The priests of England and Wales have rejected the proposal made last week by the National Conference of Priests (NCP) to favour a relaxation of the norms that regulate the celibacy of priests. In the motion presented by Father Peter Morgan of the archdiocese of Liverpool, it was proposed that the idea of also admitting married men to the priesthood should be taken into consideration, because, as Morgan himself explained, “the shortage of priests on our territory will inevitably lead to the impossibility for many faithful to regularly attend Sunday mass; it is our conviction that the Eucharist is more important than the question whether a priest is celibate”. 51% of priests voted in favour of the motion; but this result is not enough, since each motion, if it is to be carried, must obtain at least two-thirds of the votes. Father James Caulfield, a military chaplain, criticised the motion, observing that “it is a simplistic response to a far more serious and complex problem: the low quality of current priests”. This is the fourth time, since 1992, that the question of celibacy has been put into question by the NCP, though, as its general secretary Father Kevin Pelham points out, “it is not competent to decide on the matter, nor indeed would the Bishops’ Conference. Any favourable opinion would have to come from Rome”.
