As horrid sex scandals envelop the Roman Catholic Church, a debate has arisen about the practice of clerical celibacy and the right of Catholic priests to marry and raise a family.
Some prominent “conservative” Catholics are demanding the Vatican rethink its position on celibacy and start giving priests the choice to marry. Britain’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, on the heels of his retirement amid allegations of sexual impropriety, recently told the bbc, “I’d be very happy if [priests] had the opportunity of considering whether they should be married. Many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy … and felt the need of a companion, of a woman, to whom they could get married and raise a family.”
