By Henry McDonald
The Guardian
September 13, 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/13/irish-bishop-celibacy-clergy
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| Edward Daly was bishop of Derry for nearly 20 years. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA |
A high-profile bishop who tended some of the dead and wounded of Bloody Sunday has called for an end to celibacy in the clergy.
Edward Daly, who was bishop of Derry for nearly 20 years, said allowing the clergy to marry would solve some of the church's problems. He is the most senior figure in Irish Catholicism to challenge the ban.
The number of Catholic priests in Ireland is in sharp decline as older clergy die out and very few young men choose to take up a celibate life. In some parishes the church has transferred priests from Poland and the developing world to fill the gap.
"There will always be a place in the church for a celibate priesthood, but there should also be a place for a married priesthood in the church," he said on BBC Radio Ulster.
"I think priests should have the freedom to marry if they wish. It may create a whole new set of problems but I think it's something that should be considered. I'm worried about the decreasing number of priests and the number of older priests. I think it's an issue that needs to be addressed, and addressed urgently."
Daly accepted he might be out of step with current Vatican thinking but said he was "not engaged in a popularity contest".
He said that during his time as a bishop he found it "heartbreaking" that so many priests or prospective priests were forced to resign or were unable to get ordained because of the celibacy issue. Many young men who had once considered joining the priesthood turned away because of the rule, the cleric said.
Daly, now 77, became a recognised figure around the world in 1972 when he was seen waving a bloodied white handkerchief in front of British paratroopers in Derry during Bloody Sunday. The sight of the then priest during the shooting of 13 civilians in the city became one of the most enduring images of the Northern Ireland Troubles.
During the 25-year conflict Daly was a fierce critic of the IRA's armed campaign and a supporter of the peace process.
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