Children of the ordained is a term the
Vatican uses to describe the offspring of ordained
Catholic priests who have taken a vow of
clerical celibacy. The children are a "result of affairs involving priests and laywomen or nuns – others of abuse or rape".
Not many of these children are known, but the most famous is probably Vincent Doyle, who has started a support group, Coping International.
In 2009, the Vatican under
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
and
Cardinal Cláudio Hummes composed guidelines for the children of priests. The official name of the document is ''"Congregazione per il Clero a proposito dei chierici con prole"'' (Notes concerning the practice of the Congregation for the Clergy with regard to clerics with children). The
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
reported on the guidelines' existence in 2019. The guidelines were considered as a "secret".
In 2020, the Congregation for Clergy released the guidelines to Vincent Doyle. They include two exceptions which allows priests to remain in the Catholic priesthood, having fathered a child, and openly acknowledged their child.
See also
*
List of children of clergy
References
External links
Coping International
Clerical celibacy
Catholicism-related controversies
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