A Catholic Reverend Father was recently suspended for living a double life after his secret wedding to his USA based lover exposed.
In my candid opinion, the solution to high rate of scandals rocking the Catholic Church especially those perpetuated by the Reverend Fathers is for the Pope Francis to do holistic review of the doctrine of Priesthood in Catholicism.
Personally, I think it’s high time, we told ourselves the truth about celibacy and Catholic Priesthood.
Because few weeks ago, It was announced that Pope Francis will be given open Gay priests who are ready to maintain their chastity/celibacy a chance to serve as priests in Catholic churches.
This decision by the Pope tells a lot about this subject matter on scandals particularly amongst the priests, over the years
We need to remind ourselves that we are humans first – and as humans we are sexual beings too.
This is not an attempt to attack Catholic doctrines but it’s just the way I feel about the height of the secret life of these priests.
Many of whom, (not all) but some percentage live a lie for many years before deciding to give up their priesthood.
Mostly after being caught or probably got tired of the charade.
While I would always celebrate those Priests who have been consistent, dedicated and stay true to their vows to God by maintaining their chastity till the last day, I would also want to add that those who were caught or gave up along the line shouldn’t be blamed.
They are only but human.
Back to my suggestion on holistic review of priesthood bye-laws/doctrine in Catholicism, I think this review should include giving any aspiring priest options to chose between celibacy and having a partner, after some years in the service or when they feel they can no longer maintain the celibacy status.
Furthermore, flexible options to opt out after a specific period of time/service in the church can also be introduced.
These options will help them to reevaluate their decisions toward their vows to the church, so as to live the kind of life that would bring them happiness in the long run rather than living a life full of scandals – which may bring shame to the body of Christ.