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Benedict XVI Pope Francis warns of easing celibacy

Several years after his resignation, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. pronounced for the celibacy without exception. He appeals to his successor Francis not to relax the ban on marriage for priests. “I can’t stay still!” Writes the 92-year-old in the book “Des profondeurs de nos coeurs” (“From the depths of our hearts”), which he wrote together with the conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah. The French newspaper “Le Figaro” published excerpts from it in advance.

Benedict and Cardinal Sarah argue that the Catholic Church should not be “influenced by bad attitudes, theatrics, diabolical lies and trending errors” which “want to devalue priestly celibacy”. They also warn that priests are “constantly questioning” the celibacy would be “unsettled”.

Francis is currently investigating whether in remote parts of the world, such as certain areas of the Amazon where priests are scarce, the clergy Marriage should be allowed, He is expected to announce his decision in the next few weeks. At an Amazon synod in Rome in October, bishops called on the pope to open the priesthood to married men in the Amazon region. (Read here more on the topic)

His predecessor is opposed to the plans: Benedict among other things, writes in the book that marriage requires a man to devote himself entirely to his family. However, total devotion is necessary for the life as a clergyman, so it does not seem possible to “pursue both vocations at the same time”.

Benedict’s intervention is exceptional because when he resigned in 2013 he had promised to remain “hidden from the world” in the future and to be obedient to the new Pope. He largely kept this promise. In 2019, however, he wrote one controversial essay, in which he shared responsibility for the abuse of Catholic priests against children in the sixty-eight.

Benedict was the first pope since the Middle Ages, who resigned, The expert Iacopo Scaramuzzi wrote on Twitter that the coexistence of the former and current Pope would be difficult if the predecessor did not keep his promise to “hide and obey”.

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