Catholic Priests: Cardinal Says They May Be Able To Marry

The Cardinal says Catholic priests should be allowed to marry and have children.

Britain’s most senior Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O’Brien said Friday that Roman Catholic priests should be allowed to marry and have children. He says it would help them to cope better than a vow of celibacy.

According to the Guardian, Cardinal Keith O’Brien told the BBC:

“I’d be very happy if others had the opportunity of considering whether or not they could or should be married. It’s a free world and I [realize] many priests have found it very difficult to cope with celibacy as they lived out their priesthood, and felt the need of a companion, of a woman, to whom they could get married and raise a family.”

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, 74, stepped down from his former duties in the Roman Catholic church in Scotland last year because he was getting on in the years. He states that when he was active on the front lines, he struggled with celibacy and he would like to see that problem resolved for future priests.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien added:

“I would like others to have the choice. In my time there was no choice, you didn’t really consider it too much. It was part of being a priest when I was a young boy, priests didn’t get married and that was it. When you were a student for the priesthood, well it was part of the package, as it were, that you were celibate, that you didn’t get married and you didn’t really consider it all that much, you just took your vows of celibacy the way someone else would naturally take their vows of marriage.”

According to Yahoo News, Cardinal Keith O’Brien will among the cardinals to choose the next Pope in the wake of Benedict XVI’s departure.

Do you think Catholic Priests should be able to marry as the Cardinal suggests?

Catholic Priest on News wants Priests to be able to Marry. “Why?” he’s asked. “It’s a free World…”. Wonder if he voted against Gay Marriage?

— Martin ‘Jez’ Bury (@BFCJez) February 22, 2013