Eight out of ten priests who leave the priesthood do so because they have children – 28/02/2019

About 80% of the world's orders to give up the exercise of the priesthood – what is technically called the dispensation request – is due to the fact that the priest he had a sonaccording to the prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy of the Vatican, Cardinal Beniamino Stella. And he noted that the acceptance of the petition by the Holy See is practically automaticbecause it is based on the criterion that the priest must badume the responsibilities of his fatherhood.

The revelation, made at the Vatican's official website, VaticanNews, is after the New York Times, which published a few days ago an article entitled "The secret of the Vatican reigns over priests with children", in reference to that, Rome hides the measures that usually take these cases. At the same time as the American newspaper tells the story drama of children of unrecognized priests.

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At that time, the spokesman of Pope Alessandro Gisotti declared that there existed in the Church "directives" to act in these cases. But now, Cardinal Stella – as part of the transparency of information on which the Vatican embarked with the pontificate of Francisco – decided to state the criterion followed and to reveal the percentage of cases, although did not specify the number of cases.

With the signature of Andrea Tornielli, head of Vatican media content, the portal admits that, though there is some kind of guide on these cases of the Congregation for the Clergy for internal use, it has been a taboo theme in the church for a long time with the consequence often that these kids grew up without having a father known and recognized.

Stella stated that the priest no longer exercised the priesthood when he obtained the dispensation, but that this is now an almost "automatic" cause after the presentation in Rome. And these efforts are made to get "as soon as possible, a few months" so that the priest can be with his son.

Such a situation, he said, is considered "irreversible" and requires the priest to leave the clerical state, even if he considers himself fit for ministry.

Problems arise, he said, when the priest who had the offspring he does not want to ask for exemption because the relationship with the mother of the child has ceased or when the bishop or superior of the place thinks that "after having financially helped the offspring or after transferring the priest, the cleric can continue to exercise the ministry ".

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In cases where, according to the badessment of the bishop or superior, the situation requires that the priest badume the responsibilities arising from paternity (there are "rare" exceptions such as the integrating child a consolidated family), but he does not want to ask for the dispensation, the case is presented to the Congregation for the Resignation of Clergy of the Clerical State.

"Obviously, a child is always a gift from God, no matter his birth, the loss of the clerical state occurs because parental responsibility creates a series of permanent obligations, which are not only economy, "he said.

As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francisco had already pleaded "for the right of children to have a father by his side except for a mother. "

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