CARDINAL Basil Hume has suggested the demand for priestly celibacy could be relaxed while insisting "it is not a bad thing to have people who can witness to love without sex".
Reacting to the resignation of the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, Cardinal Hume leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales admitted the church was losing many "excellent" candidates for the priesthood because they wished to marry.
Cardinal Hume, who was also interviewed on the RTE Liveline programme, told BBC radio. "It is not divine law. It is church law, so any Pope or General Council could change it."
Cardinal Hume's stance was in marked contrast to that of the Archbishop of Glasgow, Cardinal Thomas Winning. The leader of Scotland's 750,000 Catholics said the runaway Bishop Roderick Wright could remain a priest if he gave up his presumed sexual relationship with a divorced woman. But he insisted this major lapse by a senior churchman" should make no difference to the church's rules on celibacy.
Conceding that the affair would reopen the debate, Cardinal Winning said. "I believe it would be foolish of the church to change any rules on celibacy in a world where permanency is almost rejected permanency in careers, permanency in relationships. The world does not look very kindly on a lifelong commitment and this is very important in the church."
Cardinal Hume, Archbishop of Westminster, said increasing numbers of people were being called to the priesthood worldwide. "But also we are losing excellent and very good people because they would wish to be married priests."
Cardinal Hume said the impact of the rule and any change on other cultures must be carefully considered.
The celibacy debate was currently being conducted very much in western Europe and north America. "But the Catholic Church has to take a worldwide view." And the cardinal said there were practical reasons for the celibacy rule. "Many of us would find it very hard to give all our energy and time to our ministry and to give good quality time to our families."
The most important thing for him was that Christ was celibate. "I have tried through my life to try to explore in prayer what this means. Our society is very preoccupied with sex. It is not a bad thing to have people who can witness to love without sex."