Discuss celibacy: Austrian cardinal| Cathnews India

Discuss celibacy: Austrian cardinal

Published Date: March 12, 2010

Tags: Church in Austria, paedophilia, priestly celibacy, sex scandal

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Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna says priestly celibacy could be among issues that needs to be discussed when examining reasons for increasing number of paedophilia cases against priests.

In an article in the diocesan magazine Thema Kirche he called for an “unflinching examination” on possible reasons for the sexual crimes against children, London’s Guardian website reported March 11.

The reasons may include “the issue of priest training, as well as the question of what happened in the so-called sexual revolution. It also includes the issue of priest celibacy and the issue of personality development. It requires a great deal of honesty, both on the part of the Church and of society as a whole,” he said.

The cardinal is among controversial people who suggest a link between celibacy and paedophilia. The other noted figure was suspended theologian Hans Kung.

However, the cardinal was “in no way” seeking to question the rules of celibacy or call for its abolition, a spokesperson asserted.

The cardinal’s remarks come amid revelations of abuse across Europe, with new incidents reported from Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.

Writing in L’Osservatore Romano, Lucetta Scaraffia said women might have helped remove the “veil of secrecy” surrounding the abuse.

“We can hypothesise that a greater female presence, not at a subordinate level, would have been able to rip the veil of masculine secrecy that in the past often covered the denunciation of these misdeeds with silence,” she said.

Vatican officials expressed concern over how the Church treated priestly sexual abuse cases. Early this year, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the head of the Congregation for Clergy group, said sexual abuses by priests were “criminal facts” as well as serious sins, and required co-operation with the civil justice system.

Source: Archbishop links priestly celibacy and Catholic sex abuse scandals (guardian.co.uk)

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