Catholic Church's Ban On Priests Having Sex 'Temporary': Pope Francis Welcomes Reviewing Celibacy Practice

Pope Francis said that there is no "contradiction" for a priest to marry and that the 11th-century celibacy rule was only a "temporary prescription" in an interview with an Argentinian news outlet.

Pope Francis welcomes reviewing celibacy practice, calls it 'temporary prescription.'

Source : Getty

New Delhi: Pope Francis suggested that the Catholic Church may review its thousand-year-old practice of celibacy.

He said that there is no "contradiction" for a priest to marry and that the 11th-century celibacy rule was only a "temporary prescription."

While speaking to the Argentine publication Infobae, Pope Francis said, “There is no contradiction for a priest to marry. Celibacy in the Western Church is a temporary prescription: I do not know if it is settled in one way or another, but it is temporary in this sense.”

“It is not eternal like priestly ordination, which is forever, whether you like it or not. Whether you leave or not is another matter, but it is forever. On the other hand, celibacy is a discipline,” he added.

Celibacy was only made a requirement by the Roman Catholic Church in the 11th century. It was majorly introduced for financial reasons as clergy without children were more likely to leave wealth to the Church.

When asked if celibacy would be reviewed by the Vatican, he responded, "Yes, yes. In fact, everyone in the Eastern Church is married. Or those who want to. There they make a choice. Before ordination there is the choice to marry or to be celibate.”

Francis' remarks on celibacy marks a shift from his position in 2019, when he said, “Personally, I think that celibacy is a gift to the Church. I would say that I do not agree with allowing optional celibacy, no."

The German Synod has just voted on a resolution requesting the Pope to end the obligation for priests to be celibate. 

Speaking about rising divorce rates, Pope Francis said that young people were sometimes too quick to get married.

He said, "Sometimes one goes to a wedding and it seems more like it's a social reception and not a sacrament."

"When young people say forever, who knows what they mean by forever," he added.