Retired Pope Benedict XVI has issued a defence of priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church as his successor considers easing a ban on married men serving as priests. Pope Benedict made the appeal in a book co-authored with Cardinal Robert Sarah. Pope Benedict, who retired in 2013, said he could not remain silent on the issue. It is rare for Pope Benedict, who was the first pontiff to resign in almost 600 years, to intervene in clerical matters. Pope Benedict still lives within the walls of the Vatican in a former monastery.

Source: The Star January 13, 2020 04:30 UTC