Pope Francis may lift Catholic priest celibacy one day (1 Viewer)

[gianmarco]

Love this Pope

One in 50 clerics is a pedophile, Pope Francis said in an interview published Sunday, in which he also hinted that the mandate of priestly celibacy may one day be lifted.

Francis condemned child sex abuse as a "leprosy" in the church and cited his aides as saying that "the level of pedophilia in the church is at 2 percent." That figure includes priests "and even bishops and cardinals," Italy's La Repubblica daily quoted Francis as saying.

The figure represents about 8,000 priests out of more than 400,000 worldwide, according to the latest statistics from the Vatican.

Francis promised "solutions" to the issue of priestly celibacy, the Italian publication reported, raising the possibility that the Catholic Church may eventually lift a ban on marriage for priests.

Asked by the paper whether priests might one day be permitted to marry, Francis noted that celibacy was instituted "900 years after our lord's death" and that clerics may marry in Eastern rite churches under Vatican leadership.

"There definitely is a problem, but it is not a major one. This needs time, but there are solutions, and I will find them," Francis said, without giving further details.

But Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the quotations in the newspaper on the existence of pedophile cardinals and the possible reform of priestly celibacy did not correspond to what the pope actually said.

"This is not at all an interview in the normal sense of the word," he said, accusing the newspaper of "manipulating ingenuous readers."

Off-the-cuff statements made by the pope often lend themselves to ambiguity, according to the BBC. Although wanting to show a more compassionate attitude than his predecessors regarding church teaching, this can sometimes cause

consternation among his advisers, the BBC reported.

The interview was the third in a series with the 90-year-old founder of La Repubblica, Eugenio Scalfari, a famous journalist and known atheist.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Bump to see what the Catholics here think about the possibility.

I think it's a necessary move in the long term. Celibacy is a huge disincentive for (non-pedophile) people to become priests, and the Church is having a hard time attracting people to the clergy.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

The celibacy policy has always been an extremely bad idea IMO. (I'm not a catholic, but I wish the catholic church well).

 

[MattFancy]

As a Catholic, I don't really have an opinion on this one either way. If they let Priests marry or not have to be celibate, it certainly wouldn't stop me from going to church.

 

[mquinnjr]

Bump to see what the Catholics here think about the possibility.

I think it's a necessary move in the long term. Celibacy is a huge disincentive for (non-pedophile) people to become priests, and the Church is having a hard time attracting people to the clergy.

I think they need this badly. Need to progress somehow as a religion.

If the Vatican can't find a way to allow women to be priests, they need to find a way to allow priests to not have to be celibate. If not, it will continue to attract (not saying it's all of them) pedophiles who, by virtue of ever acting out their wants, are felons.

They desperately need to open one of those two avenues, women priests or married non-celibate male priests.

 

[TPW]

Bump to see what the Catholics here think about the possibility.

I think it's a necessary move in the long term. Celibacy is a huge disincentive for (non-pedophile) people to become priests, and the Church is having a hard time attracting people to the clergy.

Are you inferring that celibate people are pedophiles by default? It sure reads that way.

The Apostles were married so I see no reason a priest shouldn't be allowed to marry. It would be a good way to incrementally cleanse the clergy of closeted homosexuals.

 

[jon_mx]

I am not sure what good one-day is going to do?

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Bump to see what the Catholics here think about the possibility.

I think it's a necessary move in the long term. Celibacy is a huge disincentive for (non-pedophile) people to become priests, and the Church is having a hard time attracting people to the clergy.

Are you inferring that celibate people are pedophiles by default? It sure reads that way.

What I'm implying is that non-pedophiles are likely to have a bigger issue with celibacy than pedophiles are. Most pedophiles, I suspect, would greatly prefer to remain celibate, just as most alcoholics would prefer to remain sober, even as their temptations get the better of them. Most non-pedophiles, on the other hand, would greatly prefer not to remain celibate.

 

[Jayrok]

I first read the thread title as the pope lifting it for one day (per year) for the clergy to get their collective freaks on.

 

[TPW]

Bump to see what the Catholics here think about the possibility.

I think it's a necessary move in the long term. Celibacy is a huge disincentive for (non-pedophile) people to become priests, and the Church is having a hard time attracting people to the clergy.

Are you inferring that celibate people are pedophiles by default? It sure reads that way.

What I'm implying is that non-pedophiles are likely to have a bigger issue with celibacy than are pedophiles. Most pedophiles, I suspect, would greatly prefer to remain celibate, just as most alcoholics would prefer to remain sober, even as their temptations get the better of them. Most non-pedophiles, on the other hand, would greatly prefer not to remain celibate.

Change it to "homosexual pedophiles" and I would agree with you with respect to the attraction of the clergy for some and a remaining celibate. The overwhelming majority of cases involve boys, not girls.

I would also add that all children are about 100 times more likely to be abused in a public school than by a priest.

 

[Sabertooth]

They should. They need too. There simply aren't enough Priests anymore. Being able to marry and have sex would greatly increase those number one would think.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Bump to see what the Catholics here think about the possibility.

I think it's a necessary move in the long term. Celibacy is a huge disincentive for (non-pedophile) people to become priests, and the Church is having a hard time attracting people to the clergy.

Are you inferring that celibate people are pedophiles by default? It sure reads that way.

What I'm implying is that non-pedophiles are likely to have a bigger issue with celibacy than are pedophiles. Most pedophiles, I suspect, would greatly prefer to remain celibate, just as most alcoholics would prefer to remain sober, even as their temptations get the better of them. Most non-pedophiles, on the other hand, would greatly prefer not to remain celibate.

Change it to "homosexual pedophiles" and I would agree with you with respect to the attraction of the clergy for some and a remaining celibate. The overwhelming majority of cases involve boys, not girls.

I would also add that all children are about 100 times more likely to be abused in a public school than by a priest.

Okay, but there are way more teachers than there are priests.

Any occupation that involves working with kids is always going to attract a disproportionate number of pedophiles.

 

[Jayrok]

The first pope was married.

 

[General Malaise]

The first pope was married.

Jesus was married, for crying out loud.

And if you watched the Frontline piece on the Catholic Church, the priests that live in the Vatican are already having as much sex as they want.

 

[proninja]

Any Catholics who are more familiar with the polity than I am know how the mechanics of this would work? Would the Pope need to wait for nicea 3? Can he just declare?

 

[igbomb]

As a Catholic, I've long thought that is one of those changes that feels inevitable and also seems to be the right thing to do. You knew it wasn't going to happen under Benedict but it looks like Francis is starting to gather support for the idea.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

I first read the thread title as the pope lifting it for one day (per year) for the clergy to get their collective freaks on.

I did too. Like "The Purge" but with more grayhair balls.

 

[Banger]

I'm not religious but Pope Francis is the best thing that's happened to the church in a llloooong time. I really like his reasonable approach in comparison to his predicessors.

 

[TenTimes]

I first read the thread title as the pope lifting it for one day (per year) for the clergy to get their collective freaks on.

I did too. Like "The Purge" but with more grayhair balls.

In theaters tomorrow 73% rotten tomatos

(the movie, not grayhair balls)

 

[Rohn Jambo]

All evidence points to raising Catholic membership is Francis's number one priority. He knows he has to get the swing votes to win against Islam.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/19/pope-homosexuality-church-gay_n_6010904.html