Scotland's Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who was born in Ballycastle in Antrim, has said he would be happy if priests were able to marry. His remarks have created worldwide headlines as he is the first major church figure to voice such an opinion.
O'Brien added that it was quite clear that many priests struggle to cope with celibacy, and they should be able to have families if they wish.
'I would like others to have the choice. In my time there was no choice, you didn't really consider it too much. It was part of being a priest when I was a young boy, priests didn't get married and that was it.'
Speaking to the Telegraph, he said that some basic beliefs like opposition to abortion and euthanasia were of 'divine origin' and could never be challenged, but a new Pope could consider whether the church should change its stance on other issues like priestly celibacy.
'For example the celibacy of the clergy, whether priests should marry – Jesus didn't say that,' he told BBC Scotland.
'There was a time when priests got married, and of course we know at the present time in some branches of the church – in some branches of the Catholic church – priests can get married, so that is obviously not of divine of origin and it could get discussed again.'
O'Brien, who is the leader of the church in Scotland, has admitted that in his own case he had never personally thought about whether he wanted to get married as he had been 'too busy' with his duties.
But he added: 'In my time there was no choice and you didn't really consider it too much, it was part of being a priest. When I was a young boy, the priest didn't get married and that was it.
'I would be very happy if others had the opportunity of considering whether or not they could or should get married.
'It is a free world and I realise that many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy as they lived out their priesthood and felt the need of a companion, of a woman, to whom they could get married and raise a family of their own.'
Traditionally, the church requires celibacy as a sign of total dedication to Christ and his followers, and it also served to prevent a priests extended family from inheriting his property or making financial claims.
O'Brien is the only man in Britain with a say in who succeeds Benedict XVI and says he believes it might be the time for a younger pontiff from part of the developing world, including Asia or Africa, where the Catholic faith is thriving.
'It is something which the cardinals have to think about seriously, having had Popes from Europe for such a long time now – hundreds of years – whether it isn't time to think of the developing world as being a source of excellent men,' he said.
53 Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.chrisiwu | Mar 05, 2013, 08:57 AM EST
Celibacy of the Clergy has come to stay in the Church. To solve the acute shortage of Priests, old married men can be ordained to minister in remote and small parishes. Such Priests will not aspire to be Bishops. Reasons for Celibacy include ECONOMY. It is far easier to send a single Priest as a missionary than send a man with children. Imagine if all the Cardinals in Rome lived with their wives, children and grandchildren.
seanomelb | Feb 25, 2013, 07:13 PM EST
Wrong again Seanmor he has resigned and will not attend the conclave.
SeamusMor | Feb 24, 2013, 10:29 PM EST
His Eminence will be a great Pope!
seanomelb | Feb 24, 2013, 07:31 PM EST
Indeed Eiriamach if he were a saint he would be British to paraphrase Brenda fricker when accepting the oscar. I am now a "British actor" when I was found drunk in the street I was Irish. Or the British politician commenting on Day-Lewis been nominated for "In the name of the father" blightly stated "I knew him when he was British" and so the list goes on.
olovely | Feb 24, 2013, 05:20 PM EST
Its pathetic that Cardinal Keith O'Brien is against the only form of marriage that would allegedly interest him. But nothing surprises me about this shower of chancers now.
OBPiper | Feb 24, 2013, 03:55 PM EST
Aye, as they did before the Celtic Church became Romanized. As I asked my father as a young boy, "Dad, since we are Irish Catholics, why do we go to a Roman Catholic Church?!?"
falconflash | Feb 24, 2013, 02:16 PM EST
It can be confusing eiriamach....personally, I am Irish by blood, race, what have you, but American by citizenship. So, O'Brien may be Irish by blood (or ehnic-wise for you liberals) and born in Ireland, but if he was raised in Scotland and/or resides there now he may well be considered Scotch too. How about yourself, genius?
eiriamach | Feb 24, 2013, 01:09 PM EST
Interesting -- this article refers to O'Brien as "Irish born." The article about allegations that he had inappropriate sexual relations with a seminarian and priests calls him "Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien." When IC is proud of him, he's Irish, and when shameful charges attach to his name, he's Scottish?
