Celibacy rule must go, claim supporters of priest

The Catholic Church is losing its best priests because they can’t get married, supporters of a cleric forced to retire after fathering a child today claimed.

Fr Maurice Dillane, a curate in the Woodford-Looscaun parish in east Co Galway quit the Clonfert diocese after he was confronted by his bishop.

The 73-year-old cleric is believed to have had a two-year relationship with a Dublin-based teacher, 31 whom he first met in a previous parish in the Co Galway area.

The child was born at the end of last year.

Broadcaster Fr Brian D’Arcy and well-known Manchester priest Fr Denis Maher today both backed Fr Dillane and warned the Catholic Church that it was losing its best priests because they weren’t allowed to marry.

“The compulsory celibacy issue has to be addressed. I’m not saying what the conclusions will be but at least it is time that we discussed it,” Fr D’Arcy said.

“I really think that some of the absolute cream of the priesthood have been lost and I think it’s one of the reasons we are in the huge mess we’re in at the moment,” he noted.

He estimated that over 110,000 priests have left around the world, of which 70,000 would have been leaders in the Catholic Church today.

Fr Maher, who rose to media prominence in 1998 during the police investigation into the Dr Harold Shipman murders in his Manchester parish, also supported Fr Dillane.

“Any priest who doesn’t fall in love is only half a priest,” he said.

The Tipperary-born cleric said he had 14 married priests in his parish who were very successful in their jobs.

He also revealed that he once fell in love with a woman but overcame it to continue as a priest.

“We remain the best of friends. It’s a very nice relationship. There’s nothing bad taking place,” he told Liveline.

The Bishop of Clonfert, Dr John Kirby earlier confirmed in a statement that a priest had admitted to him on January 6 that he had recently fathered a baby.

Fr Dillane’s parish priest Fr Pat Naughten was unavailable for comment today.

Fr D’Arcy said he hoped mother and baby were healthy and Fr Dillane was happy.

“I hope they’re given room to enjoy the joy of parenthood because we have to assume that it is a loving relationship in a good context and if both of them are happy about it, who are we to make a judgment about it?”

“The man has given over 40 years to the priesthood and if he wants to move in different directions, then that’s okay with me.

“It is breaking the rules, but that doesn’t mean that everything about it is bad and sinful and dirty and tainted.

“I would like to think that somebody, whatever age they are, if they fall in love with somebody who falls in love with them, and they want to have a relationship, I would not stand in the way of that.”

Chairman of Fr Dillane’s local pastoral council, Justin O’Byrne said rumours about the baby had been circulating for a few days when he brought the matter to parish priest Fr Naughten last Friday afternoon.

Mr O’Byrne believed the incident wasn’t as shocking as the revelations involving Bishop Eamon Casey and his secret teenage son in 1992.

“I’m quite happy that the diocese and the bishop are dealing with it in an understanding and caring fashion. It is not being swept under the carpet or ignored or denied by anybody,” Mr O’Byrne added.

Dr Kirby said in a statement that he hoped the priest would be given time and space to plan for the future of the baby and mother.

He said: “On 6th January a priest on loan to the Clonfert Diocese confirmed to me that he had recently fathered a baby with an adult woman.

“Since then, I have met both the priest and the mother.

“I hope that the priest, who has ceased to work in the diocese, the mother, and all those involved, be given appropriate time and space to plan for their respective futures.

“I consider this to be a private matter and as such I will make no further comment.”