Priest Who Fathered Child Prompts Celibacy Debate

The Catholic Church in Ireland faced calls for an open debate on the compulsory celibacy of priests yesterday after a 73-year-old curate retired when it emerged he had fathered a child.

The priest was based in a rural parish in County Galway. His 31-year-old partner gave birth late last year and the couple plan to raise the child together. The bishop of Clonfert said he had spoken to the priest and his partner and the case was now "a private matter".

Parishioners expressed sadness but said Ireland, after years of church scandals, was no longer so shocked when such cases emerged.