UNITED KINGDOM
Herald Scotland
Gerry Braiden
Local Government Correspondent
CARDINAL Keith O’Brien, Britain’s most senior Catholic cleric, has surprised the faith across the globe by controversially claiming he would be happy for priests to marry and have children.
On the eve of his departure to Rome where he will help select the next Pope, Cardinal O’Brien, who leads the Catholic Church in Scotland, said many priests struggle to cope with celibacy and should be given the choice to marry.
The cardinal is understood to have expressed a long-held personal view and will have supporters among fellow members of the conclave that will elect the successor to Pope Benedict XVI.
He said: “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 realise that 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 of their own.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.