Letter to the Editor
The Irish Times
28 December 2025
Celibacy and Catholic Church
Sir, – I fully support William Reville’s letter (December 23rd) calling for the abolition of compulsory celibacy as a condition for priestly ministry in the Catholic Church.
It wouldn’t solve all the problems facing this beleaguered institution, but it would inject some badly needed new life and energy into it.
In the absence of any hope of a move towards women’s equality, this step would, albeit indirectly, introduce some female presence and influence into ministry.
There is little sign of the Vatican making a move on this, or indeed on anything else to do with ministry. They seem to be incapable of moving on anything that does not get support from the whole Church, and that means that all decisions are made by the most traditional and reactionary units in the Church.
The only way forward that I can see is for individual units to begin to take independent action.
It would be wonderful if the leadership of the Irish Church began to move on this, by first inviting those men who left the priesthood due to the celibacy rule, and who are willing, to come back into ministry.
There is no doubt that would be widely welcomed in the Irish Church as a whole. Then it would need to be followed by the ordination of married men.
It would be important for the Irish Church not to ask permission from the Vatican for this action, but to politely inform them.
What exactly could they do to us? And it would set a great headline for other units within the Church. – Yours, etc,
TONY FLANNERY,
Newport,
Co Tipperary.