Roman Catholic priests should be allowed to marry and have children, Britain's most senior Catholic cleric said today (February 22, 2013), with the hope that a newly-elected pope will implement such a policy, according to the Associated Press website.
Cardinal Keith O'Brien -- who heads the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland -- said the requirement for priestly celibacy is "not of divine origin" and could be reconsidered.
He told BBC Scotland that "the celibacy of the clergy, whether priests should marry -- Jesus didn't say that."
O'Brien, 74, said that the next pope -- expected to be elected next month -- would be free to consider changing church policy on issues, including celibacy for priests, that were not "basic dogmatic beliefs." He explained that for many years in some branches of the Catholic Church -- such as the Greek Catholic Church that is prevalent in much of eastern Europe and the Middle East -- Catholic priests have been allowed to be married, "so that is obviously not of divine origin and it could get discussed again."
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