Priest: Credit Benedict for sparking open discussion

Outspoken Redemptorist Fr Tony Flannery, who was threatened with excommunication under the reign of Pope Benedict, has paid tribute to the former pope for stepping down — because, whether he intended it or not, he had paved the way for open discussion within the Church.

Fr Flannery, who was summoned to the Vatican last year and silenced because of his views on contraception, priestly celibacy and the ordination of women, said he found it extraordinary that his best lines were now being taken by senior cardinals.

The period since Benedict’s retirement had been “amazing”, with a new spirit blowing through the Vatican.