In western Ukraine, many Catholic priests are married, fruitful and multiplying — with the Vatican’s

blessing.

RUDNO, Ukraine — Let the rest of Europe be convulsed by debates over whether the celibacy of Roman Catholic priests is causing sex abuse scandals like the one now unfolding in Germany. Here in western Ukraine, many Catholic priests are married, fruitful and multiplying — with the Vatican’s blessing.

The many feet scampering around the Volovetskiy home are testament to that.

The family’s six children range from Pavlina, 21, to Taras, 9. In the middle is Roman, 16, who wants to be a Catholic priest when he grows up. Just like his father.

Dad is the Rev. Yuriy Volovetskiy, who leads a small parish here and whose wife, Vera, teaches religious school. The Volovetskiys serve in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which believes that celibate priests are not necessarily better priests.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/world/europe/23ukraine.html?th&emc=th

He was married, had two kids, marriage was annulled by Church, he became a priest, daughter has 3 kids.

...and a whole host of other topics which they are forbidden from actually participating in and getting personal experience on.

Just silly.

PB

Ukrainian and other Byzantine Rite Catholics report to the Pope, but have retained their own traditions in liturgy and clergical rules, including the ability to ordain married priests.

It's something that the Roman Rite seriously ought to look into, if they want to increase the multitude of priests out there and thus better "weed out" priests who might be prone to child abuse.

Rite (primarily Eastern Europe) and Roman Rite (Remainder).

Ukraine --Eastern Rite has always permitted married priests.

Jokingly, many of us say it was the influence of the Irish
(history) that kept the rest Celibate.