Many of the signs of an institution in crisis have been seen this week as the Roman Catholic Church has responded to the latest scandal concerning priestly celibacy in Scotland. The disappearance of the Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, Right Rev Roderick Wright, following his association with Ms Kathleen MacPhee and the revelation that he has a 15 year old child in his relationship with Ms Joanna Whibley, have provoked an outpouring of self examination - and of candour - that are characteristic of such a condition. In Ireland it is felt almost as a domestic matter, such is the intimacy between the Catholic churches here and in Scotland and the experience of hurt and sexual scandal they have shared in recent years.
The most interesting comments have come from the very top of the Catholic Church in England and Scotland. Cardinal Basil Hume made a dignified and very effective intervention at a difficult time when hem pointed out that celibacy is a matter of discipline not doctrine, of institutional not divine law. It is a rule that has been made by men and could be undone by them. Needless to say, argument rages in both of these dimensions between the proponents of celibacy and those who oppose it. But the cardinal's candour was a real act of leadership in what has been a dreadful week for the Church of which he is such a distinguished representative. The other noteworthy piece of candour came from Cardinal Thomas Winning who spoke yesterday of the bishop's doubts about being raised to such a responsible position and his firm denials when confronted with allegations that he was having an affair three years ago.
Candour and honesty of a different kind arises from the reports carried in this newspaper today about the extent to which the condition of priestly celibacy is transgressed throughout the Catholic Church. According to one piece of research, a mere two per cent of those who pledge celibacy achieve it. Surveys of opinion among priests and nuns show majorities in favour of optional celibacy and the right to marry. Testimony from the ground by those attending conferences and talking anonymously to the media bear out the impression, which surfaced memorably and courageously in this country last year when Bishop Brendan Comiskey called for a debate on celibacy.
Reports from Rome suggest that such affairs no longer scandalise the Vatican, either because of a complacency about the buoyant position of the Roman Catholic Church in many parts of the world, or because it is increasingly preoccupied with the possibility that a successor to Pope John Paul will be required in the shorter rather than the longer term. Whatever about his overall achievements, which are remarkable in many ways, his responsibility for the crisis on view in this latest scandal cannot be denied.
As Father Kevin Hegarty points out in an article in this newspaper today, a more open debate and a more honest examination of the question of celibacy is needed if the Catholic Church is to be renewed. The signs of decline are clearly on view from many indicators, notably the lowest ever recruitment figures to seminaries. In these circumstances the traditional and contemporary value of celibacy as he puts it, "the value of the charism as distinct from the law - in a sexually haunted world" are lost. Celibacy is an institution that cannot and should not be lightly cast aside but which must be argued anew if it is to be sustained.