Nine out of ten Irish Catholics believe priests should be allowed to marry - POLL

Not too long ago many priests in the West of Ireland were married. When the bishops were brought back, some were wise enough to look the other way, knowing that a married priest was less likely to become alcoholic or sexually promiscuous. Same for Italy and other places. At the time of Henry VIII in England, before the Reformation, only two of the bishops were celibate, unmarried. Cardinal Wolesley, almost the Pope, was married. And then there's the famous Miler Magrath, who managed to be both the the Pope's and Queen Elizabeth's Archbishop of Cashel. He was married three times (no divorces), and had 17 children, and raised them all strict Catholics.

As a historian, and former seminarian, I have seriously researched celibacy and other mandates of the church. Since Nicea, censorship of gospels without a focus on centralized hierarchy (that don't endorse the current pecking order)and mandates like strict obedience and celibacy, are all about control, not spirituality. Worldwide control has no room for clergy to have allegiance to family, or for them to use church property to care for them. Direct communion with Christ and resolving daily issues within one's own conscience, essentially cut the hierarchy out of absolute control of the thoughts and actions of church members. It is interesting that current theologians use that language to define a "cult".

How about doing something like Orthodox churches do. A future Orthodox priest can marry before being ordained but once ordained can not marry. I have a friend here in the USA who is in a three year graduate program to become a Deacon in the Catholic church. As Tom explains it the Catholic Church using Deacons for a number of Catholic priest functions addresses some of the scandals involving the priesthood in the Catholic church. Not being religious at all here it does seem a bit silly to have a celibate priesthood.

How many centuries will it take for Rome to get this urgent message and stop sticking their collective heads in the sand?

Problem is 7 of ten priests want to marry little boys!

It's unatural for a human to be stopped from getting married for any reason.