Monday, January 23, 2006
IRISH CELIBACY IN THE CATHOLIC PRIESTHOOD
As we await the encyclical on "eros", the Sydney Morning Herald reports that priests in Ireland have already discovered it:
Bishop Buckley runs the Bethany organisation in Larne, County Antrim, which he set up to provide support to those in love affairs with the clergy.
When the statistics were widened to include homosexuals, Bishop Buckley said up to 40 per cent of the Catholic clergy in Ireland were sexually active. Counselling sessions organised by Bethany have disclosed that several women were unwittingly having sex with the same priest.
Bishop Buckley claimed the church's hierarchy was prepared to turn a blind eye to sexual indiscretion because it was so widespread. "Bishops are caught between Rome and the priests and, of course, some of the bishops are in same position," he said. "From the top down it is hypocritical. We are preaching compulsory celibacy, but very few are living it."
Some days I wonder why I've been faithful to my marriage vows. Being faithful to vows is obviously not the Catholic thing to do. Maybe I'm really a closet Baptist.
