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Leading priest predicts the end of celibacy in the Catholic Church

Three-time Nobel Prize nominee makes remarks on Irish television

By
PATRICK COUNIHAN,
IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Monday, January 23, 2012, 7:09 AM
Updated Monday, January 23, 2012, 11:16 AM

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Is this the end of celibacy for Irish priests?
Is this the end of celibacy for Irish priests?
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A leading missionary priest has claimed that celibacy will soon be a thing of the past – and described it as a ‘business arrangement’ for the Catholic Church.

Fr Shay Cullen has earned three Nobel Peace Prize nominations for his work saving hundreds of children from a life of sexual abuse in the Philippines.

For the past 40 years he has worked with the children in a Filipino city of Olongapo.

Speaking to legendary Irish broadcaster Gay Byrne on state television station RTE, Fr Cullen predicted celibacy will soon be outdated.

“Celibacy is only a practice mostly to keep property out of the hands of married couples, it’s more sort of a business type of arrangement,” said Fr Cullen.

“All of the other Christian churches manage very well and many Anglicans who were married and had family and children and came over to the Catholics and were warmly accepted.

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“Now we have many married priests in the Catholic Church and it is working, so why not?

“It is only another step to abolishing this celibate thing and getting on with life.”

Speaking of his work in the Philippines, the priest told the RTE programme that his faith kept him from being frightened away by the local mafia.

He also engaged the wrath of the country’s former first lady Imelda Marcos when he exposed the rape of Filipino children to the rest of the world.

“I just couldn’t ignore it but I got the heat for it. Imelda Marcos wasn’t pleased, the wife,” he said.
“They started to deport me and put me on trial and all these legal harassments. We succeeded in beating the raps in the court so I stayed on.

“I like to think of God in terms of the existence of eternal goodness and the power and the force of love.”

The Irish Independent reports that, in a frank interview, Fr Cullen revealed he currently has 35 cases going through the courts in his adopted country.

“I never doubt what I am doing. It is the right thing to do. Nearly every new day we have some new case of the rape of a child. It’s terrible. I see torture, abuse, human rights violations every day,” he said.

