After the Dillane affair, will Church finally get the message on celibacy?

THE resignation of Father Maurice Dillane, 73, as a curate in Co Galway after fathering a child has again put the Catholic Church in the public spotlight.

Father Brian D’Arcy adopted an understanding approach, essentially demanding that the celibacy rule for priests be reviewed. “The compulsory celibacy issue has to be addressed,” he said.

The current reaction is very different to the news in 1992 that Bishop Eamon Casey had fathered a child, or a couple of years later when the media broke the story of the late Father Michael Cleary. Indeed, Fr D’Arcy’s own attitude has matured significantly.