Catholic Fights to Have Church Lift Celibacy Rule
By CLARKE CANFIELD, AP
BRUNSWICK, Maine (Nov. 26) - The Vatican this month reaffirmed its position that priests should be celibate. But Louise Haggett remains faithful to her belief that the Roman Catholic Church's celibacy rules need changing now more than ever. The church could grow its shrinking ranks of priests and touch many more lives by lifting its celibacy requirements, said Haggett, a lifelong Catholic who runs a nonprofit referral service for married priests.
In the decade since Haggett launched her Rent-a-Priest Web site, more than 100,000 people have been married, buried, baptized or otherwise attended to by married priests who are listed on the site.
Perhaps some day, Haggett said, church leaders will share her opinion.
"The whole issue of celibacy in the church is nothing but a farce," she said.
Haggett, 65, founded CITI Ministries - the CITI stands for Celibacy is the Issue - in 1992 after she couldn't find a priest in Maine to visit her mother in a nursing home in the weeks before her death.
Following her mother's death, Haggett discovered there were countless priests who had left the church to marry but still felt a calling.
2006-11-26
10:31:48
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