan, responding to questions from RNZ, said the bishops had “read with interest the Irish Bishops’ guidelines concerning children of priests”. However, “They will Read more
Mr Bill Kilgallon, director of the National Office for Professional Standards in New Zealand, says the Catholic Church as yet has no idea how many people in New Zealand may have a father who is or has been a priest. But he says priests’ children have the right to know who their parents are. He Read more
Ireland’s Catholic bishops have agreed to provide funds for any counselling required by clients of a support group for children of priests. Irish-based Coping International was assured by the bishops that this support would be forthcoming. The bishops made this decision at their autumn meeting in October last year. The therapy would be provided through Read more