Priests Should Be Allowed To Marry, Archbishop Charles Scicluna Says

By Ana Tortell

Archbishop Charles Scicluna stated that he thinks Roman Catholic priests should have the option to get married, according to Times of Malta.

He admitted to believing that the Church should look into revising its rules, saying that it is time for the issue to be seriously and effectively discussed, adding that he has also spoken about this at the Vatican.

Nonetheless, he acknowledges that this is not his decision to make, even as a Vatican official.

Scicluna explained that his opinion is rooted in experience.

He’s seen the Church lose good priests because of a young man’s desire to get married and he believes that this should not have to happen anymore – priests should be given the option to get married as they had in the first millennium of the Church’s existence, he argued.

The rule on celibacy within the Catholic Church dates back centuries and has been publicly debated numerous times, however, Maltese Church officials have always defended it, arguing that a priest’s life should be dedicated to the holy institution.

He nonetheless acknowledges that celibacy still has and will continue to have an important place in the Church, but priests should still be given the option to marry, just like in Catholic Churches of the Oriental rite.

Meanwhile, Scicluna brought up the fact that some priests are engaged in committed relationships while others secretly have children from those relationships. 

And this doesn’t just happen in Malta. It’s a global reality that indicates the need for a revision of the rules.

The Roman Catholic Church is the only Christian religion that requires all its priests to abstain from marriage and sexual relations. But this only became a requirement for priesthood in the 12th century.

But Pope Francis has ruled out any chance that he would change the Roman Catholic rule requiring priests to be celibate. But it is not a formal doctrine of the Church and so it could be changed by a future pope.

A Vatican spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Scicluna, perhaps best known for his investigations of sexual abuse crimes, noted that priests were allowed to marry in the first millennium of the Church’s history and that marriage is allowed today in the Eastern rite of the Catholic Church.

“If it were up to me, I would revise the requirement that priests have to be celibate,” he said. “Experience has shown me that this is something we need to seriously think about.”

Love in Malta/ Reuters