Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry?
|11:03 UK time, Tuesday, 18 May 2010
An Austrian Bishop says the Catholic church should drop its rule that priests must be celibate and allow them to marry, to encourage more men to join the priesthood.
This view is shared by a majority of Italians, with 65% of those asked in favour of abolishing celibacy.
Some Catholics, including the Archbishop of Vienna according to some reports, have suggested the paedophile priest scandals could be linked to the issue of celibacy.
But others argue that celibacy is a spiritual gift and it is 'nonsense' to link it to child abuse.
Talking about celibacy Cardinal Hummes says:
This unique and privileged relationship with God makes the priest the true witness of a singular spiritual paternity
Should the Catholic Church allow its priests to marry?
