Bishop acknowledges hurt caused by Vatican document

The Bishop of Killaloe has acknowledged the hurt caused by last week's controversial Vatican document on gay priests.

The document said men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" could not be ordained priests, but men with only "transitory" tendencies could be ordained if they had overcome those tendencies for at least three years.

Bishop Willie Walsh said today that he regretted the timing of the document and would have preferred if it had dealt with overall candidacy for the priesthood rather than singling out homosexuals.

He was speaking at the launch of a new Catholic Church website aimed at providing guidance to couples planning marriage.