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cali

(114,904 posts) Fri Feb 22, 2013, 04:21 PM Feb 2013

Holy crap: Allow Catholic priests to marry, urges Cardinal Keith O'Brien [View all]

The Scottish Catholic leader, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, has said he would be happy for priests to be able to marry. Many priests struggle to cope with celibacy and should be able to marry and have a family, he added, in advance of a trip to Rome where he will help elect the next pope.

O'Brien told the BBC: "I'd be very happy if others had the opportunity of considering whether or not they could or should be married. It's a free world and I realise 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."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/22/alllow-catholic-priests-marry-cardinal

32 replies

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Holy crap: Allow Catholic priests to marry, urges Cardinal Keith O'Brien [View all] cali Feb 2013 OP

'bout fuckin' time, somebody other than the Catholic Lay said it publicly... Volaris Feb 2013 #1

Likely to late, I doubt the Church will change. Katashi_itto Feb 2013 #30

Bet his odds on making Pope just went down CanonRay Feb 2013 #2

To about zero...nt joeybee12 Feb 2013 #11

No white smoke for him, I'm betting. MineralMan Feb 2013 #3

When I first saw that timdog44 Feb 2013 #20

Make him Pope! Drunken Irishman Feb 2013 #4

Obviously with this quote he is not interested in the top job Tanelorn Feb 2013 #28

Let there be married priests and the Church would thrive. onehandle Feb 2013 #5

Let there be women priests (and deacons, and bishops, and cardinals). It would thrive even more. SharonAnn Feb 2013 #6

It's a slippery slope! randome Feb 2013 #8

STOP IT RANDOME Skittles Feb 2013 #15

!!! Man on dog confessionals!! Bucky Feb 2013 #26

I'm in favor of that, however who knows how many people would leave the church. onehandle Feb 2013 #9

Well, it might not be quite a matter of "leaving" at that point skepticscott Feb 2013 #19

Sure but do we want it to thrive? randome Feb 2013 #7

Rome is looking to Africa to fill that need. Ikonoklast Feb 2013 #13

Put a ring on it, Padre! kenny blankenship Feb 2013 #10

I know some priests who would make sweet couples... hunter Feb 2013 #12

Why not? RebelOne Feb 2013 #14

We have a married Catholic priest, with children, here in the PHX diocese. blueamy66 Feb 2013 #16

I'm all for allowing Catholic priests to marry and have children, also! calimary Feb 2013 #21

It's a longstanding practice. I think it goes back to the 70s. Bucky Feb 2013 #27

Let them have sex like normal people and marry whoever they want. jsr Feb 2013 #17

It is the only hope for the long-term survival of the church (nt) LuckyTheDog Feb 2013 #18

Our priests in the Orthodox Church can marry. knitter4democracy Feb 2013 #22

The early Catholic Church did allow priests to be married. ... spin Feb 2013 #23

Geeze, that recently? Bucky Feb 2013 #25

Good for him! St Peter was married. Episcopal priests do okay with spouses. Bucky Feb 2013 #24

Unmarried priests leave no heirs rhiannon55 Feb 2013 #29

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the "LAST POPE" Katashi_itto Feb 2013 #31

I think requiring celibacy used to be good, but it's too big a hurdle nowadays. reformist2 Feb 2013 #32