Should Priests Be Allowed To Marry

[sp1814]

Cardinal Keith O’Brien says that priest should be allowed to marry.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/priests-should-be-allowed-to-marry-and-have-sex-says-britains-top-catholic-8507564.html

This would be a pretty major change, bringing Catholic priests in line with their Anglican counterparts.

Good idea?

(PS. Cardinal Keith O’Brien is vehemently opposed to same sex marriage, but happily, he seems more flexible on this change to a 'centuries old tradition').

[emmie]

yes, i have never understand any reason not to.

[boxtops]

yes, I think they should.

[JeniPeni]

I think its a good idea, there might be a lot more men happy to join the priesthood then as their numbers are rapidly declining.

[emmie]

for some it must have been very difficult to have those feelings, love for another human being and not be able to do a thing about it, apart from leave the church, or cheat?

[DSJ]

Yes, definitely. I believe at once time even Popes married.

[boxtops]

I used to have a friend who "cared" for a Catholic priest. I was staggered at the concept. He lived on his own in a Church house, and a bunch of women parishioners did all his washing, cleaning and cooking, and saw it as their Christian duty to look after the priest. He let them do it, too.

[VHG]

>>>>Cardinal Keith O’Brien says that priests should be allowed to marry.

Each other?

[JeniPeni]

well - if a group of men were going to cook, clean and pander to my every whim, I would let them do it too!!

[Iluvspikey]

Absolutely!! I see no reason why not, I think it would be a great help in their ministry to their congregations

[emmie]

i read a good book some time back, sorry forgotten the name, about Catholic priests and how they were often targeted by young women, trying to turn them away from their faith, by getting them into bed, some priests most definitely succumbed...

[LazyGun]

Yes. I have always felt that the vow of celibacy had very little to support it. And it might just have stopped a few of em allowing other urges to motivate them...

[pdq1]

At least it will stop the priests going into their own confession box.

[joko]

yep, they may as well enjoy their time in this life - because its the only one theyve got!

[sp1814]

boxtops

Now I have an image of a gang of Mrs Doyles, descending on some poor parish priest!

[jim360]

In Christian issues you may as well turn to the Bible:

"It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." [1 Corinthians 7:8-9]

Here "They" isn't meaning priests but single people, and it's in the context really of Paul thinking that the World might be ending soon, but still: given the sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church, perhaps that warning about "burning with passion" is worth the Church taking note of.

Let the Catholic Church decide, but I don't think it's a bad thing for priests to marry.

[DaisyNonna]

Yes, they should be allowed to marry. After all, they are only human.

[CailinDeas]

The Catholic Church would, of course, have to cough up decent salaries to enable them support a wife and family. At the moment they live on a pittance.

[FredPuli43]

Allowed to marry AND have sex? I say, steady on!
Yes, it has no foundation in scripture.

[askyourgran]

I was amused to read about the ladies who try to tempt the priests. Years ago there was a programme on TV something like The Devils Advocate, I think Darcus Howe was the presenter. It was a very late night programme, the guest was the Bishop of Lincoln, a very handsome man in his fifties, and a woman from the Catholic Post she was practically squirming in her seat when the Bishop said he was celebate to be able to concentrate on his ministry., almost on his knee by the time the programme finished. I've often fancied going to Lincoln to see that lovely guy myself. Of course they should be able to marry how can their lives be fulfilled by trying to ignore human feelings.

[DaisyNonna]

A friend of mine married a Roman Catholic priest after they had a child. He lost his church but not his faith.