warlocks | Feb 24, 2013, 01:35 AM EST
Well i for one think a priest should have the option to Marry or not. i know that before the 14 th century a priest could marry it's not a law handed down by God in fact the Bible states God said to Multiply . How do we know that Jesus was not Married ? as a Catholic i think the church would cover the fact up they have covered up so many sins of the church History its hard to tell Fact from fiction.
falconflash | Feb 24, 2013, 12:52 AM EST
Websters dictionary: Devout 1) devotion to religion or to religious duties or exercises. So, marriage does not make one less devout but WOULD make him less of a priest do to time restraints....hey, marriage hurts my golf game too but who give's a darn.
falconflash | Feb 24, 2013, 12:29 AM EST
Define devout...I would define it as someone who spends a lot of time in prayer and nurturing sick people, etc....a married guy has to be more concerned with his career or else he's wife and kids don't live so well. Cardinal O'Brien is correct that the married guy has a lot to offer but they already do that as husband, father, co-worker and coach of his son's/daughters sports clubs.... excellant callling but a little bit differant than a priest.
curtisjohnson | Feb 23, 2013, 11:47 PM EST
Cyn – “I agree with Cardinal O'Brien (a rare thing). Marriage does not make anyone less devout.” True, and there is no proscription for it in the Bible – in fact arguably the opposite.
cillowen | Feb 23, 2013, 11:22 PM EST
marriage likely makes them steal from the poor box - and makes kids born to 'em a bit off.
cillowen | Feb 23, 2013, 11:19 PM EST
they've gone protestant - most if not all in Erin and Euro - trying to suit, fit within their most hated reject, they who insist having nothing to do with his crucifiction.
Cyn | Feb 23, 2013, 09:36 PM EST
I agree with Cardinal O'Brien (a rare thing). Marriage does not make anyone less devout. In fact, it may even make the average priest and then successive generations of bishops and Cardinals more compassionate toward the families in their parishes. I do believe that if priests were allowed to be legitimate parents the child molestation scandal would not have been tolerated the way it was.
Smyrnian | Feb 23, 2013, 07:44 PM EST
Alisann - get a grip in reality. Pedophile predators preying on children has absolutely nothing to do with marital status. Please think more clearly.
falconflash | Feb 23, 2013, 07:37 PM EST
Another source of good priests could be those men who have been practicing Catholics all their lives and AFTER they have raised their kids, they could study to be priests....a retired older Catholic man who has experience as a father, teacher, cop etc would be a great source of understanding and compassion....
falconflash | Feb 23, 2013, 07:34 PM EST
Well, maybe a priest until he decides he want to be a family guy.....then he can leave but still be a deacon. We can't be paying for his kid's braces and tuba lessons.
Tooreenagrena | Feb 23, 2013, 06:00 PM EST
Although a real outside bet for Pope, I think he does not want the job and wanted to make sure.
Scottmcgowan | Feb 23, 2013, 04:49 PM EST
The Cardinal is right on target in this regard. on t oi in this regard. For hundreds of years the Irish Church fought with Rome over this issue. For the first thousand years of the Church we had a married clergy - and even some of the orders in Ireland had married members. With the lack of priests today, this should be the way to go. As the Cardinal pointed out, the Church has 17 other rites and most of them allow a married clergy. Were not the Apostles married!
redhand32 | Feb 23, 2013, 04:39 PM EST
I guess he pretty much 86ed his chances to be the next Pope with clear-headedness like that !
seanomelb | Feb 23, 2013, 04:36 PM EST
A brave cardinal indeed well done. Little robin (bird brain) is a religious bigot and anti Irish.
alisaann | Feb 23, 2013, 04:31 PM EST
GOOD for him....and i agree with him...it MIGHT cut down on the rapes committed by the priests, on children....and such....i also feel NUNS should have the same right as well. alisa
AmericanReader | Feb 23, 2013, 04:22 PM EST
I could not agree with him more. IMO his proposals would go a long way to recruit more well rounded priests, better suited to move the church in a more forward direction.
