"Children of priests, the criterion to follow is the good of children"

Andrea Tornielli – Vatican City

The question of "children of priests" remained taboo for a long time, which often resulted, especially in the past, in the fact that these children grew up without a known and recognized father. This is in any case a different problem from the one encountered last week in the Vatican and focused on the abuses committed against minors. Vincent Doyle, psychotherapist, son of an Irish Catholic priest and founder of "Coping International" (www.copinginternational.com), an badociation for the defense of children's rights of Catholic priests around the world, he was present at Rome. Doyle wants to "go out of anonymity" and psychologically help "the many people born in a relationship between a woman and a priest" in various parts of the world. The Irish psychotherapist, during recent interviews in various media, talked about a document of the Congregation for the Clergy – in fact, for internal use, mistakenly called "secret" – on the attitude to be adopted in these cases. The existence of these internal guidelines, known to Doyle himself since 2017, and the general criterion on the protection of children, was confirmed by the Acting Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Alessandro Gisotti. We talk to Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, the dicastery that deals with this aspect of the life of the priests.

Your Eminence, what are the criteria that guide the decisions to be made in the case of priests with children?

"The dicastery has followed a practice since the time when Cardinal Claudio Hummes was prefect – for about ten years – who was the first to bring to the attention of the Holy Father, at the time Benedict XVI, the cases of minors priests of 40 years with offspring, proposing to benefit from the dispensation without waiting for the fortieth year, as stipulated by the standards of the time, this decision had as main objective to safeguard the good of the offspring, that is, the right of children to have a father and mother at his side, as well as Pope Francis, who had already expressed himself in this sense as a cardinal archbishop from Buenos Aires during a dialogue with Rabbi Abraham Skorka, published in the book "Heaven and Earth", was categorical: the priest should give priority attention to offspring ".

What do you mean by "attention"?

"Of course, it's not just about the financial support needed." What should accompany the growth of a child, it is above all the affection of the parents, an adequate education, in fact everything which implies an exercise of paternity effective and responsible, especially in the first ones years of life ".

Can you tell us what the internal document is about?

It is a text entitled "Note on the praxis of the Congregation for the Clergy in relation to the clergy with children", which collects and systematizes the practice in force for years in the Dicastery. As has been explained, it is a working tool to which we must refer when such a situation arises, a "technical" text intended for the collaborators of the dicastery, to guide itself. Only for this reason, it has not been published. It is also clear that Mr. Doyle was able to read it two years ago. This text is generally presented and commented by the Congregation on Episcopal Conferences and Bishops, who treat the subject and ask how to proceed.

Can you explain the current behavior of the dicastery you preside in these cases?

"The presence of children in the records of priestly dispensations has in fact been treated as a practically" automatic "motive for a quick presentation of the case to the Holy Father in order to allow the dispensation itself. Efforts are made to ensure that the dispensation of the obligations of the clerical state is obtained as quickly as possible – a few months – so that the priest can be available with his mother for the follow-up of the offspring. irreversible "and forces the priest to leave the clerical state even if he considers himself fit for ministry. The approximate calculation of the waiver requests shows that about 80% of them involve the presence of offspring, though often conceived after the abandonment of the same ministry ".

Does this rule always apply and in all cases? Does this also apply if priests with children do not want to request an exemption from the ministry?

"Sometimes it happens that bishops and religious superiors present the situation of priests who do not intend to ask for dispensation, even in the presence of children, especially when the emotional relationship with In such cases, unfortunately, the mother has ceased. There are bishops and superiors who think that after having helped financially the offspring or after having transferred the priest, the cleric can continue to exercise the ministry. this is the result of the resistance of the priests to ask for the dispensation, the absence of an affective relationship with the woman and sometimes the desire of certain Ordinaries to offer the repentant priest a new ministerial occasion. When, according to the evaluation of the bishop or superior responsible, the situation The priest badumes the responsibilities arising from paternity, but does not want to request the dispensation, the case is presented to the Congregation for the resignation of the Cleric of the Clerical State. Obviously, a child is always a gift from God, no matter what birth. The loss of the clerical state is due to the fact that parental responsibility creates a series of permanent obligations which, in the legislation of the Latin Church, do not provide for the exercise of priestly ministry .

Is this rule general and always valid or is each case treated differently?

"Obviously, each case must be examined according to its merit and specificity, the exceptions are really very rare, for example, the case of a newborn, the son of a priest, who, because of certain situations, becomes part of the family already consolidated, in which another father badumes the role of father, or when it is priests with children already "mature", from 20 to 30 years. The priests who, in their youth, experienced painful emotional events and brought their children economic, moral and spiritual support and now exercise their ministry with zeal and commitment after overcoming the previous affective weaknesses. situations, the dicastery does not oblige bishops to invite priests to ask I think these are cases in which the dicastery recommends a more flexible discernment within a practice and strict guidelines for the congregation tion. "

What can you answer to those who claim that the presence of children of priests is a theme for the introduction of optional celibacy for priests of the Latin Church?

"The fact that some priests have lived relationships and given birth to children does not address the subject of priestly celibacy, which is a precious gift for the Latin Church, about the present value of which the last popes have been expressed since St. Paul VI.Even the existence of cases of abandonment of the roof and spouses does not obviously affect the value of Christian marriage. Reality, can understand what is his responsibility towards Christian marriage son: his good and his care must be at the center of the Church's attention so that offspring not only lack what is necessary for life, but especially the educational role and affection of a father.