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32 Comments

15 - 32 | See all comments

EdMahoney | Jan 25, 2012, 02:52 PM EST
It is unfortunate that the Catholic Church does not allow priests to marry. The apostles were married. The restriction of marriage is un-natural. It also attracts those men that have a serious sexual problem & cannot face the real world. I truly hope that Rome changes things quickly. We've seen the results not only in Ireland & the U.S. but all over the world.
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OBPiper | Jan 24, 2012, 10:52 PM EST
This is great news! The Church long allowed marriage and was egalitarian towards women in its hierarchy for a millenium or so, and I eagerly await it findings its roots. As a lawyer, I assure you that the Churche's assets can be structured to keep them out of the hands of spouses, children, etc. BTW, my ancestral name is Byrne (before my great grandfather from Laoighis-Kildare changed it.
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ciaradexy | Jan 24, 2012, 07:59 PM EST
I reckon all Irish people would rather the rape of children by priests ended first.
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SingleDonald | Jan 24, 2012, 11:34 AM EST
I worked with a woman, who had, sadly, lost a son to AIDS, in 1994. While he was in an HIV section, at old St. Claire's hospital, in NYC, he met many HIV afflicted priests. Though gay himself, this lady's son was dismayed that there were so many homosexual priests in the Catholic Church! He felt that the priesthood shouldn't be a "Gay Men's Club", as it was later described in a segment of "60 Minutes".
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fatherelijah | Jan 24, 2012, 02:14 AM EST
Fr. Cullen speaks the truth although he is a bit too tactful. The bishops like in every century were particularly territorial and tyrannical in there rule. They devised up celibacy to defang the married pastors who would pull away from the bishop after a dispute regarding money and other such hot topics. The pastor with the support of wife and family would leave the church property and finances to them. With celibacy every priest would lose his backing and would be forced to remain obedient to his bishop despite how crooked he was. Celibacy is not of God since marriage was God's plan for man and woman. Even in the legend of Christ he never directed any of his followers to be married and in fact, he was married. Scripture must be interpreted that way by necessity since every rabbi was married that is true without having the actual documents the church discarded about the marriage. When Jesus was asked by the young man how to be perfect he never called him to be celibate, but to sell all he had and follow him. The church will have to allow marriage soon because it attracts mostly homosexuals to the ministry. Nearly 8 out of 10 priests are homosexual and that is truly an understatement.
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FGreggMeagher | Jan 24, 2012, 01:55 AM EST
According to statistics and witnesses, who have abandoned the priesthood > The Catholic Church will have to move in the direction of 'Same sex Marriages' next... among the religious ones. That's ok! What is important is that they stop raping and abusing small children!
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forflann | Jan 23, 2012, 08:55 PM EST
Reply tp Lambopolis: While your comment is it would seem meant with tongue-in-cheek Donna Woolfolk Cross presents, in her book, Pope Joan a good case for a short reign of a monk John Angelicus as Pope. So perhaps your idea may have some truth. 824 was a turbulent era, Sarecen invasion of the Vatican,poisioning of Pope Leo, presure from the Emperor to seat his man on the throne of Rome, by force if neccesary. The monk, a woman who had received a good Greek education with her brother, took his place when he was killed in a viking raid. She only wanted to serve God and learn the practice of Medicine. In 853 she chosen Pope, only to be found out 2 years later. The writer spent 7 years on research. it's not impossible in such times an inconvient piece of history could be removed. At the council of Nicea, 50 books in use by the early Christians were removed from what we now call the Bible. Those Christian priests and Elders married, Women were a part of the service. The Cathars were the last people who were Gnostic and they were wiped out in France, mid 1,000's. Theybelieved inservingthe poor, or sick in a selfless way, and did not believe in having riches, or having golden implements at their services. THEY seem to have been true followers of Christ's way, too bad Rome didn't see it that way.
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JoePatAl | Jan 23, 2012, 08:38 PM EST
About Time!!! Of course, the current backwards thinking and acting Pontiff won't agree but the time has come. Afterall, despite the Church's teaching, deep down I always did believe that Jesus WAS married to Mary (even before the Davinci Code came forth)and that the celebacy stuff was just 'man made.'
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charlie50 | Jan 23, 2012, 07:02 PM EST
May I direct people to John Paul II's Theology of the Body and the Chapters explaining "Continence for the Kingdom" that clearly implied by Jesus as documented in Scripture. It is the best explanation I have read. Calling celibacy a "business arrangement" reveals an attituded grounded in the worldly view of life and a lack of spiritual depth.
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bobtheknob | Jan 23, 2012, 06:14 PM EST
I think the popularity of the missionary position will reach unprecedented heights.
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CitizenWhy | Jan 23, 2012, 05:41 PM EST
Come to think of it, castration for RC priest is not a bad idea. It will cut down on the sex problems.
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CitizenWhy | Jan 23, 2012, 05:39 PM EST
Well, in the Eastern Roman Empire the threat to alienation of royal property came from generals, not married priests, so priests were allowed to be married and generals were castrated. Of course this practice was surrounded with pious nonsense, such as the court of the emperor resembling that of God in heaven since the angels were sexless and so were the generals. Actually, those cynical Byzantines were probably just exercising a warped sense of humor by using that simile.
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Curitiba | Jan 23, 2012, 04:29 PM EST
With the greatest respect Father John, it is the Catholic church that is falling apart, especially in the face of charismatic Protestant sects and Islam. There was a report in the UK papers about prisoners converting to Islam to get better food. They are better organised and aggressive in seeking converts than than we are. Less and less young Irish and other European people are going to church. I have seen many young European women dressed in hijabs lately. I even saw an Irish guy who had converted to Islam in my local supermarket. I was flabbergasted to hear his Irish accent. As others have correctly stated, celibacy for priests has been in existence since the First Lateran Council in 1123. If the Catholic Church survive the challenge posed by other religions, the first thing it must do is abolish celibacy. That way you will get a greater pool of talent willing to become priests. Secondly, more worldly and younger Popes must be elected. Goodness and holiness is not enough in today's political world. Leave celibacy to the monks. If the Church is not assertive enough in getting its message across to the masses and does not find a way to make itself a central part of people's lives, it will lose more young people who will drift away to atheism, evangelical churches, or be seduced by the uncompromising message of the other religion I have mentioned, which happens to be Europe's fastest growing faith.
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seanomelbourne | Jan 23, 2012, 04:14 PM EST
FRJohn is out of touch with reality. It's not known if Jesus was married or not was "the Magdalene" his partner in life.Marriage was not forbidden until some pope signed off on it.
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CelticLady51 | Jan 23, 2012, 03:44 PM EST
I think that ending celebacy would be a good thing. One thing we know is that the ban has not stopped all priests and nuns from sexual contact and then there is the fact that the church is a hiding place for pediphiles! Not that the end of celebacy will totally stop that, but perhaps if priests and nuns were free to marry, it would attract a better field of candidates for both callings.
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