Nicomax | Feb 23, 2013, 03:43 PM EST
All marriages are civil before they are religious. And since I fully support married priest, they should first secure a marriage license from their local jurisdiction and then have their marriage blessed by a religious group of their choosing. As for the Catholic Church, they should encourage both of those who have just married also to become priests, which would help stem the decline, and then as a new family they could go out and preach the word of Christ to all who will listen.
eiriamach | Feb 23, 2013, 02:57 PM EST
Now that there's no pope for a while, there's no one to censor alternative views about church traditions and governance. Now's the time for other voices" to speak out. Yesterday, German Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula told the press that Catholic hospitals in Germany have a go-ahead to provide contraceptives to rape victims. Three weeks ago, the Cardinal of Cologne, Joachim Meisner, apologized for two Catholic hospitals refusing to give the morning-after contraceptive pill to a rape victim, and now the German bishops have adopted his position. The online report, at NCR, notes that "Meisner also said he will allow Catholic hospitals to offer abortion counseling in rape cases.... The archdiocesan statement also cited an action by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that allowed women religious who minister in areas of the world where they are in danger of being raped to take contraceptives." Good luck to the reformers -- if there are any -- in the conclave at the Vatican!
joan1954 | Feb 23, 2013, 02:52 PM EST
This is not new for him. He stated something similar when he became a cardinal.
EphraimKibbey | Feb 23, 2013, 02:50 PM EST
On a technical note, IC's "submit" button used to automatically refresh one's browser when clicked showing one's post. Strangely it still does that on SOME articles but not on this one and not on many others leading to multiple posts and great frustration for the posters. I discovered that if one's post does not show up, but one manually refreshes one's own browser after clicking "submit" using the button at the top, one's post usually immediately appears along with all the new posts that occured while one was checking the dictionary for the spelling of some big word that one did not want to be embarassed by using incorrectly. Now if IC would just provide a spell checker function our lives would be complete.
CitizenWhy | Feb 23, 2013, 02:41 PM EST
He's a pragmatist. He wants his parishes to survive. The imposition of celibacy on the western priesthood was a pragmatic solution to a practical problem: priests leaving church assets to their children. Now he is proposing a pragmatic solution to a real problem: the disappearance of priests. Of course his solution would close off the possibility of ordaining women, and I'm sure preventing woemn priests is something he desires.
EphraimKibbey | Feb 23, 2013, 02:35 PM EST
Do I detect a refreshing breeze of sanity about to blow through the conclave? While several commenters have broached the subject of the increased financial strain imposed on parishners to support a priest's family, they fail to acknowledge modern economic reality. In our society, most middle income lay families must have TWO breadwinners to make ends meet. If a priest choses to marry, he should get the same support he already gets and his significant other should be able to supply the additional income. Our Presbyterian church does not pay ministers more if the are married than if they are single. My wife and I soon found that it was cheaper living together than it had been each living on our own. It does get a bit tougher when the little ones come along. I think that, after the attitudes of the church heirarchy, the next real stumbling block will be the opinions of the current church attending and supporting catholics. The question is "have they been so brainwashed by the RCC misteachings of Christ's lessons that they will turn away from a reformed church?" The RCC has already driven away most of the reform minded members into the enfolding arms of more modern denominations or into just abandoning any formal church affiliation. Will they return if the RCC becomes more liberal or will the church find itself damned if it does change and damned if it doesn't? Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive! If you are discovered to have lied, will anyone believe you when you tell the truth?
johnbyrne | Feb 23, 2013, 02:29 PM EST
is this a breath of fresh air or was he at the wine. either way thats too much for the church to deal with they would need at least 2000 yrs. more to decide on it.well he can kiss goodbye to any thoughts of the gig in Rome with ideas like that running through his head, lucky for him their not doing burning at the stake any more
Collette2 | Feb 23, 2013, 02:10 PM EST
At least it will make honest men of them.
