Priests should be allowed to marry

Ongoing revelations of sexual abuse by the clergy continue to rock Christian churches.

While it’s true that all denominations have had to deal with this scourge, the Catholic Church appears to have more than its proportionate share of cases.

Every time the issue seems to be under control, new reports emerge, most recently in Germany.

I take the view that most priests and men in religious orders are good people who wish to follow Christ and serve their fellow man.

If you begin to look at things from that premise, it’s easier to see how it might be managed.

I say “managed”, rather than “resolved”, because the nature of humanity is that sin and evil will always exist.

I’m concerned that some people are actually pleased to see the Church embroiled in controversy; it suits their own agenda to see the Church defensive and weakened.

For example, the call by atheist authors Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens for the Pope to arrested for “for crimes against humanity” is just a stunt.

The Pope has a responsibility to:

• Purge the Church of sexual predators;
• Hold to account those Bishops who have turned a blind eye in the past;
• Heal the wounds suffered by victims and families as much as possible;
• Implement reforms that minimise future instances of abuse.

In relation to the final point, there should be an immediate move towards allowing priests to marry.

The parish priest has a social job in a cloistered environment. That’s a contradiction which does not encourage typical men with good “people skills” to commit themselves.

The monastic orders are largely declining, which is a good thing. The very nature of their existence was a perfect cover for predators.

I’m not saying the majority of priests and brothers are perverts, far from it. In simple terms, the environment in which they live and work provides ample cover for those who wish to abuse the privilege of their positions.

I’d like to see a new order of married priests created. Let the individual choose celibacy or otherwise.

There have been subtle moves in this direction through the exemptions given to Anglican and Orthodox priests who have converted to Catholicism.

And, of course, celibacy has not always been a priestly requirement.

In 580AD the policy of Pope Pelagius II was not to bother married priests as long as they did not hand over church property to wives or children.

In the 15th century it’s been claimed that up to 50 percent of priests were married.

Allowing married men to be ordained today would attract a broader range of men to vocations and help address the shortage of priests.

It won’t completely solve the problem of abuse, but normalising the “workplace” will reduce the likelihood of predators sheltering behind the facade of celibacy.