Pope refuses to remove priesthood rule of celibacy

POPE BENEDICT XVI yesterday “re-affirmed” the celibacy requirement for priests, putting an end to the possibility his papacy would open up to married clergymen in a bid to offset a shortage of recruits.

The pontiff and the heads of the nine congregations and 11 pontifical councils that make up the administration of the Holy See met yesterday in response to mounting calls for the Catholic Church to drop the celibacy obligation and examine the cases of priests who have married and sought readmission. The participants of the meeting “re-affirmed the value of a priest choosing to be celibate in accordance to the Catholic tradition,” the Holy See said in a statement.

Pope Benedict is facing a shortage of priests, as the Catholic faith wanes in popularity in Europe and the US amid debate about the Vatican’s stance on issues such as contraception, abortion, celibacy and the role of women in the Church. The number of Catholic priests in Europe and North America dropped 5% and 6%, respectively, between 1999 and 2004.