UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter
by Thomas Reese | Mar. 19, 2013
In an 2012 interview about celibacy, then-Cardinal Bergoglio notes that in the Eastern churches priests can be married and “They are very good priests.” He says that “It is a matter of discipline, not of faith. It can change.”
He states his support for celibacy in the interview. “I am in favor of maintaining celibacy, with all its pros and cons, because we have ten centuries of good experiences rather than failures,” he explains. “Tradition has weight and validity.”
But what is remarkable is the way he qualifies his statements: “For the moment, I am in favor of maintaining celibacy….” Likewise, when he notes that some organizations are pushing for more discussion about the issue, he says, “For now, the discipline of celibacy stands firm.”
“For the moment,” “For now” are not the kind of qualifications one normally hears when bishops and cardinals discuss celibacy.
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