PhlutiePhan | Feb 23, 2013, 02:08 PM EST
The state of the Church has been very complex and cofusing since Vatican II. The acceptance of gay candidates for the priesthood has been very disconcerting. The scandal in Boston with Goeghan and Shanley was started by Archbishop Humberto Medeiros who sent chaplains into the gay community. The role of women has changed dramatically and with it their claim to abortion. The Church had better get its act together before they have a "humpty dumpty" situation. There are rumors that this next pope will be the last with good reason. The Jesuits are in the vanguard of belief that the "priesthood of the laity" will make decisions on right and wrong without a need for a pope. This is all within the context of the writings of Malachi Brendan Martin who stated that this turmoil was all within the context of a world socialist government.
phinsman | Feb 23, 2013, 02:07 PM EST
I completely agree... not just priests, but nuns, too. Celibacy is completely unnatural.
doolin1 | Feb 23, 2013, 01:41 PM EST
how about costs: education bigger house clothing medical how about service: sick calls when the wife is also sick no sundays off how about family life: adultrey divorce - girl friends confessions family entertainment 0n and on etc.etc. this guy is a nut
RobinForester | Feb 23, 2013, 01:40 PM EST
The Catholic Church have been writing and proclaimning God's words for over a 1000 years, they became so good at it that more often than not the Lord was'nt asked to sit in on the discussions? He okayed in his absence the 10% church tithes tax on all land, property and earnings, the confiscation of land to the church, the burning of heretics at the stake (to get rid of the competition) and they offered sinners eternal life and the keys to heaven. If your child died aged 3, then don't blame them, if your crops failed -ditto-, if you contracted Big C, was it there fault or Gods, wars, pestilence, genocide, slavery, they've seen it all and no matter what the ailment they've profited from it. Of course Priests should get married providing the ceremony is conducted inside a church and you pay the fees in the usual way, did someone say charity begins at home, what they meant was 'It certainly doesn't begin in a church'.
pilib04 | Feb 23, 2013, 01:32 PM EST
Seanmor, you ask where this discussion on the possibility of more married priests in the Latin Rite Church would "leave Gay priests. My guess it leaves them where they are right now and where many Gays who are not priests still reside, in the closet.
pilib04 | Feb 23, 2013, 01:29 PM EST
My apologies MEA CULPA, if this is a double post. A very low estimate is that 20% of Catholic (in communion with Rome) priests are married. Now, of course, Latin rite priests are a very low percentage and usually include Anglican converts and American national churches such as Ukranian-Greek. The Eastern rite Catholic Churches have priests who were already married prior to ordination. However, these priests must be celibate in order to become bishops. Ratzinger (Benedict) has been involved in the discussion of ordination of married priests going back to 1970. It should be noted that the first women priests were ordained in Germany by a retired German bishop. Within the Ukranian Greek Catholic Church there has even been a tendency towards the children of married priests becoming part of a special hereditary caste that led to their ordination as well. Good luck sorting this all out. The more you delve the more contradictory Rome's position becomes.
pilib04 | Feb 23, 2013, 01:26 PM EST
A very low estimate is that 20% of Catholic (in communion with Rome) priests are married. Now, of course, Latin rite priests are a very low percentage and usually include Anglican converts and American national churches such as Ukranian-Greek. The Eastern rite Catholic Churches have priests who were already married prior to ordination. However, these priests must be celibate in order to become bishops. Ratzinger (Benedict) has been involved in the discussion of ordination of married priests going back to 1970. It should be noted that the first women priests were ordained in Germany by a retired German bishop. Within the Ukranian Greek Catholic Church there has even been a tendency towards the children of married priests becoming part of a special hereditary caste that led to their ordination as well. Good luck sorting this all out. The more you delve the more contradictory Rome's position becomes.
Helen Ferone | Feb 23, 2013, 01:10 PM EST
It's time the catholic church up-graded their beliefs, and let the priests and nuns marry. It's easy to say when you are young that you will be celibate the rest of your life, but if you are honest with yourself you know that won't happen. They want to get married and have a family so let them, and vote in an younger pope.
