Published Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Retired Bishop Edward Daly, formerly the Bishop of Derry, has called for an end to the policy in his autobiography 'A Troubled see: Memoirs of a Derry Bishop'.
Speaking to UTV, Dr Daly said:
"About a fortnight before I became a bishop, a priest came to me and said he could no longer continue in the priesthood. I was enormously saddened by that.
"It happened again and again and again during my years in the priesthood."
In the book, which will be officially launched at Magee College on Wednesday, Dr Daly claims that many men who could have been candidates for the priesthood had decided not to go ahead due to the requirement for celibacy.
Dr Daly said there must be a way to keep men who do not choose to be celibate within the priesthood.
"They have so much to offer and it's a huge commitment to enter into celibacy and perhaps some people made it before they were of a mature enough age to make a good decision on it.
"I have enjoyed my time as a priest, and I would have no complaints personally about it, but I do think the time has come to open it up to other people," said Dr Daly.
"There are more qualities than just celibacy - the ability to communicate and care for people, spirituality, knowledge - all of these things are factors.
"There's always a place for celibate priesthood but I think also there should be a place in the modern priesthood for a married priest," he added.
Catholic priests have been unable to marry since the Gregorian Reforms in the 11th century made celibacy compulsory.
Historians believe the move was partly for spiritual reasons, but was mainly to ensure that estates held by clerics would pass back to the church upon their deaths rather than to any potential offspring.
However in recent years Pope Benedict XVI has made allowances for married Anglican ministers to transfer to the Catholic Church after a number made the move in protest at controversial Anglican issues including the ordination of women priests and acceptance of ministers in same-sex relationships.