Sir, - Much has been written of late in the media about clerical celibacy. Fr Thomas McGovern's book Clerical Celibacy Today contains many gems. One of them, a quote from William Oddie (himself a married clergyman with the Church of England, who converted to Catholicism) is particularly informative. I quote:
"Churches with a married clergy have their own problems. A celibate priesthood may be demanding; but so is the life of a married clergyman. There is a high rate of marriage breakdown among married clergy. The life of clergy wives and children is often isolated and stressful. Those in the Catholic Church who think that getting rid of clerical celibacy is the panacea for all our problems are simply ill informed about the alternatives. Protestant Churches too have a crisis of vocations."
Those arguing for change might well reflect on what William Oddie has to say. - Yours, etc.,
John Leonard, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.