Proud Canadian2 | Feb 23, 2013, 12:46 PM EST
Cardinal O'Brien should be commended for his courage for coming out and telling the RC world what should hahappen and should have happened years ago . Daro I loved your post it was right on it would be a better world if all that was able to happen.Katieherk if they aren't allowed to marry why would they be allowed to live in sin as the RC's would say if that was what you were getting at. Like I have said many times on here the Catholics have to come up to the 21st century.
darao | Feb 23, 2013, 12:04 PM EST
Go maith Mouseness ...Is mithid dona sagairt a bheith abalta a phosadh .. ...... le na mna agus na fir. A new era for the church.. openess to marriage of any church member with whomsoever they wish. Imagine a pope married to a nice fellow from Dublin town that he is deeply in love with. Wouldn't it be lovely and they out and about with their three little adopted children. They might then give their daughter the right choose how to manage her own reproductive rights instead of the current obsession of interfering. As they grow old together they might even choose to die with dignity in loving care with some help to leave before they lose any shred of their personal dignity. Imagine ..... what a wonderful world it would be..
Helen Ferone | Feb 23, 2013, 11:29 AM EST
It's about time someone spoke out in favor of priests getting married. When you're young you think celibacy is no big deal, but as you age you realize you want a wife and family, and who is the church to say you can't have this? Maybe it would cut down all the sexual allegations against the catholic church, and those are only the ones the public knows about not the ones swept under the carpet by the catholic church.
biggles008 | Feb 23, 2013, 10:25 AM EST
God made man to procreate. Is the Church going against god.
Mousemess | Feb 23, 2013, 10:18 AM EST
Is mithid dona sagairt a bheith abalta a phosadh. It's high time for the priests to be able to marry.
MichaelMcGrath | Feb 23, 2013, 10:16 AM EST
Though Cardinal O'Brien is a man I admire I think it is very wise that a Catholic priest should not be allowed to marry. However whether a priest should be celibate or not is something else to consider.
bern1952 | Feb 23, 2013, 10:14 AM EST
The Church can allow priests to marry. It is Church law and subject to change but with only 20 percent of Catholics attending Mass on Sunday how would we support two three families. We would have to pay them a wage capable of supporting 2 or 3 households of 5 or 6 people at least. As do the Protestant Churches we would also have to provide housing. I sure would like to see Catholics giving 10 percent of their income to the Church.
handsome68 | Feb 23, 2013, 10:08 AM EST
St. Peter was married; also see McNamara31's comment. Priestly celibacy was explained to us back in Catholic school as a special "charism". This may have been true in a different era, but the zeitgeist -- spirit of the times -- may have changed once again. A practicing Catholic for more than sixty years myself, I do think priests ought to be able to marry and have families, since temptation otherwise is seemingly insurmountable in a small (?) percentage of cases. Better that than to "burn with lust", to paraphrase one of the gospels.
CelticQueenUSA | Feb 23, 2013, 10:07 AM EST
This man sounds reasonable. Wait and see.
Mary Caulfield | Feb 23, 2013, 10:04 AM EST
Seanmor--Where would that leave homosexual priests? In the same place as other homosexuals, fighting for their equal rights. The sickening news leaking out of the Vatican now makes it clear people who deny their sexuality are prone to express themselves in perverted ways. Facing the truth, however hard, is always better than hiding it. That darkness breeds sickness.
McNamara31 | Feb 23, 2013, 09:13 AM EST
In the original Catholic Church (up to the 12th century) all priests were allowed to marry and the decision to make the clergy celibate was one of economics, and not faith. Many of the great problems the church faces today are because the Catholic Church broke from these traditional values. For centuries most Catholics were unaware of their married clergy's past, however now with the ease in which one can read past historical records of the church, all these "contractions" come to light.
faberm1 | Feb 23, 2013, 09:02 AM EST
It's about time. It is a man-made rule that doesn't belong in an institution which professes its own foundations to be based on the teachings and work of Jesus and the tenets in the Bible. There is nothing holy or admirable about celibacy.
Seanmor | Feb 23, 2013, 08:09 AM EST
When Cardinal O'Brien suggests that priests should be allowed to marry, many devout Catholics will agree with him but some won't. Is is as natural for ordained clergymen to desire to marry a woman as it is for the rest of us, but where does leave homosexual priests?