Cardinal Bertone: priestly celibacy is 'not untouchable'

Cardinal Bertone - picture: VIS

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State to the Vatican has said that priestly celibacy is not "untouchable" but is a "positive tradition" during an interview with a Spanish television station on Monday.

"It is not that it is untouchable," the Cardinal told Catalan station TV3 "... there are married priests in the Catholic as well as oriental church". But, he said, the vow of celibacy taken by most Catholic priests was a "positive and fruitful tradition".

"It is the non-respect of celibacy that brings with it serious risks and that then has very painful consequences," he said.

Source: TV3