22/04/02
April 22, 2002
Archbishop opposes Pope's defence of celibacy
By Philip Pank
The Times
ONE of the most senior members of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland said yesterday that he was in favour of ending the celibacy of priests, a view opposed by the Pope. Pope John Paul II told bishops in Nigeria over the weekend that priests must continue to live celibate lives. However, the Most Rev Keith O'Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, said yesterday: "I have no problems with celibacy withering away. "There is no great theological argument against celibacy ending, nor any theological problem with it ending," he told the Sunday Herald. "A number of priests are very happy being celibate but the loss of celibacy would give greater liberty to priests to exercise their God-given gift of love and sex rather than feeling they must be celibate all their lives." His position stands at odds with that of the Pope, who said: "The value of celibacy as a complete gift to self to the Lord and his Church must be carefully safeguarded." Senior figures within the Church sought to play down talk of a rift. The debate has been raised at a sensitive time for the Church, which is reeling from a child sex abuse scandal in America. Senior Catholics, however, said that Archbishop O'Brien was right to reopen debate on the issue. Mark Morley, the director of communications for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said of Archbishop O'Brien: "If people of his calibre are saying that this needs to be discussed, then it does need to be discussed."
April 22, 2002
Archbishop opposes Pope's defence of celibacy
By Philip Pank
The Times
ONE of the most senior members of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland said yesterday that he was in favour of ending the celibacy of priests, a view opposed by the Pope. Pope John Paul II told bishops in Nigeria over the weekend that priests must continue to live celibate lives. However, the Most Rev Keith O'Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, said yesterday: "I have no problems with celibacy withering away. "There is no great theological argument against celibacy ending, nor any theological problem with it ending," he told the Sunday Herald. "A number of priests are very happy being celibate but the loss of celibacy would give greater liberty to priests to exercise their God-given gift of love and sex rather than feeling they must be celibate all their lives." His position stands at odds with that of the Pope, who said: "The value of celibacy as a complete gift to self to the Lord and his Church must be carefully safeguarded." Senior figures within the Church sought to play down talk of a rift. The debate has been raised at a sensitive time for the Church, which is reeling from a child sex abuse scandal in America. Senior Catholics, however, said that Archbishop O'Brien was right to reopen debate on the issue. Mark Morley, the director of communications for the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said of Archbishop O'Brien: "If people of his calibre are saying that this needs to be discussed, then it does need to be discussed."